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LA TO IE HISTORY THREAD: Did you know that a South Central power couple âNolie & Lela Murrayâ made a historic shift to the IE when a church member offered Lela 40 acres of land in Apple Valley? Where they established the WORLD FIRST & ONLY BLACK OWNED DUDE RANCH IN VICTORVILLE!
Once they established themselves on S.Central Ave, Lela, who was sick often, wanted to live near the desert for her health so Arthur Cook, a Church member offered 40 acres for FREE! Due to blockage from inheritance & property law, she insisted that she pay $100 in cash for it.
Keep in mind this is a time where it werenât too many vacation spots for black recreational fun. Most public recreational spaces, luxury resorts, hotels & public park was closed for black ppl in Cali. So it was a huge deal when the black owned 40 acres dude ranch opened in 1928!
For 20 years, Murray Dude ranch came with a pool, small houses, tennis court, stables and etc. It was often used as the set to a number of all black cast western cowboy movies such as Harlem on The Prairie.
They often host bbq & rodeos at the guest ranch, hosting up to 100 ppl a week during the prime season May - Sept. Legends such as Lena Horne, Joe Louis, Hattie McDaniel & Lousie Beaver visited often for vacations. Lela Murray died in 1949 at 58. Nolie remarried & sold the ranch
In 1955, 35 acres of the 40 acres ranch were sold to one of the most famous black celebrity at the time, Pearl Bailey for $65k, where she spent a decade using apple valley as a getaway from her acting career. She renamed the ranch âLazy Bâ and later sold it in the 60s.
The new owners chose to use the ranch for other purposes and by 1988 the ranch had been abandoned fo years. LA County claimed the property & gave it to Apple Valley Fire Department which used the remaining buildings for training. By 1990 all of the ranch buildings were burned.
