Denver Sandwich (1903); Western Sandwich (1908); Manhattan Sandwich (1909)

[Barry Popik]

DARE has "Denver Sandwich," and I'm told to look at its entry for
"western sandwich." I don't know what that looks like and hope this
helps.
...
Surprisingly, I didn't find much help in Chronicling America
(1900-1910). I did find one New York Tribune hit there that didn't
really apply. Chronicling America has the 1900-1910 New York Tribune?
Does the ProQuest NY Tribune version have a "Denver Sandwich" or
"Western Sandwich"?
...
...
...
http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/texas/entry/western_sandwich_denver_sandwich_denver_omelet/
...
Entry from October 17, 2007
Western Sandwich (Denver Sandwich; Denver Omelet)
A "Western sandwich" (also called a "Denver sandwich" or "Denver
omelet") usually consists of an omelet with ham, onions, and green
pepper, served between two slices of (usually toasted) bread. Earlier
version of "ham toast" and "ham and egg on toast" were served in
America (the East as well as the West) in the 19th century.

It is claimed (see below, in 1954) that Denver restaurateur Albert A.
McVittie invented the "Denver sandwich" in Denver in 1907, but the
"Denver sandwich" appears in print at least as early as 1903. McVittie
(who also served as president of the National Restaurant Association)
appears in many newspaper articles before the 1950s, but there is no
mention of the "Denver sandwich" in those articles. M. D. Looney (see
below, in 1950) is another Denver 1907 claimant. It is also claimed
(see below, in 1973) that the "Denver sandwich" was invented at
Denver's Taber Hotel.

The sandwich was called a "Western Sandwich" as early as 1908, cited
in a San Antonio newspaper. A "Manhattan Sandwich" (cited from 1909)
contained fried egg, minced ham, and onion.


Wikipedia: Omelette
An omelette or omlet is a preparation of beaten egg cooked with butter
or oil in a frying pan, usually folded around a filling such as
cheese, vegetables, meat, or some combination of the above. Gourmet
cook Julia Child famously described an omelette as soft-cooked
scrambled eggs wrapped in an envelope of firmly-cooked scrambled eggs.
Many variations exist.
(...)
A Western omelette, also known as a Denver omelette, is an omelette
sometimes filled with diced ham, onions, and green bell peppers,
though there are many variations on fillings. Often served in the
midwestern United States and sometimes has a topping of cheese and a
sidedish of hashbrowns or fried potatoes.

Food Timeline
"Western. A sandwich composed of an omelet with green pepper, chopped
ham, and onions on white bread or toast. It is sometimes called a
"western omelet" (which first appeared in print in 1935; "western" in
1951) or, in Utah, a "Denver omelet" or "Denver sandwich") (in print
since 1925)
---Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink, John F. Mariani
[Lebhar-Friedman:New York] 1999 (p. 345)

(Dictionary of American Regional English)
Denver omelet n Also Denver. Cf western sandwich
An omelet containing ham, onions, and freq green pepper; hence n
Denver sandwich such an omelet served between sliced of bread.
1925 Lewis Arrowsmith 258 Upper MW, You might bring me a Denver
sandwich from the Sunset Trail Lunch.
1932 (1946) Hibben Amer. Regional Cookery 193, Denver
Sandwich...Fry..chopped ham with the onion...Add slightly beaten eggs,
parsley;...Mix together and let brown lightly...Pile between slices of
hot buttered toast.
1940 Brown Amer. Cooks 69, Denver Sandwich...This solid snack was born
in covered wagon days, when eggs had to be hauled in over long, hot
trails. They got so high in flavor that the kindest thing to do was
smother them in onions...Early cowboys called the great-grandaddy of
the Denver Sandwich "Ham Toast."
1967 DARE FW Addit. cnNY, A western omelet or sandwich (egg, ham,
pepper, onion) is called a Denver sandwich or omelet in the west.
1985 DARE File Denver CO, Th chef at the Brown Palace Hotel..says that
out here a "denver" is an omelet made with ham, green peppers and
onions. A "western" is a sandwich; it has the same ingredients as the
"Denver," but is prepared in such a way that it can be eaten between
two pieces of toast...They don't seem to use the "Denver" term back
east.

16 April 1884, Perry (Iowa) Pilot, pg. 3, col. 2:
HAM AND EGGS ON TOAST.—Chop fine cold broiled or baked ham. Toast and
butter slices of stale bread; crush the crust with a napkin to soften
it. Spread with the ham and set in the oven for three or four minutes.
Beat six eggs with a half cupful of milk, a little pepper and salt.
Put this in a saucepan and stir over the fire until it begins to
thicken. Take off, beat well for a moment, spread over the ham on
toast; serve hot immediately.

