Arizona Historian Bill Harrison will present “The Harvey Girls” at 7 p.m. Monday, March 13, in Apache Junction as part of the Arizona Lecture Series.

The lecture will be at the Performing Arts Center at Apache Junction High School, 2525 S. Ironwood Road. Doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets are $5 per person.

"When Fred Harvey created a new type of waitress called The Harvey Girls, the great Southwest was changed forever. Fred Harvey restaurants were springing up all along the Santa Fe Railroad in the 1880s," according to a release.

"In a stroke of genius, (Harvey) decided to hire attractive young women between the ages of 18 and 30 with good moral character, honesty and integrity to work in his restaurants. These young women worked hard but were also well paid and enjoyed unprecedented independence," the release states.

As a bonus, there’s a discussion of the 1946 movie “The Harvey Girls” starring Judy Garland and Angela Lansbury.

The lecture series will end March 27. The rest of the month’s programs include: Christine Reid with “They Beat the Heat” on March 20 and “Hopalong Cassidy” by Bill Harrison on March 27.

Tickets can be purchased at az-apachejunction-lite.intouchreceipting.com/azlectureseries; at the Apache Junction Unified School District office, 1575 W. Southern in Apache Junction; or at the PAC before the show. Call 480-982-1110 for ticket availability.

More information about the series is available at ajusd.org/Page/12135. Brochures are also available at the AJUSD office.