Adeline Hornbek and the Homestead Act: A Colorado Success Story (Teaching with Historic Places)

Adeline Hornbek

This lesson is part of the National Park Service’s Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) program.

Explore this lesson on Adeline Hornbek and her journey as a homesteader. (Click on the photo for the full lesson plan.)

Essential Question

Discover how Adeline Hornbek, single mother of four, defied traditional gender roles to become the owner of a successful ranch under the Homestead Act.

Objective

1. Determine how the Homestead Act impacted the economic opportunities of some women.
2. Compare general perceptions of homesteading life with the life of female homesteader Adeline Hornbek.
3. Examine the socially perceived standards for women of the Victorian Era and describe how those norms differed from the realities of Hornbek's daily life.
4. Determine if the Homestead Act impacted the development of their community or region.
5. Investigate important women in their own community history.

Background

Time Period: 1860s-1905
Topics: This lesson could be used in teaching units on the Homestead Act and western expansion or units on women's history.

Full Lesson Plan