Two cabins, once part of a 1950s-era Aspen lodge, have been picked up for a few hundred dollars each by out-of-town buyers using a website dedicated to unloading unwanted government-owned items.
The Deep Powder cabins were part of Aspen’s lodging inventory for about 50 years before they became the property of the city of Aspen, which for years tried to find a local preservation-minded owner.
No one came forward, and for years the cabins have sat at the edge of Willoughby Park, next to the remains of Lift One, Aspen’s original chairlift.
Last month, the city placed the cabins for sale on the website www.publicsurplus.com, which is like an eBay for unwanted government property. Old cars, computers and office furniture are items typically auctioned off on the site.
Colorado Springs resident David Tollefson was surfing the site, looking for a used city bus he could convert into a motor home. Instead he found the cabins. In bidding that closed on Monday, Tollefson picked up one of the cabins for $500.99.
