By Susan Couso
Hayden Hill, in northern Lassen County, has been the center of excitement, desperation, and failure for many. It all started on a ‘high note’ in the autumn of 1869, when a group of seven men: Henry J. Ehlers, Rev. H.D. Haskins, John Ogden, J. Miles, Rev. John C. McKendree, Adin G. McDowell and L. W. Harris, came through the area looking for the legendary ‘Lost Cabin Mine’.
As the Reverend Haskins, whose turn it was to cook, cleaned the dishes in the creek, he spotted something sparkly. He showed the group, and they took samples to Yreka to be analyzed. When the good news was heard, the group immediately returned and claimed the spot in what was to become Hayden Hill. They formed the Providence Mining Co., and their mine was the Providence Mine.
As the word of new-found gold blazed throughout the West, men began to arrive, and the new Providence City was born.
In the spring of 1870, Joseph Warren Hayden and Seneca Lewis arrived and located several mines on the north and east sides of the hill. They were soon followed by some young entrepreneurs by the names of Charles and Daniel Cramer, who built a hotel and feed stable. By summer of 1870, about 500 gold-seekers were in the area.
Hayden Hill, located approximately 54 miles north of Susanville, had a couple of major drawbacks. There was little water, and a scheme to pipe water 25 miles from Eagle Lake was even considered. This was deemed unfeasible by most, and the town resorted to obtaining water from Willow Creek, three miles away.
Another drawback was the soil. At a depth of about 300 feet, the miners hit clay soil, and this stopped their tunneling.
In 1872, the United States Government established a law which allowed anyone 18 years or older to locate a mining claim on federal lands in an effort to spur the development of mineral resources. This was a boon to the Hayden Hill area. But by 1875, mining had declined, then picked up again in the late 70’s through 1885 as new deposits were found. In 1877 the Golden Eagle Mine was in full operations.
In 1878, the town was renamed Hayden Hill, in honor of Joseph Hayden, and a post office was established. The first general store was built in 1879, a branch of the Adin store owned by Roseberry and Knight. Hayden Hill’s newspaper, The Moutain Tribune, of May 6, 1881, showed a general merchandise store, a hotel, restaurant, butcher shop, fashion salon, livery stables, blacksmith shop, several boarding houses, and two saloons.
The most profitable mine was probably the Juniper Mine, but as with most of the mines, clay soil was hit at 300 feet and no further work was done. At its peak operation, cutting timbers for the mine shafts employed up to 40 loggers, and by 1889, over $1,000,000 in gold had been removed from the hill. There were nine mines working, but most had reached the depth of 300 feet where the clay stopped their progress.
On June 1, 1889, a telegraph and telephone line from Susanville to Alturas was completed via Hayden Hill and Adin.
By 1892, the hill was on the decline and only about 20 men were employed. Then, once again, newly found deposits spurred growth.
In 1908, a new vein was discovered and the Golden Eagle Mining Company immediately hired 100 workers. The hill prospered until the fire of September 11, 1910, when most of the town was burned. Workers were laid off, and none of the mines ever fully recovered. Some mines continued until as late as 1921. In 1921 there were eight children in the Hayden Hill School.
In 1935, Hayden Hill Gold Corporation was in control of the hill and began new operations there.
In 1942, president Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order #1208, which halted all gold mining on Federal lands. Hayden Hill was effectively dead.
During 1989, Amax Gold Inc. began operations. Their plan was to remove the hill and extract gold and silver with cyanide leach ponds. Lassen Gold Mining, a subsidiary, took control. In 1991 the Hayden Hill Mining Project once again began a gold and silver operation. From 1992 until 1997, Lassen Gold mined 510,000 ounces of gold and 1,400,000 ounces of silver, more than had been removed in the first 122 years of the hill’s history.
While most of the original miners of Hayden Hill wandered away, some stayed for a time, and some for the rest of their lives. One of the original seven discoverers, Henry J. Ehlers, was appointed Postmaster at one time. Adin Gainey McDowell established the town of Adin, north of Hayden Hill. Both Joseph Warren Hayden and Seneca Lewis lived the rest of their lives at the hill and are buried in its small cemetery. Neither had any heirs.
