At the upper end of Upper Bear Creek Road, in Clear Creek County but accessible only from Jefferson County, this is one of the county's oldest and most historic ranches. One of the smallest buildings is the most notable: the Anne Evans Cabin (1910,
Anne Evans, daughter of Governor John Evans and a philanthropist who contributed much to preserving regional art and architecture, had the cabin built and used it until her death. Originally a simple, gable-roof structure with walls of flush upright logs splined together, it has been enlarged and expanded over the years and now has screened porches. In their 1924 major reconstruction and expansion, brothers Merrill and Burnham Hoyt installed artist Josephine Hurlburt's wooden sculptures of abstract eagles in the east and west gable ends. Once a summer house, it is now the mountain home of Jan and Frederick Mayer. Kathy Hoeft and Gary Long, Denver preservation architects, reconstructed the structure in 1992, replacing the original primitive stone roof with slate. Published in House Beautiful, American Home, and Architectural Record as a model mountain summer house, it incorporates not only the eagle sculptures but an overmantel mural by Allen True. Bedrooms are on an upper level, and the living room, dining room, and kitchen are below. A tunnel-like entry of upright logs at the upper level leads to a grand wooden staircase that descends to the lower-level public areas. Perched on a ridge, it uses natural stone and vegetation as landscaping.