Hayden Colorado

Hayden’s First 50 years – 1877-1927
Even though Hayden had served as the County Seat for Routt County from 1877-1879, narrow canyons between Steamboat and Hayden complicated transportation and threats or fears of complications with the Ute Indians after the 1879 Meeker Massacre had stunted growth in the Hayden area. Most of the original Hayden settlers left with the threats and did not return. What had once promised to be an expanding community was now near it’s death.
However, in 1880, Sam & Mary Reid and their children came back to the valley. They had passed through in 1874 but not encountering any other settlers, they moved on to the Baggs, WY area. They were in the Hahn’s Peak area in 1879 during the Meeker Incident. Upon coming back to the Hayden area, the Reids made their homestead on Dry Creek near today’s Routt County Fairgrounds and reestablished the Hayden Post Office in their home.
The Reids were writing letters to family back east, one of those being Mary’s former brother-in-law, William Walker in North Carolina. Mary’s sister, Nance, was Walker’s first wife and mother of his four oldest children. She died while his was fighting in the Civil War. Walker was lured by the letters and through a pre-emption claim, took a ranch southwest of Hayden on what would become known much later as ”the old Temple place” in 1881. Walker then homesteaded on a tract north of Hayden on what is now known as the “Charles Fulton place”. His log house is still standing. Anyhow, Walker fenced a lane from this ranch north of town to his pasture land south of town. People started building businesses on each side of this lane and “Walker Lane” become the main street in town. This lane is now Walnut street! The town of Hayden started to expand in about 1894 when William Walker, and his son Martin, laid out a townsite on part of their ranch.
By 1896, there was a hotel, blacksmith shop, saloon, store, and a large hall where dances were held downstairs and lodge meetings held upstairs.
While not Hayden’s first school, the Edison School was completed in 1900. This was a large two-story building which combined elementary and high school. It was built where the current Redstone Inn is located.
Also in 1900, the Babson Coal Company began supplying coal to the area residents from it’s mine south of Hayden.
By 1902, two large stores – J.L. Norvell’s Mercantile and a branch of J.W. Hugus and Company chain store. Both stores operated banks: Norvell’s store contained the Yampa Valley Bank and the Bank of Hayden was housed in the Hugus store. Norvell’s store still stands in Hayden on Hwy 40 and is most formally recognized as “the Hi-Way Bar”.
In June of 1903, “The Routt County Republican” was being printed on a press that was freighted in from the railroad in Wolcott. This is also the year that the Hayden Congregational Church was built in the current location, although the church itself was organized in 1899.
All this before Hayden was officially incorporated on March 13,1906 by a vote of 93-2.
In November 1908, the town voted to “go dry” and remained so until Prohibition ended in 1933.
By 1910 Hayden had electricity! A water system was completed in 1913 – the same year the railroad arrived. The telegraph line was completed in 1914 and Hayden had a sewer system by 1919!
In the 1920’s, two more major landmarks were erected – the first being the Hayden Union High School which was opened in 1921 and the second being the Solandt Memorial Hospital in 1923.
Hayden’s first 50 years saw a lot of changes! In 1915 it boasted 714 residents! Ranching was a way of life in the area and the residents helped their neighbors, and solved their needs!

Thank you Hayden Heritage Museum at 300 W. Pearl Street in the Old Depot
P.O. Box 543, Hayden Co 81639
(970)276-4380
https://www.haydenheritagecenter.org/

 

Routt County’s first Court House & County Seat
Colorado had 17 original counties. The land of Routt County was part of the original Summit County - then Grand County - before becoming Routt County on January 29, 1877. Gordon Smart, his brother Albert and his family and Major James B. Thompson were among the first to settle in the area that is now Hayden.
Upon the formation of Routt County, Governor John L. Routt appointed the first three County Commissioners - Gordon Smart of Hayden, Thomas Illes from Elkhead, and A.J. Bell from Hahn's Peak. Governor Routt also appointed Hayden as the first County Seat. The first meeting of the Board of County Commissioners was held in a log cabin on the Smart Ranch on May 25, 1877. The cabin was built by the Smart brothers and Thompson for this purpose, but since actual “lumber” was nearly impossible to get at this time, the cabin never had a wooden floor. Thompson was selected as Routt County’s first Clerk and Recorder at this meeting.
Hayden continued to serve as the county seat for just a year. Despite the fact that Hayden was centrally located in Routt County – remember the county encompassed all of current day Moffat County until 1911 -- the majority of the county residents were in an area to the Northeast where a “boom” was taking place - Hahn's Peak was named the county seat in 1878 and the records were officially moved there on May 1,1879 -- but Hayden still gets the “claim to fame” of being Routt County’s First County Seat!
The cabin used as a courthouse was eventually moved to the Routt County Fairgrounds in the 1940s and eventually dismantled.
From the Museum of Northwest Colorado - Downtown Craig -- we've added the appointment paper of Major Thompson as the First Routt County Clerk & Recorder - signed by Governor John L Routt! What an amazing piece of history they have in Craig and we thank them for their willingness to share it with us!

Thank you Hayden Heritage Museum at 300 W. Pearl Street in the Old Depot
P.O. Box 543, Hayden Co 81639
(970)276-4380

https://www.haydenheritagecenter.org/

 

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