
Sarah Gammon Bickford was the first Black woman in the United States to own a public utility. Born into slavery in Tennessee in 1852, Sarah’s early life was marked by hardship, resilience, and a determination to carve out her own destiny. After emancipation, she moved west to Virginia City, Montana—where she reinvented herself in a place few African American women dared to go.
Sarah’s story is one of reinvention and quiet revolution. From running a boarding house and candy store to taking ownership of Virginia City’s water company, she became a respected entrepreneur in a male-dominated frontier town. Along the way, she raised a family, overcame personal losses, and turned the hot springs and waterworks into symbols of both survival and success.
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