Homesteads were also examined as rural historic landscapes. The homesteading landscape shows the ways in which homesteaders adapted to their environment as well as the ways they modified their environment. Since abandonment, the majority of the homesteads have been left to the elements and to the cattle pasturing around them. As a result, many of the historic landscape features, especially the feeling and setting, remain largely unchanged. One way homesteaders adapted to the landscape was to construct buildings that took advantage of natural features. Sandstone bluffs and outcroppings were frequently incorporated into buildings, reducing the amount of construction materials needed and providing structural support. The landscape reflects the agriculture and climate of the region. Though homesteaders were required to farm as part of the improvements needed to “prove up� their claim until 1916, farming was rarely their only occupation. Many also grazed cattle or sheep. Others kept some dairy cattle and sold cream to local markets. Homesteaders generally kept horses for work and travel, and some chickens for eggs. However, due to the relatively mild climate, homesteads did not include extensive structures to house livestock. Many had only the shelter of a three-sided loafing side. Others also included a small barn. Those involved in dairying might have a building for milking and cream storage. The presence of particular elements can indicate what type of livestock a homesteader raised such as dipping vats and stone pens for sheep or wooden corrals and chutes for cattle.
5LA.11835 Few crop storage buildings were documented in the survey. Most crops seem to have been shipped immediately to market. While some feed crops would likely have been kept for livestock, the region’s short grass prairie provided good grazing land for livestock.
5LA.11894 Evidence of garden areas can also be found on homesteads, seen in terraces or fenced areas adjacent to dwellings. Though most of the gardens and trees planted by homesteaders have died without cultivation, some remains can be found.
Survey Results: Cultural Reconnaissance-level Survey Resources Survey of the Purgatoire River Region
The Landscape of Homesteading
5LA.11804 Many homesteaders tried to with the dry climate by reshaping the landscape to collect water by digging stock ponds, earthen dams and reservoirs.
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