Biographical Sketch
Born in 1853 in Harrisburg, Mira Lloyd Dock attended the Brook Hall Seminary in Media, Pennsylvania and studied botany, chemistry, and geology some twenty years later at the University of Michigan. Returning to Pennsylvania following her studies, she was one of a group of early twentieth century educators and foresters instrumental in the founding of the Pennsylvania State Forest Academy at Mont Alto. In 1901, she was the first woman appointed to a state commission when she began her tenure on the Pennsylvania State Forest Commission. She continued to serve on the commission for the next twelve years, resigning in 1913. Miss Dock was a popular spokeswoman for urban planning and beautification, promoting the City Beautiful movement in Harrisburg in the early 1900s which eventually led to the transformation of Wetzel’s Swamp into the public recreational area known today as Wildwood Park. Dock merged her interest in beautification with her knowledge of botany and forestry, becoming a very influential female voice in a small group of foresters and educators advancing the science of conservation and responsible forestry practices in the United States in the early part of the twentieth century.
Bibliography
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. "Environmental Heritage." Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. 11 Apr. 2017. Pennsylvania's Environmental Heritage.
Wilson, William H. “'More Almost Than the Men': Mira Lloyd Dock and the Beautification of Harrisburg. ” America: History and Life Oct 1975: 490-499.