Attractions big and small are woven into every chapter in the Route 66 story. Many survive only as memories or in the sepia toned postcards preserved in collections.

A few such as the iconic Jack Rabbit Trading Post near Joseph City, Arizona are revered time capsules. They are tangible links to the era of tail fins and Edsel’s. And there are new attractions like Uranus Fudge Company & General Store near St. Robert, Missouri. Together these roadside attractions ensure that a new generation of travelers and aging fans of the great American road trip will be making memories with each adventure.

And there are forgotten attractions such as Stony Dell near Arlington, Missouri that were once destinations. One of these vanished and nearly forgotten destinations illustrated a chapter in the Route 66 story that is often overlooked.

Murray’s Dude Ranch near Apple Valley, California was one of the most unique attractions along Route 66. It was promoted as “The Only Negro Dude Ranch in The World.” That slogan wasn’t quite accurate, but it made for good press.

Murray’s Dude Ranch: A Desert Oasis

According to The History of Apple Valley by Katie O’ Rourke, for many years Murray’s “Overall Wearing Dude Ranch” was the only African-American dude ranch in the United States. It was so unique and famous it even warranted a feature in Life magazine at the time.

The 40-acre ranch on the edge of the Mojave Desert was the brainchild of Nolie B. and Lela Murray. For Lela’s health, the owners of Murray’s Pocket Billiard Emporium and Cigar Store in Los Angeles had decided to relocate to the high desert. And so, in 1922 they purchased the forty-acre ranch for one hundred dollars.

The relocation may have been made from necessity, but the Murray’s had a vision. This was their opportunity to fulfill a dream of creating a place for Black children to escape the city. But before construction began, the dream became even bigger. Why not create a haven, a vacation retreat for African Americans?

The Big Dream

By the early 1940s the complex had evolved into a true resort. Guests could avail themselves of the swimming pool, a professional sized baseball field, a restaurant and cocktail lounge, riding stables staffed by professional guides and even tennis courts.

But Murray’s was more than a recreational facility. Lela was a registered nurse that had studied children’s respiratory illness. And so, the ranch developed a reputation as a place that catered to children suffering from respiratory ailments, no matter what their race.

Popularity and good intentions were not enough to ensure profitability during the economic hard times of the Great Depression. In the fall of 1937 all of that changed, and a new chapter at the ranch began.

Glory Days

Joe Louis, the heavyweight boxing champion of the world, was attending the rodeo in nearby Victorville. Segregation limited lodging options for Louis, and that ensured Murray’s Dude Ranch would have a brush with fame.

As it turned out, this proved to be a turning point. The rodeo, and Louis’s attendance, was being covered by Life magazine. That feature published on November 15, 1937, provided the ranch with national publicity.

For decades attractions big and small, and celebrity association, had made Victorville and Apple Valley destinations for the rich and famous in Los Angles. Many movies had been filmed in the area, and the Green Spot Motel complex was a well-known haven for the Hollywood elite. And now Murray’s Dude Ranch was in the spotlight.

In the blink of an eye Murray’s Dude Ranch became a destination. The guest register included the names of Lena Horn, Kate Smith, and Hedda Hopper. But one frequent guest, Herb Jeffries, transformed the ranch into something more than just a resort destination.

The Bronze Buckaroo

Born as Umberto Alexander Valentino in Detroit, Jeffries was a minor celebrity that had already had a rather interesting career before turning his focus to the ranch in 1938. Listed as a “mulatto” in 1920 census documents, Jeffries began performing with the Howard Buntz Orchestra while still a teenager. That is where he caught the attention of Louie Armstrong.

But it was while performing with the Earl Hines Orchestra at the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair A Century of Progress International Exposition that he got his big break. These performances were broadcast nationally live from the Grand Terrace Cafe. And that led to Jeffries first recording contract in 1934.

Despite the bands popularity segregation encountered while touring the south restricted performance venues. It was while performing in black-only theatres that Jeffries had an epiphany.

In the afternoons before the musical performance, African American boys filled the theater to watch the latest westerns. Why not create a cowboy hero that they could relate to? Why not create a black western?

