Black History Month Fact #16

Sarah Rector-the richest colored girl



Rector was a descendant of slaves who had been owned by Creek Indians before the Civil War.
She inherited acres of land due to the Dawes Allotment Act of 1887 that said that all Native Americans were to live on individually owned land instead of the community property used before.



In 1913, when she was ten years old, large pools of oil were discovered on Rector’s land. One year later, her land produced so much oil that she had already yielded $300,000; her fortune was increasing at a rate of $10,000 per month. She became an orphan at the age of twelve and was appointed a "white guardian" to see over her money and to make sure she received an education.  She bought a mansion in Kansas City at the age of 19 and was noted to give lavish parties to greats such as Duke Ellington.

Let's just say she is the American Dream!