Cheryl Hansen
MEET The Host & owner
Welcome! My name is Cheryl Hansen, and I am your host at Stella’s Homestead. I am honored to share with you a chance to experience the scenic property that has been in my family for multiple generations.
I returned to the homestead in 2017 to take care of my elderly mother—who turned 98 this year (2021). While here, I decided to clean up the property and repurpose the aging buildings—beautiful structures with family history dating back to when my parents bought the property in 1947.
Considering my love for antiques and finding new ways to reuse old things, renovating the farm became somewhat of a hobby project for me. Along the way, I’ve found many treasures rich with wonderful stories and nostalgic memories.
It’s my hope to honor my parents and the hard work they’ve invested in creating this space—and I find renewed happiness seeing how others use the property to find peace, connect with nature, and restore a sense of being.
Our History
The FARM
My great-grandfather, Robert William Leid, purchased the mountain property three miles up the road from the homestead—his first farm—in 1889.
The original blacksmith shop, sheds and water cistern still exist on the property today.
Over seven decades my family worked the surrounding wheat fields, originally with horse and mule-drawn combines, later using tractor-pulled combines, and eventually with more mechanized equipment.
FAMILY History
My parents, Jim and Geraine Hansen, married in 1947 and settled where Stella’s Homestead is located today—just three miles from the original Hansen-Leid Homestead.
Stella’s Homestead arose from the Hansen legacy of raising Black Angus cattle and wheat farming on the South Fork Coppei Creek, where we now host our guests.
But who is Stella? The homestead got its name from Jim’s old mare, Stella, that would help him haul straw from the fields to the barn to feed the livestock. It’s also the nickname Cheryl was given on a high school ski trip to Big Sky, Montana.
Geraine Hansen’s 99th Birthday Celebration
Geraine Hansen celebrated her 99th birthday on May 29, 2022, with 95 guests on the family farm. She arrived on the South Fork Coppei Road as a newlywed in 1947, raised six children, and toiled as a farmer's wife.
Friends and family from as far away as California helped her celebrate with tacos, carrot cake, ice cream, balloons, and good cheer!
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