At the beginning of the 20th century, men largely dominated the worlds of science, technology, and innovation; however, some strong willed women also managed to work their way into these worlds and get their own patents for their innovative work. Great women pioneers like Harriet Russell Strong worked to make a name for themselves – in Strong’s case, hers became “The Walnut Queen.”

While issues surrounding water conservation and irrigation techniques are very important matters to many of us today, these topics were matters of life or death for Harriet Strong and her children.   Widowed at a young age in 1883, Strong was left to raise her four children and save her family ranch.  Even though she had no background or training in engineering or business, Strong managed to pioneer new methods of conserving flood waters and irrigating in order to supply her walnut, olive and pomegranate plantings.  This was only the beginning for Harriet Strong, however, as she cultivated her new found talent for inventions and began filing for a variety of patents.  In less than five years, Strong not only rescued her family and land from debt, but also became the leading commercial grower of walnuts in the country, thus giving her the title “The Walnut Queen.”

Even as Strong succeeded in making a comfortable life for herself and her children, she set her sights higher than just growing walnuts.  She tirelessly advocated for water conservation and worked to become a specialist in irrigation techniques.  Over the years, Strong won several patents for dams and water storage systems, and she sought to put those all to work during World War I.  Strong proposed a bold plan to control flood waters and conserve water for irrigation purposes by temporarily diverting the Colorado River and using the Grand Canyon as a reservoir.  This plan would make thousands of acres of land available for growing food, which was critical during World War I as America was exporting so much food abroad to help their troops and Allied friends that the foreign purchases had depleted American food stocks and driven up prices at home.  This plan was rejected by a Congressional Committee, but Strong, believing this was the direct result of chauvinism, used this rejection to fuel her fight for both water conservation and women’s rights.

Strong became the first woman member of the Board of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce and the first woman Trustee of the University of Southern California Law School and was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 2001.  She has since been described as the primary innovator of dry land irrigation and water conservation techniques in late 19th century southern California and bears the legacy of being a renowned inventor, agricultural entrepreneur, civic leader, philanthropist, and advocate of women’s rights and women’s higher education.

Do you think Strong’s World War I proposal would have worked?  Do you think it would have been considered more seriously if it had been proposed by a man at that time? Stop by and see our President Electric exhibit at the Woodrow Wilson House to learn about more great inventors and inventions from the Progressive Era!