Hornbek Homestead

Hornbek Homestead Building and Wagon, Florissant Fossil Bed National Monument, Colorado, August 24, 2004

On our 2011 visit, the wagon was not on display.  After thieves took wagon wheels, the wagon was moved into a locked building.

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.”