Daeida Hartell Wilcox Beveridge (; 1861 – August 7, 1914) donated land, named, and founded Hollywood, northwest of

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, in 1888.

Early life

Born in Hicksville, Ohio, Daeida was the daughter of farmers Amelia and John Emerson Hartell, and attended private school in Hicksville and later public school in Canton,

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

Hollywood

A few months after her family acquired its new ranch, Daeida visited her hometown of Hicksville. Daeida heard the name ''Hollywood'' from another traveler, who owned an estate by that name in Illinois. In August 1887 at the age of 25, she and her husband began to lay out a new town on their ranch, with a subdivision map filed for "Hollywood, California," with the Los Angeles County Recorder's office. Their ranch, purchased at $150 an acre, was sold for $1,000 a lot. The 1880s real-estate boom busted that same year, yet Hollywood began its slow growth. With her second husband, Daeida continued leading development efforts and was instrumental in establishing much of Hollywood's civic infrastructure, including the city hall, library, police station, primary school, tennis club, post office, city park, and one of the two original commercial districts. She built the Hollywood National Bank and Citizens Savings Bank, a post office, a theatrical playhouse, and the city's first sidewalks. She gave land for three churches, and donated three prime lots on

Cahuenga Boulevard Cahuenga Boulevard () is a major boulevard of northern Los Angeles, California, US. The “Cahuenga” name is a Spanish, phonetic derivative with no actual Spanish language meaning that is attributed to the Tongva village of Kawengna, meaning ...

and on Prospect (Hollywood Boulevard) to the painter

Paul de Longpré Paul de Longpré (1855–1911), was a French people, French painter of flowers, who worked mainly in the United States. Works De Longpré painted only perfect specimens of flowers. With a delicacy of touch and feeling for color he united sci ...

, for an estate that came to include extensive flower gardens and a Mission Revival style mansion with a public art gallery. It became a popular tourist attraction.

Personal life

She married

prohibitionist Prohibitionism is a legal philosophy and political theory often used in lobbying which holds that citizens will abstain from actions if the actions are typed as unlawful (i.e. prohibited) and the prohibitions are enforced by law enforcement.C Canty ...

Harvey Henderson Wilcox Harvey Henderson Wilcox (1832 – March 19, 1891) owned a ranch west of the city of Los Angeles, which his wife Daeida named ''Hollywood'', and that they founded together in 1887. Hollywood became the center of the movie industry of the United ...

, and they moved to Kansas. In 1886 they moved to

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban a ...

and in 1887 purchased a ranch of apricot and fig groves outside of

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

at the foot of the

Hollywood Hills The Hollywood Hills are a residential neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Geography The Hollywood Hills straddle the Cahuenga Pass within the Santa Monica Mountains. The neighborhood touches Studio City, Univer ...

. Harvey Wilcox died in 1891. In 1894, Daeida married Philo J. Beveridge, a businessman and prominent citizen of Hollywood, the son of an Illinois governor, who shared her vision of community. The Beveridges had four children Hicksville Historical Society—''Daeida Beveridge''
/ref>

Death

She came to be called the "Mother of Hollywood." Daeida Wilcox Beveridge died of cancer on 7 August 1914. The ''Los Angeles Times'' obituary stated that it was Daeida's dream of beauty that gave world fame to Hollywood, years before the first movie company arrived in 1913. Her associates said she was "reliable, forcible, kindly, a woman of rare judgment, and a worthy opponent." Daeida Hartell Wilcox Beveridge was inducted into the Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame in 1995. Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame: Daeida Hartell Wilcox Beveridge
/ref>

Namesakes

*Wilcox Avenue — a north/south street, one block west of

in Hollywood and

Hancock Park, Los Angeles Hancock Park is a neighborhood in the Wilshire area of Los Angeles, California. Developed in the 1920s, the neighborhood features architecturally distinctive residences, many of which were constructed in the early 20th century. Hancock Park is ...

. *Wilcox Post Office— Hollywood Station (United States Post Office, Hollywood, California). *Wilcox Police Station—Hollywood Community Police Station. *Daeida Magazine �
Daeida.com: Daeida Magazine.com: ''Hollywood's People, Passions, and Its Past''

References

External links

Hicksville Historical Society: Daeida Hartle Wilcox Beveridge
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilcox, Daeida 1861 births 1914 deaths American city founders Businesspeople from Los Angeles Land owners from California People from Hollywood, Los Angeles People from Hicksville, Ohio Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery Deaths from cancer in California 19th-century American businesspeople 19th-century American businesswomen