Harriet Williams Russell Strong was quite a powerhouse of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Not only did she manage to dig herself out of an unfortunate situation when her fortunes changed at the age of 39, she was also an inventor, and an early proponent of water conservation.

Research:

• Albertine, Susan. “Self Found in the Breaking: The Life Writings of Harriet Strong.” Biography, vol. 17, no. 2, 1994, pp. 161–86. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/23539669
• Apostol, Jane. “Harriet Russell Strong: Horticulturalist, Conservationist, and Feminist.” California History, vol. 85, no. 2, 2008, pp. 50–65. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/25139149
• “City in the Grasp of Swirling Water.” Los Angeles Times. Feb. 19, 1914. https://www.newspapers.com/image/380229853/?match=1&terms=%E2%80%9CCity%20in%20the%20grasp%20of%20swirling%20water%E2%80%9D
• “Flood Subsiding; Near End.” Los Angeles Express. Feb. 21, 1914. https://www.newspapers.com/image/607900618/?terms=flood
• “Harriet Russell Strong.” Lemelson-MIT. https://lemelson.mit.edu/resources/harriet-russell-strong
• “Harriet Russell Strong.” Whittier Museum. https://whittiermuseum.org/research/harriet-russell-strong/
• “Harriet W.R. Strong.” National Inventors Hall of Fame. https://www.invent.org/inductees/harriet-w-r-strong
• “Loss to Railroads Over Two Millions.” Los Angeles Times. Feb 22, 1914. https://www.newspapers.com/image/380231660/?terms=flood
• Lund, H.H. “The Successful Ranch Woman of Whittier.” Little Farms Magazine. February 1913.
• “A Strong Will.” U.S.P.T.O. https://www.uspto.gov/learning-and-resources/journeys-innovation/historical-stories/strong-will