Homesteading in Colorado

In April 1915, Harvey Craig and his family moved west with a large group of settlers hoping to claim their own land. They were recruited by two sisters trying to establish an all-Black farming community. Josephine and Lenora Rucker encouraged families from Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma to homestead in southeastern Colorado. The population decreased significantly due to the lack of irrigation, the Great Depression, and the Dust Bowl. Harvey Craig and his family stayed.

Dearfield, in Weld County, about 70 miles northeast of Denver, was the largest black homesteading settlement in Colorado. At its peak between 1917 to 1921, Dearfield may have housed as many as 300 residents.

Oliver Toussaint (“O.T.”) Jackson was a serial entrepreneur and founder of Dearfield. In 1910 Jackson had formed the Negro Townsite and Land Company with the help of political connections and drawing inspiration from Booker T. Washington’s work on self-help. But Jackson faced resistance from black leaders because of his close ties to Democrats, whom many still associated with slavery and post-bellum repression. The company failed, but Jackson persisted, founding Dearfield.

James Monroe Thomas was one of the first homesteaders in Dearfield. Thomas arrived in Dearfield from Denver in 1910. He was attracted to the colony by the opportunity to own land and a chance meeting with O.T. Jackson. Thomas and his family endured numerous hardships during the first few years, but his tenacity and hard work paid off.

Adeline was one of the first women to file a homesteading claim in the Florissant Valley and the state of Colorado. Adeline ‘s ranch grew and eventually doubled in size. She owned as many as 100 cattle with her own registered cattle brand and employed several ranch hands. As the community also grew, she devoted more of herself to helping the homesteaders of Florissant valley prosper.

Charlotte Hill discovered many new species of fossils on her ranch. Some were perfectly preserved. Her fossils ended up in the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, as well as museums at Harvard and Yale. In recognition of her efforts, several fossils were named in her honor. Her home became part of Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument.