Harriet Williams Russell Strong
| Harriet Williams Russell Strong | |
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| Born |
July 23, 1844 Buffalo, New York |
| Died | September 6, 1926 (aged 82) Los Angeles County, California |
| Occupation | Inventor, Philanthropist, suffragist and women's rights activist |
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Harriet Williams Russell Strong (July 23, 1844 – September 6, 1926) was an American social activist, inventor, conservationist, and leading figure of the early woman's movement. She is a member of the National Women's Hall of Fame and the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Her pioneering innovations in water storage and flood control enabled the construction of the Hoover dam and the All-American Canal.
Strong was born in Buffalo, N.Y., fourth daughter of Henry Pierrepont and Mary Guest (Musier) Russell. Strong was educated by private teachers and at Young Ladies Seminary at Benicia, California.
In 1861, the family moved again to Carson City, Nevada, where she met her future husband, Charles Lyman Strong. She was married in Virginia City, Nevada at the age of nineteen, and was left a widow in 1883 with four daughters when her husband committed suicide after a series of business failures. Her husband's property, consisting of mines and other lands in Southern California, was involved in litigation lasting eight years. She then devoted her attention to the management and development of this estate, which was known as Ranchito del Fuerte in San Gabriel Valley, California. It was largely planted with walnut and orange trees, as well as pampas grass, and yielded profitable returns. In 1897 she drilled a number of artesian wells, and to utilize the water thus obtained purchased 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) of land five miles (8 km) away, installed a pumping plant, and incorporated the property under the name of the Paso de Bartolo Water Company, of which she was president, and her two daughters, respectively, treasurer and secretary, and issued bonds amounting to $110,000 to carry on the enterprise, selling the property four years later at a handsome profit.
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