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Change in scene

Kathy Heicher Eagle Correspondent
This photo of Eagle was probably taken in the 1930s. The tall buildings on the right are the school and the county courthouse. Nnote the train station in the foreground. The country that is now the Upper Kaibab and Bluff's subdivision was the Black ranch at the time.
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Town of Eagle1930-2003 Note the county courthouse, with the Eagle School building directly across Broadway. At the time, there were no trees in the cemetery; and the lands that are now the Kaibab, Bull Pasture, Terrace and Eagle Ranch subdivisions were ranches. In 1900, census records estimated the population of Eagle at 124 people. The 2000 census estimates the population at 3,032.Reference points: The Colorado Mountain College Building, which was the Koonce Chevrolet building in the 1930 photo. The Eagle County Courthouse, just to the right of center in both photos, was built in 1932. The school building across the street from the courthouse was torn down in the late 1980s. The new county administration building stands there now.Note the complete lack of trees in the cemetery in the 1930s photo, compared to the landscaping in 2003.Dice BuildingBuilt in 1904 by the Dice brothers at a cost of $1,505, this building has for nearly 100 years been one of the more substantial structures in town. Originally, the north side of the building was occupied by a saloon and pool room known as the “Pony Resort.”In 1909, a drug store replaced the saloon. Features of the store, operated by Dr. Wiley, included a circulating library and a soda fountain. Some long-time locals can recall the five-cent ice cream cones and the 10-cent cherry cokes.A barbershop was opened in the south half of the structure in 1904, offering not only barber services but also bathtubs, popular with miners and cowboys when they came into town for business or pleasure.In 1910, E.J. “Jack” Bindley purchased the barber shop and named it the “Silver Eagle.” The state-of-the-art shop featured hydraulic chairs and a beautiful wooden back-bar with a mirror and shelves of hair tonic and shaving supplies. A mounted golden eagle rested on the wall. A cigar case in the corner of the store featured a taxidermy display of three beaver cubs.Bindley’s son, Eldon, followed him in the barber business, keeping the shop busy until his retirement in the mid-1980s. At that point, the new owners of the building remodeled it; and since that time the primary use has been as a restaurant.The upper floors of the building have housed a variety of business and professional offices over the years. Lawyers Gene Luby and his brother, Bill (who eventually became a District Court Judge), and another lawyer, Hume White, each had offices in the building at one time.A doctor once used the space for his office. The upper floor has also been used for residential purposes.These days, the building houses the Broadway Bar & Grille, a popular local restaurant.


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