Hornbek Homestead Buildings, Florissant Fossil Bed National Monument, Colorado, September 9, 2011
Florissant Fossil Beds (Exit 78)
“Adeline Hornbek was not a typical homesteader. In the 1870s, after the loss of two husbands and two homes, this single mother of four moved her family to the Florissant Valley. At a time when women had few opportunities to own property, she filed a claim to homestead 160 acres here. Within seven years, Adeline had built a sizable house and nine outbuildings, and had acquired $4,000 worth of livestock. On top of the daily work of homestead chores and raising children, she added a job at the general store in Florissant.”
