For a 22 dollar fee, Sam Diedrich was given authorization to homestead a quarter section of land in Arapahoe County near Byers in November 1906. With his brother George, Sam loaded up a team of horses, a wagon, a cow, fence posts and other belongings onto an immigrant rail road car and left Eudora Kansas for their new lives on the Colorado plains. Living in a tent, Sam and George soon built houses on their respective homesteads while plowing up the sod and plant!it/crops. Several years later, Mary and Paul came to homestead in Colorado.

In the mid 1800's Francisco Esteban Salazar came to the San Luis Valley and bringing cattle and sheep with him from Northern new Mexico. One of his daughters, Refugio Salazar married Felipe Cantu and they acquired 20 acres of land in 1888 where they began farming and  ranching in what is now Conejos County. The land passed on to daughter Antonia and husband Juan Salazar and then to their son Henry and wife Emma. The farming and ranching operations have grown to encompass lands in Conejos and Costilla Counties.

Earl Reed and family traveled from Blue Jacket Oklahoma to the Calhan area of El Paso County in 1907. They traveled on a homesteader train and brought 3 mules, a sow, two cows, a few chickens and farm machinery. The family settled on 160 acres northwest of what is now Rush and homesteaded the land. Soon a well was dug, a home built and associated outbuildings were constructed. In subsequent years other land was purchased bringing the total holdings to 640 acres. Fred and Pearl Reed moved onto the farm in 1936 and purchased it in 1951.

In 1909, Fred and Nellie Miles traveled from Creighton Nebraska to Colorado and bought 320 acres southeast of Holyoke in Phillips County. In 1972 the land was passed on to L.B. and Lucille Miles, son and daughter-in-law of Fred and Nellie. The farm has evolved from a livestock ranch to an irrigated and dry land farm. Today sons of L.B. and Lucille, Ron and Richard continue to work the land raising corn and wheat.

Filmore McDonald first homesteaded 580 acres in Las Animas County near Weston in May of 1891. Within ten years James, William and Filmore, the McDonalds Brothers, had all homesteaded and received patents on parcels contained within adjoining sections. With the purchase of other parcels the ranch now encompasses around 6,700 acres and remains a cattle operation. The land is currently owned by nine descendants of James McDonald. Multiple generations enjoy trips to the "Ranch" for fishing, hunting, hiking, camping and all around fun.

In 1900 at the age of 21, Claude McCoy arrived in Colorado from Illinois. Hearing stories of the west made him want to ranch and he began to learn the business by working for various ranchers. He married Rosetta Gert,er in 1903 and they settled north of Idalia in Yuma County, south of the Arikaree River. Here they built a sod house, acquired more pieces of land by homestead and purchase,and raised seven children. In 1945 Claude sold the homestead and other acquired property to two sons, John and Leo, with Leo later selling his half to John in 1988.

In 1904, 80 acres in Weld County, south of Greeley was purchased from Thomas Wallace by Walter Ennes for $3,000. At that time Walter ran a store in Evans and ran both the store and the farm. In 1920 Walter and wife Fannie began a dairy farm, selling milk to local families and delivering it by horse and wagon. By 1929 Walter was ready to retire and turned things over to daughter Hazel and husband Herman Zupke. Another 40 acres was added to the holdings. Herman purchased the dairy business from Walter and expanded it into one of the largest in the region until the 1960's.

John A Carlson acquired 220 acres of Logan County land in September 1909, which was later purchased by daughter Segried and son-in-law William Larson. Their two children, Ivar and Delaine grew up on the farm, Ivar helped William build the galvanized metal equipment storage building and granary in the late 1950's, while the current brick house was built in 1952. During completion, William penciled a note on the back of a piece of woodwork, which grandson Greg found and added his own note in 1999.

After arriving in Minnesota from Sweden, Andrew Johnson and his brothers filed a homestead claim in Lincoln County, near Genoa in 1907. They lived out the first year in a dugout dwelling. Though his two brothers returned to Minnesota, Andrew stayed and proved up the homestead in 1909 and returned to Minnesota to get his family and belongings. Together with a group of other Scandanavians they made their journey to Colorado by railroad, each family having a box car for their household effects, farm machinery and livestock.

Arnold Hagen Sr. homesteaded 160 acres in Weld County near Roggen in 1909, with another 40 acres added shortly later through a "desert claim". He then built a barn and lean-to house, with a more substantial frame dwelling being constructed in 1928. Corn and wheat were major crops grown along with the raising of dairy cows and workhorses. The land passed down to Bernard Hagen, and then to nephew John. The farm is currently at 880 acres and is rented out where wheat, millet and sunflowers are raised.