7 April 1903, Semi Weekly Iowa State Reporter (Waterloo, Iowa), pg.
6, col. 1:
In those days he would hop to a new book like a hungry hobo to a
Denver sandwich, and, weather permitting, he would have put it away on
a back shelf, or off to a neighbor's before the mass of the people
knew it was out of the printshop.

15 February 1908, Newark (OH) Advocate, pg. 6, col. 2:
The lunch consisted of Denver sandwiches, raisin and mince pie,
pickles, cheese, cakes and coffee.

5 August 1908, San Antonio (TX) Light, pg. 3, col. 7:
Western Sandwiches.
Chop fine uncooked bacon, green peppers and onions; to twelve slices
of bacon use two green peppers (seeds removed), six onions size of an
egg; season with salt and a little pepper. Fry until bacon is done,
then scramble in two eggs. Place between white or rye bread. This
makes a delicious sandwich.

3 December 1909, Janesville (WI) Daily Gazette, pg. 2, col. 6 ad:
Ham Sandwich.
Fried Ham Sandwich.
Ham and Egg Sandwich.
Dried Beef Sandwich.
Egg Sandwich.
Egg Beef Sandwich.
Hamburg Sandwich.
Escanaba Sandwich.
Manhattan Sandwich.
Denver Sandwich.
(Razook's Candy Palace—ed.)

12 September 1911, Syracuse (NY) Herald, pg. 5, col. 3:
Western Sandwich.
Blend 1 c. of chopped or finely minced ham with 1 well beaten egg,
season with a very little grated onion; saute in hot dripping made
from the fat of the ham; place between toasted bread that has been
dipped in a little hot milk, then butter and set in a hot oven for a
few minutes to dry out. Serve hot. The sauted ham may be placed
between very thin slices of bread.

7 March 1912, Daily Northwestern (Oshkosh, WI), pg. 8, col. 3 ad:
1 cup of coffee and one Denver sandwich ... 20c
(South Side Restaurant and Lunch Room—ed.)

8 November 1912, Janesville (WI) Daily Gazette, pg. 6, col. 2 ad:
Egg Sandwich...10c
Hamburg Sandwich...10c
Escanaba Sandwich...10c
Manhattan Sandwich...10c
Denver Sandwich...10c
(Razook's Candy Palace—ed.)

3 October 1915, Duluth (MN) News Tribune, section 3, pg. 1:
It has become a dispensary for "ham an," sinkers, and coffee and the
festive Denver sandwiches.

24 March 1917, Wilkes-Barre (PA) Times Leader, pg. 14 ad:
THE HAMPTON
(...)
Western Omelette...30c

June 1918, Hotel Monthly, "Lunch-Room Cafeteria in I.C.R.R.'s New 63d
St. Station" (Chicago, IL), menu, pg. 62, col. 2:
Sandwiches...Denver 15c

8 April 1919, Syracuse (NY) Herald, pg. 10, col. 4:
Western Sandwiches.
To 3 T. of finely minced ham add 2 t. grated onion and 1 well beaten
egg, blend well and saute in hot drippings on both sides or butter.
Place between 1/3 inch slices of bread. Lettuce may be used.

May 1919, Hotel Monthly, pg. 75, col. 2:
Sandwiches...Hot...Denver...40c

9 June 1922, Davenport (Iowa) Democrat and Leader, pg. 20, col. 5:
Q. What is a Manhattan sandwich? A. W.
A. A New York chef says that a Manhattan sandwich has a filling of
fried egg, minced ham and onion.

19 April 1924, Chicago (IL) Daily Tribune, pg. 5:
DENVER SANDWICH
It's a food as well as a palatable, wholesome candy.  This delicious
confection has become extremely popular...10c
(WALGREEN CO. ad—ed.)

6 September 1924, Los Angeles (CA) Times, pg. 6:
DENVER SANDWICH
Make twelve slices of toast and butter. Beat six eggs until light and
beat into them two cupfuls of finely chopped boiled ham, two finely
chopped small onions, and three finely chopped dill pickles. Heat
three tablespoonfuls of butter in a sautepan, turn in the mixture and
stir and cook five minutes; spread over six slices of the buttered
toast, cover with six slices of toast, place one sandwich on a
lettuce-covered plate, garnish with sliced dill pickle and serve.

Time magazine
New Pictures
Monday, Apr. 05, 1926
(...)
Desert Gold. Zane Grey has contributed another hair-raiser, in which a
sand storm is a vast feature. It deals with the dangers surrounding a
girl who lived on the edge of a Western desert, and how a brave
lieutenant of cavalry (Neil Hamilton) preserved her from them. Western
pictures, like Western sandwiches,— are much the same everywhere and
good if you like them.
—A western sandwich is a ham and onion omelet with bread above and below.

