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She was born in Buffalo, NY in 1844. -
She attended Young Ladies' seminary of Mary Atkins located in Benicia, California. (1858-1860) -
Harriet Strong was married to Charles Lyman Strong a man who made a fortune in banking and publishing, but also mining. They had 4 daughters. -
In Whittier, CA, Charles and Harriet purchased 325 acres from Pio Pico, the last Mexican governor. After building their house, they named their ranch, “Rancho del Fuerte" (ranch of the strong) -
Started to farm the 220 acres after her husband's death. She studied the of irrigation, water storage, and flood control to successfully grow walnuts, citrus fruits, pomegranates, and pampas grass on her Rancho del Fuerte (Strong Ranch) -
Granted a patent for a dam and reservoir construction. Her invention consists of a series of dams, one behind the other, to be constructed in a valley, canyon or watercourse in such a way that when the water has filled the lower dam it will extend up to a certain height upon the lower face of the second dam, and thus act as a brace and support for the dam above it. -
Harriet decided to plant pampas grass. It was used mainly as a decorative item that could be seen on women’s hats, as well as in department store entry ways, and even as the Republican National Committee’s national emblem in 1892. -
Harriet pushed for her ideas for water irrigation and eventually became an advocate for water conservation. In 1917 she went before Congress and presented a plan that she had designed to dam the Colorado River. -
She died September 16th, 1929, in a vehicle accident near Whittier, California.