In 1878, Adeline Hornbek, a single mother built a homestead in Colorado; seven years later, she had established a substantial ranch where many neighbours practised subsistence farming

When Adeline Hornbek filed her 1878 claim in Colorado’s Florissant Valley, most settlers were barely raising enough to survive. Over seven years, the single mother of four transformed 160 acres of wilderness into a thriving commercial ranch. By 1885, Hornbek was supplying livestock and crops across the region, turning a solitary homestead into an enduring pillar of trade.