Major James B. Thompson and Porter M. Smart, who reportedly ran an Indian trading post in 1875, were the first white settlers in the region. Both filed homestead claims in 1876, and Thompson, who moved his family to the area the following year, is credited with naming Hayden for Professor Ferdinand V. Hayden. Hayden had camped in the area while exploring, mapping and surveying for the federal government in 1873 and referred to the site as Haydenville on his maps.

When Routt County was created in January 1877, four men had established claims and built homes for their families in the Hayden area. Because two of those men, Gordon C. Smart and Thomas Iles, were appointed temporary County Commissioners by the Governor, the first meeting of the Board of County Commisiioners was held in a log cabin on the Walker Ranch near the present townsite. Hayden continued to serve as the county seat until 1879 when records were moved to Hahn's Peak.

Hayden did not grow rapidly. Threats of Indian problems in the aftermath of the 1879 Meeker Massacre discouraged homesteading. The first mail route and post office for the area did not open until 1882, the same year a temporary store and school were established near the S. B. Reid Ranch on Dry Creek. The first permanent school started classes eight years later. Hayden began to expand only after William Walker and his son Martin laid out the townsite on part of their ranch in 1894. E. D. Smith built the Central Hotel; a blacksmith shop and saloon opened; and by 1896 town limits included the first store and a large hall where dances were held downstairs and lodge meetings upstairs. By 1902 two major stores, both of which operated banks, supplied the Hayden Valley.

At the turn of the century Hayden flourished. The Edison School was completed in 1900. That same year the Babson Coal Company began supplying area residents with coal from a mine south of Hayden. The Routt County Republican began printing on a press freighted in from the railroad at Wolcott in June 1903. In 1906 Hayden was incorporated and R. E. Norvell was elected its first mayor.

The Hayden Concrete, Gas and Electric Company formed in 1910. A water system was completed in 1913 and a sewer system in 1919. By 1915 the town boasted 714 people, two general stores with banks, three livery barns, three blacksmiths, two hotels, a newspaper, church and school, one doctor and four surveyors. "The Pump" provided access to a deep, pure water well in the middle of the main thoroughfare, Walnut Street. Two major landmarks were erected during the 1920's. The first was the Solandt Memorial Hospital, built as a tribute to the only physician in Hayden between 1897 and 1916. Dr. John V. Solandt was killed in 1916 when his Ford overturned on a steep hill while returning from a call in Trull. The second was the Hayden Union High School which was a huge two story structure which became the center of community life. It included a swimming pool, and meeting and social facilities for young and old alike. The Hayden Valley Transfer, a livery stable, survived until the 1940's when Ripley's Belive It or Not hailed it as the only livery in operation on U. S. Hwy. 40, from coast to coast.

The railroad arrived in 1913 solving the areas transportation problems. Regular service began on December 1, 1913; the telegraph line was completed in August 1914; and the depot was built in 1918. The railroad assured prosperity to Hayden's catttle and grain operations.

The growth in energy production impacted the little ranch town. In 1960 Colorado Ute launched construction of coal-fired electric plants which were fired in 1965 and 1977. Hayden's population almost doubled between 1970 and 1977 when it reached 1,362. Much of the growth is attributable to existing and planned coal development in the area.

Yampa Valley Regional Airport (YVRA) is owned and operated by Routt County, Colorado. YVRA (Airport Code HDN) is the only commercial service airport serving all of Northwest Colorado and is located just east of the Town of Hayden.

Special Events

Routt County Fair: Since it was first held in September 1914, the three-day festival has expanded to include an annual September rodeo, parade, barbecue and 4-H auction. It was organized in 1913 by the Routt County Fair and Racing Association which purchased the 37-acre fairgrounds adjoining the town of Hayden where events are still held.

Source: The Historical Guide to Routt County, copyright 1979 by The Tread of Pioneers Museum.

Photo courtesy Hayden Heritage Center.