Alva Review-Courier -

When Sarah Rector was born in 1902, she became the owner of 160 acres of Oklahoma land thanks to her status as a descendant of former slaves of the Creek Nation.

Eight years later, her parents tried to sell Sarah’s parcel to avoid paying property taxes on it. A tribal court denied their request, however, because selling the acreage would violate the treaty that allotted land to Creek Freedmen.

Consequently, Sarah’s parents sought to lease the land to generate some income from it. In 1911 they signed a contract with Standard Oil Company.

For two years, nothing happened. Then, in 1913, drillers...