Eagle's Nest Stage Station

Eagle's Nest Stage Station. . In the early 1890s, Thomas Lanchbury was hired by the Bell stage and freight line to build a stage station near Eagle's Nest Springs in Wyoming. The Eagle's Nest Stage Station was the midway point on the run between Red Lodge, Montana and Meeteese, Wyoming. Stages pulled by four and six-horse teams traveled 60 to 80 miles in a day, changing teams every 15 to 20 miles. Mrs. Emma Lanchbury provided meals for stage travelers. For twenty-five cents, passenger arriving at Eagle's Nest Station could purchase a hearty meal served on a properly set table with a white linen tablecloth. The customary charge for supper, one night's lodging, and breakfast was one dollar. , The Eagle's Nest Station was also a popular stop for freighters, cowboys, and settlers. It served as a center for social activity in the area, and local residents looked forward to attending the Saturday night dances often held there. The station was also an important center for roundups and sheep shearings. Mr. Lanchbury built large corrals and the first dipping facilities in the area. Both Montana and Wyoming sheepmen brought their sheep to the Eagle's Nest Station for shearing and dipping. , Expansion of the railroad brought an end to the freight and stage business, but the Eagle's Nest Station remained an important way station for local sheep and cattlemen. When the Powell Valley was opened for homesteading, survey partiers were headquartered there. Following Thomas Lanchbury's death in 1916, Eagle's Nest was taken over by his son, Samuel Moore Lanchbury. Samuel Lanchbury combined his adjacent homestead with the land occupied by the Eagle's Nest Stage Station to form the Eagle's Nest Ranch.