On December 5, 1870 the Hayden Hill Mining District formed.* Gold was accidentally discovered there in the fall of 1869 when a group of prospectors camped on the mountain, after an expedition in search of the fabled Lost Cabin Mine. They returned the following spring and named their discovery, “The Providence.” Once word spread of the new gold strike over 500 miners had flocked there. It was necessary to form a mining district to keep track of the claims. It was decided to name it Hayden Hill, instead of Providence, since Joseph W. Hayden, a veteran miner aged 56, was the oldest miner there, and they honored him with the bestowment. Hayden died there on Christmas Day 1884 and was buried in the town’s cemetery.
*For those not familiar, Hayden Hill is located approximately twenty miles north of Eagle Lake and eleven miles south of Adin.