The Green Book

The Green Book. . , Route 66 and the businesses that lined the Mother Road reflected American culture of the period. A free-spirited sense of adventure and opportunity was part of American life, but there was also very serious racial discrimination. African American travelers in particular faced significantly limited options when it came time to eat, stop for the night, fuel up or service their car. While Route 66 maps and travel guides were widely available, they did not accurately reflect the options available to African American travelers., Between 1936 and 1964, postal worker Victor H. Green published "the Green Book" (officially the Negro Motorist Green Book or the Negro Traveler's Green Book) to help African American travelers find welcoming businesses on the road away from home. The guide included hotels and tourist homes, restaurants, and service stations, as well as beauty parlors and beauty shops, tailors, night clubs, and more., During the heyday of Route 66, Tulsa was a segregated city with an African American commercial district located on Greenwood Avenue just north of downtown. As you might expect, most of the Tulsa businesses mentioned in the Green Book were in Greenwood, but there was one establishment along Route 66. Mince's Service Station at the northwest-corner of 2nd and Elgin appeared in the directory from 1939 (the first year Oklahoma was included) through 1952.