Charlotte Hill

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Charlotte Hill
Homesteader, Charlotte Hill (1849-1930)
BornFebruary 15, 1849
Fulton County, Indiana
DiedApril 11, 1930
Sacramento, California
OccupationSpecimen collector
SpouseAdam Hill
Children7

Charlotte Hill (1849–1930) was a

Florissant as an important location for fossils, and her findings created an impetus for recognition of the fossil beds as a national monument within the United States of America.[3] Many of her collected fossils now reside in the Harvard University museum and the Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History.[4]

The fossil rose Rosa hilliae was named after Charlotte Hill in 1883.[5]

Early life

Hill was born on February 15, 1849, in Indiana. She migrated west from Indiana, pioneering into the then-new settlement of Colorado City in 1874. Charlotte married her husband, Adam Hill, at the age of thirteen. Both built their home in Florissant in 1874 and filed a homestead claim in 1880. The Homestead Act of 1862 is how most of the private land in the midwestern United States became the private land of homesteaders to encourage farming. This Act included private ownership by single women and formerly enslaved people. Together, the couple raised seven children, two of whom died at young ages. Children's names were Hiram (age 12), Walter (age 10), Margaret (age 5) and Mable (age 1). According to the 1880 census, Charlotte's occupation was listed in the same census as "Keeps House," while her husband Adam's occupation was listed as "collects specimens." Another child Minnie Bell died in December 1877 at 11 years old. Two other children had died previously. Furthermore, Charlotte's brother, John D. Coplen, helped form the Colorado Museum Association in 1883 to transport petrified stumps to city museums and fossils to be displayed later opened "Coplen's Petrified Forest." A resort for tourists to stay and collect fossils, hosting approximately 3,000 visitors in 1924. Charlotte Hill's museum in Colorado City was one of 14 businesses listed in the 1984 Colorado City business directory, displaying specimens from the Florissant fossil beds. Colorado City is where Hill's interest of fossils first began as the city is just beside the

Florissant Fossil Beds.

Work

The mid-1870s led to a historic boom surrounding the Florissant fossil beds, ultimately leading to two highly notable scientific finds. In the summer of 1877, 18

The Florissant Fossil Beds were heavily exploited during this time. This meant that thousands of potentially valuable fossils disappeared into the hands of private owners, never to be seen again by the scientific world. With the introduction of the railway, thousands of tourists flooded the area, and these scientific losses only grew. It would not be until 1915, when Dinosaur National Monument
was established by the U.S government, that similar conservation concerns would be expressed towards Florissant. The area would not be named a protected national monument until 1969.

Personal life

Hill died on April 11, 1930, in Sacramento, California. She was buried next to her husband in Oakwood Memorial Park in Santa Cruz, California.[6]

Legacy

A monument was unveiled on Hill's 160th birthday in 2009, recognizing her accomplishments and impact on the collection of fossils and the establishment of the Florissant Fossil Beds.[7]

References

  1. ISBN 9780813724355
    .
  2. ^ "Charlotte Hill - Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument (U.S. National Park Service)". Retrieved 2016-10-27.
  3. ^ "Florissant Fossil Beds". National Park Service. February 24, 2014.
  4. ISBN 9780813724355
    .
  5. ^ Meyer and Whitmore. "Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument" (PDF).
  6. ^ "Charlotte Hill (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2022-10-04.
  7. ^ Meyer, Herb. "The Homesteader Who Made The Difference: Charlotte Hill's Role in Unveiling Florissant's Place in World Fame" (PDF).
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