Homesteaders & Farming
Ewing Family Farmhouse - then
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In 1862 Congress passed the Homestead Act, which provided for the sale of 160 acres of unoccupied public land to homesteaders for a nominal fee. This opened up the West, including Colorado, to anyone with the courage and determination to make the trip and survive the challenges.
The earliest recorded land acquisitions in the Lafayette area date from 1864, with George Pierce and Stephen Goodall receiving land patents south and east of what is now the City of Lafayette. In 1868 a patent was issued to William St. John for land that would eventually become the original site of the town.
With the relatively temperate climate of the Front Range and the large tracts of land available, farming was the area’s first industry. Despite plentiful water and sunshine, early farmers faced many difficulties. The prairie sod was tough to cultivate and grasshoppers were formidable foes. The Rocky Mountain locust descended on Boulder County farms and ranches by the billions throughout the 1860’s, causing massive devastation to the area’s crops.
Most pioneer farms and ranches have disappeared, replaced by subdivisions and strip malls. One notable relic from this era is the Ewing Centennial Farm, located at 1915 North 95th Street. Settled by John Ewing in 1885, this farm remained a working agricultural operation until the 1970’s.
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