The property comprising Rio Nido was purchased in 1908 as a single plot by the Eagle Lodge in San Francisco, and then it was broken up into parcels for Eagle Lodge members. The post office for Eaglenest, as the village was originally known, opened in 1908. The name was changed to "Rionido" in 1910. During World War II a number of facilities were added to accommodate the huge crowds of sailors on liberty and soldiers and Marines in transit to the war in the Pacific. The Big Band era was in full swing and the Russian River area was a well-known recreation area. Many famous bands appeared in Rio Nido's dance hall. The "Rionido" post office was changed to "Rio Nido" in 1947. The "San Francisco Chronicle" once reported the extended appearance in Rio Nido by singer-actress Betty Hutton. Rio Nido is about north of the famed Bohemian Grove.