gave it the name it has had ever since. Those same forests provided ample timber for the construction of the log cabins that would replace the early tents as Aspen grew. There were indeed many silver lodes in the mountains surrounding Aspen, and the possible fortunes drew the attention of Eastern investors. The growing city was designated the temporary seat of newly created Pitkin County in 1881, and this attracted not only more miners but tradesmen, merchants and builders, all hoping to profit from the boom. Matthew Callahan was one of them. It is likely that he built not only the current cabin for his family, but other buildings in the growing city. When it was built, the Callahan cabin probably had its entrance on the north. Aspen's 1889 city directory gives the family's address as 401 West Hopkins. At some point after 1890 that side was refaced in board-and-batten and the entrance moved to its current location on the addition. The original painted cedar shingles on the roof were replaced as well. Eventually most of the original cabins were demolished to clear the way for more finished miner's cottages, and then larger wood frame or brick houses as the city prospered. Some were incorporated into other houses, as was the case with the Davis Waite House in the late 1880s. Those that remained after this period succumbed to fire or neglect in the years after the silver market collapsed following the 1893 repeal of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act. The Callahan cabin, which remained in the family for 65 years, is one of the few that have survived and remained intact, even with several additions. See also National Register of Historic Places listings in Pitkin County, Colorado References Houses completed in the 19th century Log cabins in the United States Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Colorado Houses in Pitkin County, Colorado National Register of Historic Places in Aspen, Colorado Log buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Colorado 1880s establishments in Colorado