The Inn of the Dove 1940

About 100,000 cars passed through Dallas in the first six months of 1924, and all of them funneled through Oak Cliff along the Fort Worth Turnpike.

Also known as U.S. Highway 80, the turnpike was built as part of the federally funded Bankhead Highway, which ran from San Diego, Calif., to Washington, D.C.

Once automobile traffic came, businesses followed — service stations, auto mechanics, car dealerships, restaurants and motels.

The Belmont Hotel was among them, and several other old motels with architectural and historical value are still standing as well.

Take the Inn of the Dove.

In the era of Jim Crow, it was the only motel on the Fort Worth Pike that was friendly to African Americans.

The motel, which still operates on Fort Worth Avenue a couple of blocks from the Belmont, opened in 1940 as the Triple R Ranch.

From 1957-1961, it was listed in the Negro Travelers’ Green Book, an annual guidebook for African-American road trippers.

Traveling by car during Jim Crow could be perilous for black people. Besides the threat of harassment or arrest, African Americans often were refused food and lodging as well. The Green Book offered a convenient list of available services.

Since the Green Acres motel in Deep Ellum was demolished in 2017, this might be the only Green Book motel left standing in Dallas.

By BRENT MCDOUGAL