Sarah's Oil

Sarah Rector, an African-American girl born in Oklahoma Indian Territory in the early 1900s, had a strong belief that oil lay hidden beneath her seemingly barren land. Her intuition proved correct. As opportunistic oil prospectors sought to seize her valuable property, Sarah relied on the support of her family, friends, and a few Texas wildcatters to retain ownership. This determination led her to become one of the first African-American female millionaires in the United States—achieving this remarkable milestone at just eleven years old.