West

The West became an American symbol of new horizons and second chances.

However, the danger Black Americans faced could be just as treacherous as the dramatic surroundings.

Black people traveled West to escape discrimination, seek economic opportunity and the chance to soak in the majesty of its otherwordly landscapes.

Green was dedicated to opening up more travel options for Black Americans. Yet, his struggle to so often bore no fruit, leaving the West with the smallest number of Green Book sites.

Negro driver asleep under a truck. There are no sleeping accommodations for Negroes at this service station. On U.S. 1

1940. Jack Delano. Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Photograph Collection, Prints & Photographs Division, Library of Congress, LC-USF33- 020641-M4.

“They could not have found a welcome [sign] at any of the [motor] courts on Route 66 from the Texas border to Albuquerque, [and the motels are] consistent in their refusal to accommodate Negroes.”

– EDWARD L. BOYD, NAACP, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 1955

[Murray's Dude Ranch]. Photograph by Candacy Taylor.

Map credit: Route 66 and National Parks Service Sites, 2013. Courtesy of the National Parks Service, National Trails Intermountain Region.

ROUTE 66

It began in Chicago, Illinois and ended in Los Angeles County, California. In 1946, Nat King Cole recorded “Route 66,” a song celebrating what became known as America’s Highway. Yet, the fantasy of “getting your kicks” on Route 66 was a dream reserved for white America. Half of the 89 counties on Route 66 were sundown towns, all-white communities that banned the presence of any Black person after dark.

Finding lodging, food, and a safe place to refuel could be a deadly gamble on Route 66. There were so few places Black Americans could stay on Route 66 that Black drivers were getting into deadly accidents due to exhaustion.

Road into Distance, Linnaea Mallette, CC0 Public Domain.

[Photographic print of an unidentified Woman Posing in Front of a Mountain], mid. 20th century. Unidentified. [Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Waheed Photo Archive.

[Threatt Filling Station]. Courtesy of the Threatt Filling Station Foundation.

Jack’s Basket Room (also known as Jack’s Chicken Basket) was a popular Green Booki> site opened in the heart of South-Central Los Angeles in 1939. Owned by Jack Johnson, the first Black heavyweight boxing champion, the Basket Room hosted the nation’s top entertainers and served the Black upper class. Performers at Jack's Basket Room, Los Angeles, 1949. Charles White. Courtesy of the Tom & Ethel Bradley Center at California State University, Northridge.

The Ambassador Hotel was one of Los Angeles’ premier destinations, and a popular Green Book destination. The Ambassador was listed in the guide in the 1963–64 and1966–67 editions. Nat King Cole Anniversary, Los Angeles, 1962. Harry Adams. Provided by the Harry Adams Photograph Family Archive. Courtesy of the Tom & Ethel Bradley Center at California State University, Northridge.

[Audrey Lee and nephew on sidewalk], ca. 1941. [Shades of L.A. Photo Collection]/Los Angeles Public Library.

Hat Shop, Los Angeles, 1964. Harry Adams. Provided by the Harry Adams Photograph Family Archive. Courtesy of the Tom & Ethel Bradley Center at California State University, Northridge.

Another western destination listed in the Green Book was Clifton’s Cafeteria, a restaurant on Broadway in downtown Los Angeles. It was a sprawling five-story establishment located at the end of Route 66. [Clifton's Cafeteria postcard], ca. 1939. [Security Pacific National Bank Photo Collection]/Los Angeles Public Library.

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Murray’s Dude Ranch was a forty-acre property listed in the Green Book that sat on the edge of the Mojave Desert. Murray’s was owned by a Black couple, Nolie and Lela Murray. Nolie was a businessman who owned a cigar store on Ninth Street in Los Angeles; Lela was a registered nurse.

California Dude Ranch, February 1947. David Stern. EBONY ® Magazine. Negro Digest Publication Company, Inc. published EBONY ®, February 1947. Courtesy of EBONY Media Operations, LLC.

Murray’s gained popularity with celebrities like Lena Horne and Hedda Hopper, and it wasn’t long before it made the cover of EBONY magazine. Paul Williams, a Black architect, also vacationed at Murray’s and was well-known among Hollywood stars, having designed homes for Frank Sinatra, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Tyrone Power, and Anthony Quinn. He also designed few hundred residences in Beverly Hills and Bel Air—making his voice likely an important one in advertising the business.

California Dude Ranch, February 1947. David Stern. EBONY ® Magazine. Negro Digest Publication Company, Inc. published EBONY ®, February 1947. Courtesy of EBONY Media Operations, LLC

“I am a bachelor. I like to ride horseback very much. I have always wanted to spend a few weeks on a dude ranch. Being colored, I doubted that I would ever have the chance.”

—Murray’s Dude Ranch visitor

California Dude Ranch, February 1947. David Stern. EBONY ® Magazine. Negro Digest Publication Company, Inc. published EBONY ®, February 1947. Courtesy of EBONY Media Operations, LLC

Through Conquest, adventure, oppression and opportunity, the West became a symbol of new horizons and second chances.

Image credit: [Rossonian]. Photograph by Candacy Taylor.