She would stay on this committee for 13 years, recommending land for purchase for the government to conserve, often as state or national parks. ![]() Mira’s newfound respect as an activist secured her an appointment to the State Forest Reservation Commission in 1901, making her the first woman appointed to a position in PA state government prior to the ratification of the 19th amendment. The City Beautiful movement in Harrisburg, among many improvements, produced the city’s park system and eventually led to a swamp being transformed into a public recreation area now known as Wildwood Park and Riverside park. Both her speech and work focused on the current unsanitary conditions of the Harrisburg riverfront, which was historically used as a trash depository prior to the development of municipal trash collection services. 20, 1900 that triggered the publics embrace of the City Beautiful movement. Mira gave speech to Harrisburg Board of Trade on Dec. The Harrisburg Plan’ was a plan to construct water treatment plants, sewer lines, expand city parks, and increase recreational land use in Harrisburg, which garnered national attention and gained Dock respect and recognition in her field. Horace McFarlane, was able to mobilize businesses and voters while completing the ‘Harrisburg Plan’. She was the founder of the Civic Club of Harrisburg and, with the help of civic reformer and businessman J. Mira Lloyd Dock held many different titles throughout her lifetime, including botanist, educator, author, civic leader, social reformer, environmentalist, conservationist, and activist. While at Mont Alto, she even taught from her a textbook she had written herself. She would eventually lecture at the State Forestry Commission in Mont Alto (Now Penn State Mont Alto Campus) from 1903 to 1929, a school she helped found by lobbying for its creation along with her professional partner J. It is interesting to note that it was not common for women to attend college at the time of her admittance to the University of Michigan. Her family full heartedly supported her because they knew of the two decades of personal sacrifice that she made to care for them instead of pursuing her own passions. Shortly after the passing of her father in 1895, she began attending the University of Michigan in pursuit of her Botany degree. It wasn’t until her father sent her on a trip to the Rocky Mountains to rejuvenate her health and spirit that she discovered her true calling- botany. Mira had always been interested in the natural world because of her parents, however she was too busy supporting her family to pursue a career in it for many years of her life. This relocation brought them back to Harrisburg, where Mira was born and where she would eventually leave a beautiful, lasting impression on the city. The passing of Mira’s mother, Lavinia, and the end of the Civil War in 1865, led their entire family to relocate in order to find schooling for Mira’s younger siblings. From an early age, Mira’s parents avidly encouraged her to participate in outdoor activities and adventures, instilling in her a deep appreciation for nature. She was home-schooled by her mother for several years before she began attending a public school in Harrisburg, eventually moving to schools in Lancaster and Media, PA. ![]() Mira Lloyd Dock was born on Christmas Day, December 25, 1853, in Harrisburg, PA to coal businessman Gerard Dock and his wife Lavinia Lloyd Bombaugh.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |