Motel DuBeau and The Green Book

Albert DuBeau was a French-Canadian entrepreneur who built his motel in 1929, just three years after Route 66 was commissioned. The DuBeau was upscale for its time: carpeted rooms, indoor toilets, and a steam-heated garage.

The Motel DuBeau was also listed in The Negro Motorist's Green Book, published by Victor Green from 1936 to 1966. The Green Book was a lifeline for African American travelers, listing businesses where they would be served without harassment or danger.

Route 66 is often romanticized as the road of freedom. But for Black Americans, the open road was anything but free. The DuBeau's Green Book listing opens a conversation that most Route 66 tours skip entirely. This one does not.

The rest of this story? You will hear it on the tour.