Southwest Corner of Goss and 21st Streets, formerly 2038 Goss Street--Ray's Inn.

Delbert Ray moved to Boulder when he was two years old, having traveled here with his parents in 1914. The family lived in the next block at 1953 Goss Street. His father, Alfred Ray, was a janitor at the First National Bank on Pearl Street, and his mother Carrie stayed home with their children. His maternal grandmother Alice Baskett also lived just down the street. You will hear about her later.

Delbert attended Boulder schools and attended college out of state. Upon returning to Boulder, he worked at Perry’s Shoe Shop at 1913 12th Street [now Broadway]. In 1938, he married Texan Annie Barton, and they moved into their first home nearby at 1726 21st Street. In 1940, Delbert operated his own shoeshine business in the lobby of the First National Bank where his father worked.

He and Annie decided they wanted their own business. So, in 1946, they opened Ray’s Inn, a small false-front restaurant here at the corner of 21st and Goss streets that was built in front of their alley house. It was a very simple lunch counter with lots of tables catering to the area, and not just the Black citizens, but everyone, including university students. They offered outside seating and even jazz music at times. The historic second photo above of the restaurant is looking east on Goss Street. Together Delbert and Annie made the business a success. Even the Texans who came to Chautauqua in the summers came down the hill for Annie’s barbeque. And the neighborhood boys—a combination of Black and Latino at the time, came by for ice cream paid with money from they collected returning bottles to Bova’s Pantry that was located nearby on Arapahoe Avenue at the time. It was not long before Delbert quit his job at Perry’s to devote time to the expanding restaurant business.

By 1951, Ray’s Inn as actually listed in the Negro Motorist Green Book, a travel guide written by Victor Green, for Black motorists traveling across the U.S. It was the only listing in Boulder. The third photo above is of the cover of an edition in which Ray’s Inn was listed.

Delbert died in 1955 rather suddenly at the age of 43. He is buried in Columbia Cemetery, the pioneer cemetery on 9th Street and College Avenue. Annie tried to keep the restaurant going after he died but ultimately decided to sell it. Subsequently it went by such names as Mac’s Dinette and Casa Blanca, a Mexican restaurant. Annie eventually moved back to Texas to care for her mother , and died in 1979 at the age of 71. The restaurant was later demolished for this apartment building you see.

Directions to Stop 5: Cross Goss Street to the north side of the street and walk west.