26 June 1926, Dallas (TX) Morning News, part 1, pg. 12:
Denver sandwiches are appetizing and form a well-balanced meal if
fruit is the dessert. For six persons use one pound of smoked ham,
chopped, six onions and six eggs. Cook the onions and ham in a frying
pan, add the eggs and stir until they are well scrambled. Put between
rolls of slices of toast.

31 May 1929, San Antonio (TX) Light, pg.  10B, col. 3:
A Denver sandwich is made by scrambling eggs with cold boiled ham and
onions which have been chopped and browned in butter in a frying pan
on top of the wire grill. This may be served over slices of buttered
bread or toast, and is delicious with sliced tomatoes or a potato
salad.

Time magazine
Western Sandwich
Monday, Mar. 29, 1937
A LAMP ON THE PLAINS—Paul Morgan —Harper ($2.50).

24 January 1940, Wuakesha (WI) Freeman, pg. 3?, col. 3:
"Western sandwich"—Denver sandwich.

Time magazine
The New Pictures
Monday, Nov. 06, 1944
(...)
Tall in the Saddle (RKO-Radio) is a western omelet made of the
traditional ingredients and served up with a trifle more than the
traditional style and fun. A hard young newcomer to town (John Wayne)
renders a bruising account of himself in barroom, street and poker
brawls, smokes out the skunk who killed his boss and, in the course of
preventing a dove-soft eastern girl from being cheated of her
inheritance, learns that he himself is the rightful heir to the K.C.
Ranch.

14 July 1950, Amarillo (TX) Daily News, pg. 1, col. 1:
IF YOU WILL bear with us a moment, we have a couple of footnotes to
the Denver sandwich controversy. One tends to support the claim of M.
D. Looney of Borger that he invented the Denver sandwich in 1907.

Charlie Pryor of Amarillo backs Mr. Looney's thesis when he writes: "I
was key clerk at $30 a month at the Brown Palace in Denver when Maude
Adams was there. Sandwiches was all the food I could buy as the hotel
did not furnish me with meals or room. The Manhattan (where Mr. Looney
says he produced his first Denver sandwiches) was in the theatrical
district and was famous for its KC steaks."

On the other side, one R. A. Olatz of Portland, Me., called us by
telephone. Said he was a tourist passing through. He can recall, he
said, buying Denver sandwiches in Portland as long ago as 1898. Then,
he said, they were made only with an egg and a slice of onion.

19 October 1952, Dallas (TX) Morning News, part VI, pg. 8:
Western Omelet
Add finely-diced onion, green pepper and ham to scrambled eggs and you
have a Western omelet. Cook the onion and green pepper in a little
butter or margarine first, if you like, until they are partly tender.

10 October 1954, Dallas (TX) Morning News, part V, pg. 15:
Denver Sandwich Has Become
Big Coast-to-Coast Favorite
Sandwich tastes vary from place to place, and sometimes a regional
favorite hits the spot nationally. So it is with the Denver or Western
sandwich.

The Denver sandwich composed of braised diced onion, green pepper,
ham, seasoned and fried with an egg is perhaps listed on more
restaurant menus than any other "name" sandwich. It may be served open
faced, or closed, on toast or plain bread and its price ranged from
low to medium, depending on the restaurant where it is ordered, the
garnishment and the number of other foods included. At any price the
Denver sandwich is good eating.

The late Albert A. McVittie invented the Denver sandwich. Mr. McVittie
was a native of Hamilton, Ont., was orphaned at an early age and grew
up in Brooklyn. He followed a theatrical career for a short time, and
finally in his theatrical wanderings, landed in Denver, in 1907, broke
and hungry. He landed his first job in the Old Grand Central
Restaurant near the Union Station. Travelers always in a hurry kept
asking for some new kind of sandwich to tempt their appetites, and the
Denver sandwich was Mr. McVitties inspired answer. It won its creator
fame and fortune and a place for the city's name on menus across the
nation.

23 March 1973, Hayward (CA) Daily Review, "Little Known Tasty Trivia,"
pg. 1H, col. 1:
The famous Denver Sandwich was originated at the Taber Hotel in Denver.

Seattle (WA) Post-Intelligencer
DISHES COME WITH A LESSON IN HISTORY. (Life and Arts)
From: Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Seattle, WA)
Date: June 19, 2002
Byline: JOHN OWEN Columnist

THE DENVER SANDWICH was invented by a buxom young beauty name Baby Doe
in the kitchen of the Taber Hotel, which was owned by her husband, a
Colorado silver mine millionaire.

Hollandaise sauce was introduced by a French woman, Desiree Clary, who
became queen of Sweden.

Eggs Benedict was created in a Sicilian kitchen by the Franciscan
saint of the same name.

John L. Rafferty, captain of a fishing ketch, invented ketchup in 1802
to ward off scurvy in his crew.

We have George Leonard Herter to thank for the above historical notes. ...

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