Eagle Creek Summer Home Association

Eagle Creek Summer Home Association

The Eagle Creek Summer Home Association consists of privately owned cabins, located on permitted U.S. Forest Service land, situated in the Smokey Bear Ranger District of the Lincoln National Forest in New Mexico.

This site is dedicated to the members, families, and friends of Eagle Creek.

Eagle Creek Lodge Has Been Summer Retreat 20 Years
By Mary Nell Taeger
July 18, 1947

One of the most beautiful spots in Lincoln County is Eagle Creek. The winding road follows the creek bed for several miles up into the Sierra Blanca Mounties and finally ends in a settlement of summer homes and lodges in the State Game Reserve where every day winter and summer you can see turkey and deer and occasional bear. The story behind this group of cabins goes back over twenty years.

A group of Carrizozo families who were best of friends started looking for a spot to build a summer retreat. The wanted to be far away from town and someplace in the mountains. This requirement might not be too hard to fulfill but one other common bond had drawn them together. In each family at least one person suffered with hay fever. To find a place where they could be comfortable and relieved was their main objective. Each summer several families would take camping trips looking for the right place.

T. E. Kelley, then of Carrizozo and still of Carrizozo, found Eagle Creek and the location he thought would be right. In the summer it is always one of the greenest and coolest and nicest places in the mountains. In the fall the quaking aspens in the locality turn it into a golden wonderland. In the winter the snow and silence in the narrow canyon make it another world. The first summer Mr. Kelley took for or five interested families just as soon as school was out to the place he had discovered. They were S. L. Squire, R. E. Lemon, J. B. French, George J. Dingwall, and A. S. Campbell.

Where the clubhouse now stands they pitched their tents in a circle. Cooking was done for the whole group over the fire built in the center of the circle, and "when the cooking was done, the dishes washed, and the dishwater thrown out the work was over." They lived that simply, and loved it.

All of the families present agreed that this was the spot for their project. Thirteen acres of land was leased from the forest and from the beginning there were one hundred twenty members. Each of these members paid dues and the money went right into a fund to build a clubhouse which was completed in 1920, and is still being used.

The Clubhouse has a large living room with a fireplace, a kitchen, and four rooms now used for various recreations but originally used for bedrooms. When it was completed the group had some sort of a party or group activity every night. Amateur dramatics were fun, charades, or probably just story telling around a fire place kept them entertained many nights. The original piano is still there and still played daily.

Soon after this J. B. French and R. E. Lemon built a duplex for their two families. Others were still camping out around the spot but planning to build in the future. The first cabin was followed by three others the very next year. The Dingwalls, Squires and Campbells built. These houses were built rather close together and all in a row. T. E. Kelley built next but right across the river from the others.

In the group there are now twenty-four cabins. There is only room for one or two more but that is enough. Before anyone can build they must apply to the Board of Directors of the group. This board is elected each year by the cabin owners and the one business meeting is held the 4th of July for that is the day when all try to be present. Both for the business meeting and for the annual picnic. The same procedure was followed this year. George Dingwall of El Paso was the outgoing president. The new offers elected are A. A. Swanson of El Paso, president; J. L. Lee of El Paso, vice president; and H. E. Lemon of Carrizozo, secretary and treasurer.

After cabins started being built at Eagle Creek Lodge the group hired a caretaker to live there the year around. This proved unnecessary however and now D. L. Luck of Alto keeps and eye out for intruders and trespassers.

During the summer season the families enjoy all sorts of outdoor activities. They have their own chuckwagon for breakfasts or barbecues; many of their regular meals are eaten outdoors picnic style in the lovely surroundings.

This group of very wise people have been happy summers for all those years in their lodge up Eagle Creek. Such companionship and close association in a spot which is one of mother Natures true masterpieces brings about wholesome American living. The one thing that proves the complete congeniality of the individuals who have cabins there is that several of the original five still go there every summer and are still full of enthusiasm over their accomplishment.

The families who make their summer home on Eagle Creek are A. P. Aschoff of El Paso, Elmo Bell of Lubbock, Texas, Mrs. J. A. Borders of El Paso, Mrs. Oscar Clouse of Carrizozo, George J. Dingwall of El Paso, E. C. Donohue of El Paso, M. U. Finley of Carrizozo, Mrs. J. B. French of Albuquerque, E. A. Johnson of El Paso, T. E. Kelley of Carrizozo, R. E. Lemon of Carrizozo, James Lee of El Paso, Mrs. T. N. Lawson of Tucumcari, New Mexico, A. A. Neuner of El Paso, Dr. J. H. Paget of El Paso, Stanley J. Pawol of Cloves, New Mexico, Dr. Paul Rigner of El Paso, Mrs. Marguerite Randel of El Paso, Richard F. Rowley of Clovis, New Mexico, Basil Ryan of El Paso, Roy Shaefer of Carrizozo, A. A. Swanson of El Paso, T. R. Wood of Lubbock, Texas, and Mrs. Frances Skinner of El Paso.

The obituary for Mary Nell Taeger Brown:

Brown,  Mary  Nell 79, passed away Tuesday, April 10, 2001. A resident  of  El  Paso for 35 years, she remained active in the Episcopal Church and  served  in  numerous civic and church organizations. Particularly active  in  the  Memorial  Park  area,  she  was  instrumental in that neighborhood's  recognition  as a State Historical Area. She served as Executive  Secretary  for  the  Northeast  YMCA,  was  a member of the Memorial  Park  Improvement Association and a member of Friends of the Memorial  Park Library Association. For many years she custom-designed and  made  fine  jewelry  for  sale  throughout  the Southwest. She is preceded  in  death  by  her  husband  of 41 years, Pete Brown. She is survived  by  two sisters, Jean Glover of Roswell, New Mexico, and Ann Applegarth  of Eugene, Oregon. Her children, Thomas Taeger of El Paso, Robin  Pepin  of  San  Jose,  California, and Michael Brown of Bethel, Alaska. Mary Nell had 3 grandchildren and 1 great grandchild. Memorial Service  will  be at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, April 14th at Saint Alban's Epsicopal  Church.  In  lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be  made  to  Saint  Alban's  Episcopal  Church. Arrangements by HILLCREST FUNERAL HOME-WEST. 5054 Doniphan Dr., 587-0202.