Black Wall Street was built by determined individuals who saw opportunity where others saw only restriction.
O.W. Gurley, a former schoolteacher and postal worker who became a wealthy landowner, is often called the founder of Greenwood. His 1906 land purchase and his decision to sell exclusively to Black buyers created the foundation of the district. By 1921 he owned more than one hundred properties in Greenwood, including a grocery store and a rooming house. His wife, Emma Gurley, helped manage the family's business interests.
J.B. Stradford, born into slavery in Kentucky in 1861, earned a law degree and became one of Greenwood's wealthiest residents. His Stradford Hotel, opened in 1918 with fifty-four rooms, was considered one of the largest Black-owned hotels in the United States.
John Williams and his wife Loula Williams were Greenwood's first prominent business couple. John, who had worked in the oil fields and run a confectionery, built the Dreamland Theatre in 1914 — a 750-seat venue that showed films and hosted live performances. Loula managed the family's businesses, including the theater and a confectionery, and was widely known as a shrewd businesswoman.
B.C. Franklin, a lawyer, moved to Tulsa in 1921 seeking opportunity and became one of Greenwood's leading attorneys. A.J. Smitherman published the Tulsa Star, a newspaper that fiercely defended the community and encouraged Black self-reliance. Together, these leaders and many others created a community whose achievements drew national attention.
