Basalt emerged in the late 1800s as western settlement was shaped by mining, ranching, and especially the railroads that carried ore, supplies, and people. Its first settlement was Fryingpan, a tent city built in 1882 on the south side of the Frying Pan River to house men working the charcoal kilns. By 1886, a small community called Aspen Junction had begun to form at the site of present Basalt as a railroad camp for crews constructing the Colorado Midland Railroad, with a boarding house, general store, and seven saloons. Begun in May 1885, the railroad was built toward Aspen, Glenwood, and down the Frying Pan from Leadville, and in just 18 months it was completed from Hagerman Pass to Aspen Junction after cliffs were cut back, bridges built, roads leveled, and more than 60 miles of track laid. Service began in November 1887, following routes that later became Basalt’s two main streets. At the same time, the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad built its line from Glenwood to Aspen and ran its first train that same year. In 1894, Aspen Junction was renamed Basalt to prevent mail from going to Grand Junction or Aspen. After thriving early as a railroad center, Basalt declined with the railroad’s closure in 1919, then from the 1920s to the 1960s became a ranching and bedroom community supporting the growth of ski areas up-valley, and today it stands as a community with a strong base in fishing and tourism.