What a better way to gauge Hayden Hill’s mining boom and bust cycles with its frequent opening and closure of its post office. On April 13, 1871 the post office was established with Augustine W. Blair serving as the first postmaster. Blair’s tenure there was brief and would later have a interesting career in Nevada’s legal community. However, before Blair’s departure he left an enduring the legacy to the region. Blair was the first person to come up with the idea to tap Eagle Lake for irrigation.
On October 15, 1875 the post office was discontinued. It then operated from 1878-1887; 1888-1912 and revived in 1915 and on July 31, 1919 it closed for the last time..
On the east side of Hayden Hill was Letterbox Canyon. It was so named when the post office was not in operation, a mailbox was nailed to a tree at the bottom of the canyon along Willow Creek. The mail contractor would then pick and leave mail at this location, during the times when Hayden Hill’s post office was closed.