Eagle Nest New Mexico - Anglers Paradise

NEW MEXICO LEGENDS

Eagle Nest - An Angler's Paradise

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Eagle Nest Vintage Postcard, courtesy Ann Tyer Walker

EnchantedCircleLogo.jpg (75x70 -- 4178 bytes) Eagle Nest is located in the Moreno Valley in the midst of the beautiful Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Nestled between the states two highest peaks - Baldy Mountain (12,441 feet) and Wheeler Peek (13,161 feet), it sits at the junction of US Hwy 64 and State Hwy 38. High above sea level, at 8,300 feet, the village rests on the western slope of Baldy Mountain, an area rich in Gold Rush history.

Before the miners, the area was called home by the Ute and Jicarilla Apache Indians who roamed the area in search of game and golden feathers for ceremonial worship. When Elizabethtown, just 5 ½ miles north, was in its heyday, the Eagle Nest area was utilized mostly for ranching and farming.

In 1873 Charles and Frank Springer founded the CS Ranch on the banks of the Cimarron River and in 1907 they applied for a permit to build the Eagle Nest Dam. It was almost 10 years before the Springers could hire the engineering firm of Bartlett and Ranney of San Antonio, Texas to design and build the dam. Finally, in 1916 construction on the dam was begun and was completed in 1918 to store the surplus waters of the Cimarron River for power plants, mining and irrigation. Most of the labor for building the dam was provided by the Taos Pueblo Indians. The largest privately constructed dam in the United States, the concrete structure is 400 feet wide, stands 140 feet above the river bed, and is 9.5 feet thick at its crest and 45.2 feet thick at its base. Supposedly, eagles built nests on the sides of the new dam and that's how it got its name.

The dam created the Eagle Nest Lake which varies between 1,500 and 3,000 surface acres, depending upon weather cycles. Surrounded by rolling pasture and stunning mountains, the fishermen began to arrive when the lake was stocked with trout. Along with the fishermen, entrepreneurs also arrived, building businesses and transforming the quiet farming community into a tourist mecca, providing entertainment to the visiting cowboys, fishermen and other tourists.

One of the biggest industries was cutting and selling ice from the lake. T.D. Neal hired men to drive out upon the lake and cut block ice that was stored in ice houses filled with sawdust. Jobs were scarce in the area and many families survived the winters by ice cutting and trapping.

In the 1920's illegal gambling was introduced to the area. Eagle Nest became a popular spot along the road from Santa Fe to Raton where politicians and other travelers attended the horse races. A favorite stop over for the dignitaries, they were said to have caused quite a ruckus with their gambling, drinking and dancing.

In 1927, Walter Gant, an oilman from Oklahoma hired a business man by the name of William B. Tyer to oversee the construction of the grandest resort that Eagle Nest had ever seen -- the Eagle Nest Lodge. Bill Tyer lived in a cabin on the Gant property and oversaw the many details of building the luxurious lodge. When it was completed, Bill Tyer stayed on to manage the Eagle Nest Lodge, which featured 12 rooms, a lounge, a restaurant, horseback riding, fishing, and hunting expeditions for the many travelers who stopped to enjoy its magnificent view of Eagle Nest Lake. Considered the finest lodge for miles, it soon expanded to include a guest annex that featured five studio units with their own bathrooms and kitchenettes. They also connected the main building to the Casa Loma via a walkway/lounge they called the Loafer's Lounge.

Cutting ice on Eagle Nest Lake, photo courtesy

Ann Tyer Walker

Eagle Nest Lodge in the 1930s, courtesy Ann Tyer Walker.

The local saloons heartedly welcomed the travelers, rolling slot machines out upon the boardwalk early in the morning to entice the gamblers. Judge Neblett, for whom the Colin Neblett Wildlife Area is named, was a frequent visitor, as well as several governors. Though gambling was illegal, it was obviously overlooked by the politicians. In fact, it has been said by several of the locals, that when illegal gambling was first introduced to Eagle Nest in the 1920s, that the local Sheriff owned many of the slot machines in Eagle Nest, Red River and Colfax County. However, since we first published this story in the summer of 2003, we have since heard from Jerry Ficklin, a local historian and writer, who once lived in Eagle Nestand spent many summers there between the years of 1945 and 1960, that this "tidbit" is nothing more than a legend with no documented support.

The El Monte Hotel (now the Laguna Vista), as well as Doughbelly's Cafe (now the building that houses Julio's,) and the The Gold Pan were said to have offered roulette and gaming tables, as well as slot machines. Slot machines were also found in many of the stores.

EEagle Nest was in its heyday during the 1930's, with disputes often resulting in shots fired back and forth across main street. Reportedly one saloon owner, along the road that travels north from Eagle Nest to Idlewild, was known to provide free wine to those who came through its doors. The free pouring wine would inevitably lead to fights and discord among the rowdy customers, which the saloon "advertised" as free entertainment.

Continued Next Page

T.D. Neals Mercantile when it was still open.

Photo courtesy Ann Tyer Walker.

T.D. Neals Mercantile building still stands in

Eagle Nest today. However, there is "talk" of tearing it

down. Who know what may become

of it in the future. September, 2008, Kathy Weiser

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Eagle Nest today, Kathy Weiser, September, 2008.

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