Near Avery in Shoshone County, Idaho — The American West (Mountains)

Olympian Luxury

Photographed By Bernard Fisher, July 22, 2011

1. Olympian Luxury Marker

Inscription. Driving across the country today, fueling up at fast food outlets, it is hard to imagine that travel was once much more luxurious. The Milwaukee Road's Olympian and Columbian passenger trains carried elegant dining cars the entire distance from Chicago to Seattle.

The Milwaukee employed eminent chefs to supervise their dining car operations. Each train had a crew consisting of a steward, a chef, two or three cooks and three or four waiters.

The menu featured such delights as crabmeat au gratin, shrimp a la newburg and baked apple with cream, all served on the Milwaukee's distinctive china.

“I must mention Rene Chaveaux, a wonderful man - one of a kind. He was French, knew how to cook, knew how to serve and knew how to present food at a dining-car table. Chaveaux was a dining-car inspector, and he knew what he was inspecting.” Ruth Trela, Milwaukee Road Employee

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Railroads & Streetcars.

Location. 47° 20.649′ N, 115° 37.826′ W. Marker is near Avery, Idaho, in Shoshone County. Marker can be reached from Loop Creek Road (Federal Road 326) 4 miles west of Cliff Creek Road (Federal Road 506). Located along the Route of the Hiawatha Trail. Touch for map

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. Marker is in this post office area: Avery ID 83802, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Olympian Hiawatha (a few steps from this marker); The Big Blowup (approx. ¼ mile away); The Mighty Quills (approx. ¼ mile away); The Traveler (approx. 0.3 miles away); The 1910 Fires (approx. 0.3 miles away); Johnson’s Big Cut (approx. 0.4 miles away); Little in Name Only (approx. 0.4 miles away); Electrified (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Avery.

More about this marker. In the center is an illustration with the caption, "The pink shaded “Traveler” china pattern used by the Milwaukee Road on their Hiawatha Streamliners from 1937 until passenger service ceased in the 1960s." Illustration from 1947 Olympian Hiawatha advertisement.

On the right is a photo with the caption, "Master Chef Rene Chaveaux pictured instructing Milwaukee chefs at the railroad's Western Avenue commissary in Chicago."

Also see . . . Route of the Hiawatha Rail Trail. (Submitted on August 5, 2011, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.)

Photographed By Bernard Fisher, July 22, 2011

2. Olympian Luxury Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on August 5, 2011, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 747 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 5, 2011, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.