Joe Louis, best known as a heavyweight boxing champion, also had a love for the Wild West. He was one of the regulars at Murray’s Dude Ranch in Apple Valley, California, just outside Victorville, on the edge of the Mojave Desert.
Billed as “the only Negro Dude Ranch in the World,” Murray’s was more than a retreat—it was a symbol of freedom and dignity at a time when segregation kept Black families out of many public spaces.
The ranch was founded in 1922 by Nolie and Lela Murray, a Black couple from Los Angeles. They originally opened it as a group home for underprivileged youth. However, by the 1930s, facing financial strain and inspired by the growing popularity of dude ranches, they transformed it into a guest ranch that welcomed African American travelers from across the country.
Listed in the Negro Motorist Green Book, Murray’s Ranch offered cabins, a swimming pool, tennis courts, and riding stables. It became a favorite hangout for prominent Black figures like Joe Louis, actress Hattie McDaniel, dancer Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, and singer Lena Horne. Western actor Herb Jeffries even filmed several “all-Black cast” cowboy movies there, including Harlem on the Prairie and The Bronze Buckaroo.
After Lela died in 1949, Nolie continued to run the ranch until the mid-1950s, when singer Pearl Bailey and her husband, drummer Louis Bellson, bought a portion of it. They renamed it “The Lazy B” and used it as their private retreat for nearly a decade. Over the following decades, the ranch gradually fell into disrepair, and in 1988, the last remaining buildings were destroyed during a training exercise conducted by the Apple Valley Fire Department.
Though nothing remains of the physical site today, Murray’s Dude Ranch lives on in memory—a rare and powerful example of Black leisure, community, and self-determination in a time and place where those things were far too rare.
1922 – Nolie and Lela Murray, a Black couple from Los Angeles, establish the property in Apple Valley as a group home for African American youth.
Early 1930s – Facing financial strain and inspired by the popularity of dude ranches, the Murrays convert the home into a guest ranch for Black travelers.
Mid-1930s – Murray’s Dude Ranch is advertised as “the only Negro Dude Ranch in the World.”
1937 – Joe Louis visits the ranch, bringing national attention. His visit helps establish the ranch as a hotspot for prominent African American entertainers and athletes.
Late 1930s – Entertainers like Hattie McDaniel, Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, Lena Horne, and Herb Jeffries become regular visitors. Jeffries films all-Black Westerns here, including Harlem on the Prairie (1937) and The Bronze Buckaroo (1939).
1941 – The ranch is listed in the Negro Motorist Green Book, identifying it as a safe and welcoming destination during segregation.
1949 – Lela Murray passes away. Nolie Murray continues running the ranch.
Mid-1950s – Pearl Bailey and her husband Louis Bellson purchase part of the property, rename it “The Lazy B,” and use it as a private retreat for about nine years.
1970s–1980s – The ranch declines and is largely abandoned.
1988 – The Apple Valley Fire Department intentionally burns down the remaining structures during a training exercise.