Murray's Dude Ranch

The ranch was located at the northwest corner of Waalew Road and Dale Evans Parkway in Apple Valley, just outside the city limits of Victorville.

The ranch was founded by husband and wife Nolie B. and Lela Murray, both of whom ran successful businesses in Los Angeles, California, and were prominent members of the city's Black community.

[5] In the 1920s, when Murray's Dude Ranch opened, widespread segregation practices limited Black Californians' access to most private and public recreational facilities.

[7] Films shot on location at Murray's Dude Ranch were four "all-black cast" westerns, starring Herbert Jeffries as a black singing cowboy, made in the late 1930s.

The visitors from this period included Lena Horne, Kate Smith, Joe Louis,[9] Hedda Hopper, Freddie Bartholomew,[10] Hattie McDaniel, Clark Gable and Louise Beavers.