Harlem Rides The Range

Jeffries had to overcome an array of challenges. Financing was an issue. His skin color was considered an issue as his mother was Irish. Location was an issue. But Jeffries was persistent, and he had a dream.

In Harlem Rides The Prairie, the first in a series of films Jeffries performed his own stunts and performed in the lead role as a singing cowboy. This was the first western with an all-black cast since the silent movie era. It was shot in 1937 in just five days at the Walker Movie Ranch and the Iverson Movie Ranch.

Success of the film provided Jeffries with added incentive. For his next films, The Bronze Buckaroo (1939), and Harlem Rides the Range (1939) he decided to use settings with more dramatic landscapes. So, he chose Murray’s Dude Ranch.

A New Era

Established in 1941, Victorville Army Airfield, later renamed George Air Force Base in Victorville, California, included four auxiliary airfields that supported its operations.

Victorville and Adelanto during the war years were segregated sundown town. Restrictions had been loosened because of the war but the Black servicemen serving at the airfield had limited access to recreational facilities. The Murray’s saw an opportunity to fill a need and the ranch served as a USO club for the disenfranchised soldiers. And on Easter mornings, Lela hosted a sunrise service for everyone regardless of race.

The ranch received another promotional boost when it appeared on the cover of Ebony magazine in the February 1947 issue that included a feature about the resort. But the ranch was on the cusp of facing big changes.

Lela Murray died in 1949. A few years later Nolie married Los Angeles school teacher Callie Armstrong but in the post war years the ranch was having to compete with new resorts that catered to African American clients.

In 1955, Pearl Bailey and her husband Louis Bellson bought 35 acres of the property, and the resort was renamed Lazy B Ranch. Nollie and his new wife kept five acres and built a motel.

An Inglorious End

Pearl Bailey and her husband lived at the ranch for nine years. As a den mother the ranch became a destination for a local Girl Scout Troop. Bailey also became an active member of the Apple Valley Chamber of Commerce.

Pearl Bailey later sold the Lazy B Ranch to her nephew, Bill Lewis. After he sold the property to Jay McVeigh, part of the ranch was converted into a body building gym.

By the 1980s, the ranch was less than a forgotten relic. In 1988, San Bernardino County acquired the property due to unpaid taxes. Shortly afterwards the local fire department burned the derelict buildings as a training exercise.

It was an inglorious end for such a historic property that was a tangible link to Route 66 history. And as with Victor Green’s The Negro Traveler Green Book, the ranch is part of a chapter in the American story that has yet to be fully told.

Candacy Taylor & Overground Railroad: Recovery, Memory, and Legacy

If you would like to learn more about the Green Book, Murray’s Dude Ranch and similar business I have a book to recommend. Candacy Taylor wrote the illuminating book Overground Railroad: The Green Book and the Roots of Black Travel in America after extensive research that included driving thousands and thousands of miles to document properties as well as record stories.

In this well written book Taylor delves deep into the story of these sites that are monuments to Black mobility, culture, and resistance. And these stories also illustrate that when it comes to Route 66 and the great American road trip, the glory days often referenced were not the same for everyone.

Her book challenges us to think, to meditate, and to reflect on the diversity of the American story. How many more chapters of the American story are awaiting discovery during adventures on Route 66 and the two-lane highways? 

Jim Hinckley’s America

I was recently gifted with a collection of Route 66 related memorabilia that is nothing short of amazing. Menus, souvenir banners, postcards, brochures, maps, and even a travel journal from the 1920s are counted among the treasures.

In coming weeks, I will be cataloging the materials. And as with Murray’s Dude Ranch, this fall and winter I plan to share the stories behind these time capsules. This will add a new dimension to the shared adventure that is Jim Hinckley’s America.  

So, as the theme song from The Road Crew that opens Coffee With Jim, our weekly podcast, come along for the ride. Follow. Subscribe. Support. Become a part of the Jim Hinckley’s America community.

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Let’s stay curious, stay humble, and stay ready to discover chapters in the American story.