O.W. Gurley

O. W. Gurley (December 25, 1867 – August 6, 1935) was once one of the wealthiest Black men and a founder of the Greenwood district in Tulsa, Oklahoma, known as "Black Wall Street".

Early life Ottaway W. Gurley was born in Huntsville, Alabama to John and Rosanna Gurley, formerly enslaved persons, and grew up in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. After attending public schools In Perry he rose quickly, running unsuccessfully for treasurer of Noble County at first, but later becoming principal at the town's school and eventually starting and operating a general store for 10 years. Gurley's purchase of 40 acres may be apocryphal. There is no record of Gurley's purchase in Tulsa County's land records. His name first appears in land records in May 1906 when his wife acquired a property in Tulsa. In 1911, the Gurley Hill Addition in the city was named after him. The first law passed in the new State of Oklahoma, 33 days after statehood, set in place a Jim Crow system of legally enforced segregation, and required blacks and whites to live in separate areas. However, Oklahoma was considered a significant economic and social opportunity by Gurley, politician Edward P. McCabe and others, leading to the establishment of 50 all-black towns and settlements, among the highest of any state or territory.

Among Gurley's first businesses was a rooming house which was located on a dusty trail near the railroad tracks. This road was given the name Greenwood Avenue, named for a city in Mississippi. The area became very popular among black migrants fleeing the oppression in Mississippi. They would find refuge in Gurley's building, as the racial persecution from the south was non-existent on Greenwood Avenue. On the contrary, Greenwood was later dubbed Black Wall Street as it became increasingly self-sustained and catered to upwardly mobile Black people. Gurley also provided monetary loans to Black people wanting to start their own businesses. He also helped build a black Masonic lodge and an employment agency. Gurley also owned a two-story building at 119 N. Greenwood. It housed Carter's Barbershop, Hardy Rooms, a pool hall, and a cigar store. All were reduced to ruins. By his account and court records, he lost nearly $200,000 in the 1921 race massacre. Gurley left Greenwood for Los Angeles, California. 250px