Eagle Nest New Mexico - Anglers Paradise

Eagle Nest Lake

Eagle_Nest_channel_to_lake__Jesse_L_Nusbaum__1922__Denver_Public_Library.jpg (299x209 -- 11419 bytes)

Eagle Nest channel to lake, Jesse L. Nusbaum, 1922,

courtesy Denver Public Library

EagleNestOldPicture.jpg (276x207 -- 57051 bytes) Eagle Nest long ago

In the winter, the town was immobilized as the wind gusted across the lake, locking the inhabitants indoors. In the spring, the area would flood with fisherman anxious to test their rods in the lake. T.D. Neal started the annual Eagle Nest Fish Fry to promote the lake, which drew two to three thousand winter-weary souls from all over the region. In 1936, the cars were said have been lined up for miles from the old Eagle Nest Lodge to the Cloverleaf Motel.

Gambling continued to thrive into the early 1940's. Unregulated, many locals tell stories that the games were rigged as local shills were called in to sit and play until enough "victims" arrived to fill the table. Some also say that the roulette tables were rigged, and the cards and dice marked. This too has been disputed by author/historian Jerry Ficklin, as he personally knew many of the owners and managers of the gaming establishments during the 1940s. Most likely, this is nothing more than idle gossip that has since become a "legend" over the many years that have passed. However, one interesting tidbit of information regarding the games of chance is in the case of a poker game, where the 700 acre Moreno Ranch was lost. In 1944, the ranch was purchased from the winner by the Deuel family.

It was sometime during this period that the El Monte's name was changed to the Laguna Vista Lodge and was operated by a couple named Gene and Pearl Wilson. At this time, the Wilsons often had to protect their gambling profits, when transporting them from the saloon to their living quarters, by arming themselves with guns.

By this time Doughbelly's Cafe was owned by a man named Johnny Fincher, who continued to operate slot machines, dice tables and roulette in the establishment that he called the Eagle Nest Inn. This is the same building that now houses Julio's. Down the street was the Eagle Nest Motor Court, with several adobe cabins and gas pumps sitting out front. While the cabins are still there today, called the Lucky Shoe Motel, the old fashioned gas pumps (seen below) are long gone.

Finally, the town was busted for illegal gambling in the late 1940's when authorities took axes to the slot machines, busting them up and leaving them in pieces in the streets. It was said that Dave Mutz's uncle, Joe Necas, rummaged in the dirt after the destruction of the machines and found enough change to buy himself a new pair of boots.

Eagle Nest Motor Court. These adobe cabins still

exist today at the Lucky Shoe Motel. Photograph,

courtesy Ann Tyer Walker.

Reportedly, some of the slot machine owners heard about the bust before it happened and dumped their slot machines in the lake to avoid prosecution. Many people told us that on a clear day, you can still see signs of them at the foot of Eagle Nest dam in low water. Even after the bust, gambling continued in the back rooms of some of the businesses and slot machines were said to have been hidden in the bathrooms of many establishments.

In 1944, during the midst of World War II rationing of tires and gasoline, the Eagle Nest Lodge had few visitors and closing its doors. Bill Tyer, along with his wife Hazel, and new baby girl, Ann, returned home to Ardmore, Oklahoma. The magnificent Eagle Nest Lodge was then utilized by the Gant family as a resort for the next several decades until it was abandoned.

In the early 1950's, Bob and Edith Sullivan purchased the Laguna Vista Lodge from the Wilson's, leasing the restaurant to Walter Ragsdales, who operated it for several years*. In 1964, the "new" hotel was built next to the original hotel for additional guests. In 1971, Bert Clemens bought the Laguna Vista Lodge from the Sullivans and continues to operate it to this day.

In 1977 and 1978 the lake was closed due to low water levels, which caused severe economic problems for the area residents. Then in 1979 a near-record spring run-off allowed the lake to be reopened

In 1980, the C.S. Cattle Co provided a 20 year lease of the lake to the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish. During the summer, it became a training ground for rowing crews and continued as a welcome retreat to the many anglers. In winter, ice-boating and ice fishing were popular as the winter ice thickness often reached two and one-half to three feet.

However, several years prior to the lease expiration in 2000 the C.S. Cattle Company determined that they were not interested in renewing the lease and offered to sell the lake and several thousand acres of land to the State of New Mexico at a price of $20 million.

In response, the New Mexico Legislature allocated $15 million of $20 million towards the purchase of the lake and reviewed proposals for over six years, but in February, 2002 the entire plan was scrapped. Manny Aragon, a democrat from Albuquerque and Senate Majority Leader proposed major changes to New Mexico's spending priorities and the Senate agreed. Aragon had proposed to spend $2.5 million to rehabilitate the dam at Eagle Nest in exchange for obtaining a long-term lease of the lake. But according to Kirk Davis, there was never an option for a lease and the deal was dead. The Senate eliminated financing to buy the lake and redirected the $15 million to various other water supply projects in the state. Aragon said of the lake purchase "This is the most ludicrous investment of limited resources that one could think of in 2002."

Continued Next Page

The Doughbelly Bar in Eagle Nest, was later called the

Eagle Nest Inn in the 1940s, and today houses Julio's Restaurant. Photo courtesy Ann Tyer Walker.

Free eNewsletter

Our eNewsletter features articles on the Old West, travel destinations, ghostly legends, and subscriber only specials from our Rocky Mountain General Store. Sent directly to your inbox, grab a cup of coffee and travel the historic paths of the American West. Sign up today!

<<Previous 1 2 3 Next >>

From the Rocky Mountain General Store

Old West Wanted Posters and Wild West Prints - From outlaws wanted by the authorities, such as Jesse James, Billy the Kid, and the Wild Bunch, to other Old West advertising, such as Pony Express, Stagecoach Rules, Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show and more. Prints measure 11"x17" are are produced on glossy, 12 point paper. See the entire collection HERE! Just $7.99.