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In the late 1800's, new boomtowns with names like Redcliff, Astor City, Gold Park and Holy Cross City sprang up in the Upper Eagle River Valley as word spread nationwide about gold and silver
strikes. Thousands of hopeful prospectors came for a chance at a fortune.
One of these enterprising individuals was named Williams Edwards, who in the mid-1880s bought a 156-acre site at the confluence of the Eagle River and Brush Creek. He declared the parcel to be a town and named it Castle. After a few name changes, Castle would become the Town of Eagle and would serve for more than a century as the commercial hub for the surrounding ranching and agricultural communities.
However, the town's early years were sometimes rocky. In fact, several times it was sold for back taxes. The town's carousel of changing names includes Brush, Eagle River Crossing (to freight and stage drivers), and Rio Aquilla, Spanish for "Eagle River."
By the mid 1890s, with the moniker Eagle firmly and finally in place, the town had begun to take on the trappings of a full-fledged community. It had its own newspaper, the Eagle County Examiner, and was becoming home to a rapidly growing number of businesses. In 1900, with a town population of 124, the Methodist Church was built.
Throughout the first several decades of the town's existence there was an ongoing drive to have Eagle replace Redcliff as the county seat. In 1921 the voters approved the measure and Eagle officially became the county seat.
The first electric lights appeared on July 5, 1927; however, even before World War I, Broadway had taken on an appearance very similar to what it is today. Throughout its evolution, Eagle always maintained a cohesive community spirit, one that often shone brightest at the opera house. Opened 31 years after Eagle's founding, the opera house was a social center of sorts. Located where the present day Brush Creek Saloon stands, Eagle's opera house was not unique in the region. Many of the mining camps had their own often makeshift "opera houses." Fourth of July celebrations also bonded the community, as did the annual Eagle County Fair and, later, Eagle Flight Days, all of which continue today.
A pivotal event for Eagle was the opening of a small landing strip near town in 1939. Today, the Eagle County Regional Airport is one of the country's fastest growing airports and contributes significantly to the economic vitality of Eagle and neighboring communities.
Today, despite its close proximity to nearby resorts, the town of Eagle remains refreshingly traditional and tranquil. Although its population is now over 6,000, it is still retains its small-town character and ambience.
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