![]() ![]() “There was always some kind of way to make sure everybody knew what to do, to take care of themselves and to take care of their neighbors,” she said. Wikimedia Commons The Green Book was published from the '30s to the '60s, listing hotels, restaurants and other spots that did not discriminate against Black people. People would come to him for information back before there were travel guides. Gentry noted that her grandfather worked as a waiter on the Union Pacific Railroad and made connections all over the country. Members of the Black community were always looking for ways to share travel information. The Green Book was not the only travel guide of the era. ![]() “We want to help be part of the solution towards seeing them be preserved and understood and interpreted.” “There are just so few left,” Patrick Eidman, the chief preservation officer at History Colorado, said. Now, History Colorado is using a nearly $75,000 grant from the National Park Service to survey old Green Book sites and bring awareness to these landmarks across the state. The National Park Service reports that nationally, fewer than 20 percent of these places still exist today. Yet over time, dozens of these western sites have been lost to redevelopment or gentrification. The Green Book was essential to travelers in the region due to the long stretches between safe destinations. Many of these sites lie along major highways connecting the Mountain West, like Route 66 and U.S. The Rossonian Hotel, which was a Five Points landmark back in the day, still stands at its original location today. Anything you needed, there was a little store down here for you to go in and shop. “It was just an incredible place to grow up in,” she said. As a high school student, she’d come down to Five Points in the '70s to grab lunch or hang out after school. Gentry grew up in the Clayton neighborhood, not far from Whittier. “They were here all the time visiting different businesses and going to different events here and knowing the people that operated a lot of the businesses.” Her grandparents, parents and siblings all grew up in the Whittier and Five Points area. Her great-grandparents on both sides of her family came to Denver in the early 1900s. The club closed in the '90s and has since reopened under new management. KUNC Terri Gentry stops and stares at the 715 Club, which was originally opened by Five Points legend Charles Cousins. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |