Minerva Hamilton Hoyt | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Minerva Hamilton (1866-03-27)March 27, 1866 Durant, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Died | December 15, 1945(1945-12-15) (aged 79)[1] |
| Occupation | Activist |
| Known for | Preserving California desert areas such asJoshua Tree National Park |
Minerva Hamilton Hoyt (March 27, 1866 – December 15, 1945) was an early American activist who worked to preserve California desert areas, and promoted the establishment ofJoshua Tree National Park.[3] Born on a Mississippi plantation, she later lived in East Coast cities with her physician husband before they moved toSouth Pasadena, California, in 1897. There she gradually became deeply interested in desert plants and habitat.
Minerva Hamilton was born on March 27, 1866, on a plantation nearDurant, Mississippi, to an upper-class family. She attended a local school for white students, many from the planter class.
After marrying Dr. Albert Sherman Hoyt, they lived for a time in New York and Baltimore,[4] and had four children together, of which two daughters survived her.[5]
In 1897, they moved toSouth Pasadena, California.[6] In California, Hoyt used her influence as a wealthy socialite to support civic causes. Among these was theLos Angeles Philharmonic.[7]
Hoyt became interested in Southern California's desert plants through her interest in gardening, particularly cactus andJoshua Trees. After the death of her husband in 1918,[7] she became concerned that increased automobile traffic in the desert was threatening the area.[3]
Hoyt began to exhibit desert plants across the country, to educate people about their qualities. Exhibitions included the national 1928Garden Club of America show in New York, where the work was seen and commented on by Secretary of AgricultureWilliam Jardine.[6] She later exhibited as far as London. The exhibitions were significant efforts—for the New York exhibition, seven freight cars of rocks, plants, and sand were shipped across the country, and fresh flowers were flown in.[6]
In March 1930, Hoyt founded theInternational Desert Conservation League.[8] Throughout the 1930s she worked to encourage the state of California to create three parks: Joshua Tree,Death Valley, andAnza-Borrego Desert. Though initially thwarted, in 1936, she gained support by the administration of PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt, which designated more than 800,000 acres in California desert area as the Joshua TreeNational Monument.[9]
She also worked to appeal to the Mexican government, appealing to the latter to set aside 10,000 acres for cactus preservation.[10]
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