Von Trotha-Firestien Farm
Weld County
The Von Trotha-Firestien Farm is associated with the development of irrigated farming and livestock feeding in Weld County. Extant resources represent over 109 years of European settlement in the Bracewell area, with over 93 years directly associated with the Von Trotha and Firestien families. The resources directly correlate to the stages of technological and economic development of agriculture in northeastern Colorado, the most important being irrigation and sugar beet cultivation, both critical to the development of Greeley and Weld County.
Von Trotha-Firestien Farm
Additionally, the architecture and construction techniques represent those employed by farmers with limited means and materials. The medley of vernacular styles and materials reveal the extent to which the area’s farmers could make do by recycling building materials, adapting and reusing buildings and structures and applying do-it-yourself techniques that met restricted budgets while adjusting to changing economic and technological circumstances. The Von Trothas dismantled three clay tile brick silos from other properties they owned and utilized the brick for the Bungalow farmhouse construction. The property is associated with Historic Farms and Ranches of Weld County Multiple Property Submission.