Aurelia Squire Harwood (September 1865 – June 1928), daughter of the wealthy Harwood family of

Ontario, California Ontario is a city in southwestern San Bernardino County in the U.S. state of California, east of downtown Los Angeles and west of downtown San Bernardino, the county seat. Located in the western part of the Inland Empire metropolitan area, ...

, was a conservationist, educator, and first female President of the

Sierra Club The Sierra Club is an environmental organization with chapters in all 50 United States, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. The club was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by Scottish-American preservationist John Muir, who be ...

in 1927 and 1928. In addition to her terms as President, she simultaneously sat on the Angeles Chapter's Executive Committee, and the club's Board of Directors, from 1921 to 1928. Harwood had a great love of the outdoors that began during her childhood in

Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Springfield metropolitan area, which had an estimat ...

, where she moved with her family at an early age. Over the years, she became a member of the

Green Mountain Club The Green Mountain Club is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to preserving and protecting Vermont's Long Trail. The Long Trail is the oldest long-distance hiking trail in America and stretches from the Massachusetts state line to the ...

, the

Mazamas The Mazamas () is a mountaineering organization based in Portland, Oregon, United States, founded in 1894. Promotion of mountaineering The Mazamas has been an important part of the climbing community in the Pacific Northwest of the United States ...

, and the

Mountaineers Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, an ...

. When she settled in her final home of Ontario, California, she joined the Sierra Club, and led local outings there for fourteen years. Another love of Harwood's was education. She attained a liberal arts undergraduate degree at

Drury University Drury University, formerly Drury College and originally Springfield College, is a private university in Springfield, Missouri. The university's mission statement describes itself as "church-related". It enrolls about 1,700 undergraduate and grad ...

, which her father Charles helped endow. Later, she completed graduate studies at

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a private women's liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henry and Pauline Durant as a female seminary, it is a member of the original Seven Sisters Colleges, an unofficial g ...

. After her father's example, Aurelia too donated to help fund universities, contributing to

Pomona College Pomona College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It was established in 1887 by a group of Congregationalists who wanted to recreate a "college of the New England type" in Southern California. In 1925, it became ...

, and scholarships for Chinese students at

Mills College Mills College at Northeastern University is a private college in Oakland, California and part of Northeastern University's global university system. Mills College was founded as the Young Ladies Seminary in 1852 in Benicia, California; it was ...

. Harwood died in 1928 and was buried at Bellevue Memorial Park in

. The Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club named their new lodge after her in 1930. The peak east of

Mount San Antonio Mount San Antonio, commonly referred to as Mount Baldy or Old Baldy, is a summit in the San Gabriel Mountains on the border of Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties of California. Lying within the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument and An ...

Mount Harwood Mount Harwood is the first summit east of Mount San Antonio. The United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States governm ...

, was also named in her honor, and recognized by the

USGS The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, a ...

in 1965. Harwood Court at Pomona College, and her namesake scholarship at Mills College, still bear her family name.

References

* * * * . * . {{DEFAULTSORT:Harwood, Aurelia 1865 births 1928 deaths Sierra Club presidents American conservationists Activists from California Wellesley College alumni People from Ontario, California