Eagle's Nest
Langtry, Val Verde County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Eagle's Nest Humans are believed to have traveled through the remote and dramatic landscape near the confluence of the Pecos River and the Rio Grande for centuries. For years, the cliff across the river from this site was home to a pair of golden eagles, whose nest gave name to the canyon and crossing downstream from it, as well as the community that began on this side of the Rio Grande as a railroad camp. The crossing was used by Indian tribes, ranchers, soldiers and Texas Rangers. The town, later known as Langtry, grew due to efforts of the Torres family, who owned the townsite and provided water for steam locomotives. Even after the town's name changed, the eagle's nest was a well-known landmark. (2003)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Near the dramatic confluence of the Pecos River and the Rio Grande, people have crossed this rugged land for centuries. A pair of golden eagles nesting on the far cliff gave their name to the canyon, the river crossing, and the railroad camp that grew on this bank—a crossing used over the years by Native tribes, ranchers, soldiers, and Texas Rangers. The settlement later became Langtry, but the eagle's nest across the water long remained a familiar landmark.
Why it matters
The site marks one of the ancient river crossings of the lower Pecos, a natural gateway that carried Indigenous peoples and later frontiersmen through some of Texas's most forbidding country.
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