Ida Hancock Ross facts for kids

Ida Hancock Ross (born Ida Haraszthy; 1843 – March 15, 1913) was an important woman in California history. She owned a huge piece of land in Los Angeles County called the Rancho La Brea. This land included the famous La Brea Tar Pits, where many ancient animal fossils have been found. When she passed away, she was one of the wealthiest women in California.

Ida Ross: A Woman of Wealth

Ida Hancock Ross became very rich because of the land she owned. Her property included the famous La Brea Tar Pits. These pits are known for trapping prehistoric animals, like mammoths and saber-toothed cats, long ago.

Her Early Life and Family

Ida Haraszthy was born in 1843 in Imperial, Illinois. Her mother, Eleonora Dedinszky de Dedina, came from a noble family in Hungary. Her father, Count Agoston Haraszthy, was also a nobleman. He had to leave Hungary because he wanted more freedom for his people. Ida's family was special because they were the first Hungarians to become American citizens. They lived in Wisconsin for many years before moving to sunny California.

When Ida was six years old, her family moved to California. But in 1851, she went back east with her mother and some of her brothers and sisters. She stayed there for five years to finish her education. Later, in 1860, she traveled to Paris, France, with her mother and lived there for two years.

How She Became Rich

Ida Ross owned a large ranch called Rancho La Brea. People discovered that there was a lot of oil under her land. She started renting out parts of her property to companies that wanted to drill for oil. This made her incredibly wealthy.

With her new wealth, Ida built a huge and beautiful house. It was a "colossal villa" located in Los Angeles. The house was finished in 1909. It had amazing features, like a giant carved-wood fireplace that looked just like one from a castle in England. It also had a special stained-glass window from 1865. Her music room was filled with old furniture and art from the 1700s, which came from a palace in Mexico.

Her Family and Legacy

In 1863, Ida married Major Henry Hancock. He was from New Hampshire. They had a son named George Allan Hancock. George later became very important to the history of Los Angeles. He generously gave the Rancho La Brea land, including the famous Tar Pits, to Los Angeles County. This gift allowed scientists to study the amazing fossils found there. Henry Hancock passed away in 1883.

Many years later, in 1909, Ida married again. Her second husband was a lawyer named Erskine M. Ross.

Ida Hancock Ross died in Los Angeles on March 15, 1913. She was 70 years old. Her legacy lives on through the important land she owned and her son's generous donation.