1862
Homestead Act of 1862 passed into law.

1870
Judge James Castello builds a store and hotel in Florissant Valley.

1872
Judge James Castello builds a Post Office and names the town Florissant (“flowering” in French).

1873
Reverend David P. Long is the first to settle in the Petrified Forest.

1874
Geologist A.C. Peale is the first to document the scientific importance of Florissant Valley and the Petrified Forest.

1878
Adeline Hornbek and her family move to Florissant Valley.

1883
Coplen’s Petrified Forest – run by John D. Coplen – 1st commercialized quarry. Tourists from all over the world came to Coplen’s to see and take what ever fossils they could, including large corporations.

1883
First attempt to remove the Big Stump – unsuccessful.

1887
Colorado Midland Railway built.

1893
Second attempt to remove the Big Stump – unsuccessful. The steel saw used to cut the Big Stump was broken and is still embedded in the stump today.

1920
Pike Petrified Forest – run by David Henderson and son Ira – 2nd commercialized quarry. They built a pavilion and ticket booth that is used today as the Visitor Center.

1927
Palmer John Singer buys Coplen’s Petrified Forest – renames it Colorado Petrified Forest.

1961
Pike Petrified Forest closes.

1962
Report from Alberts and Knowles to suggest the park be made a National Monument.

1969
August 20th, the Park gains National Monument status and is named Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument.

1973
Colorado Petrified Forest closes.

1973
The Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument purchases the Hornbek Homestead and increases the park acreage to include her ranch.