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History · Hayden

Hayden dates to 1909, and 39% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1927 on and the census since 1940.

1909founded
0on the National Register
39%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Marine 69-71 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Hayden began

When was Hayden founded?

1909

Hayden dates its founding to 1909 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1940.

First census: 1,577 in 19402020 census: 512117 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1910.The full story ↓

What stands out about Hayden’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Hayden are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Hayden’s homes were built before 1947.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Hayden’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Hayden’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Hayden came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Hayden.

Read it all →

Hayden was founded in 1909 and owned by the Kennecott Copper Corp. In 1912, the company built a 1,000 ft (300 m) smelter named the "Hayden Smelter". It was the tallest smelter chimney in Arizona. The mine is now owned by the American Smelting and Refining Company. The town is now in the process of becoming a ghost town.

One of the main reasons the people are abandoning the town is that the crime rate is much higher in Hayden than the Arizona average crime rate. It is also much higher than the national average crime rate in the rest of the United States.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Hayden, 1909 to 1924

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 20th century
  2. 1909
    FoundingHayden is established
  3. 1910Post officeThe Hayden post office opens
  4. 1917Born hereRankin Johnson Jr. is born here
  5. 1924Born hereDick Tuck is born here
By decade

Hayden, decade by decade

Today7 recent
Welcome to2019Welcome toHayden-Charred and derelict pits of former homes-22019Hayden-Charred and derelict pits of former homes-2Hayden-Charred and derelict pits of former homes-12019Hayden-Charred and derelict pits of former homes-1Copper Basin Train at2015Copper Basin Train atGilliland img0572013Gilliland img057CBRy 505 dumping at HaydenxRP - Flickr - drewj19462010CBRy 505 dumping at HaydenxRP - Flickr - drewj1946AZ aug 10 046xRP - Flickr - drewj19462009AZ aug 10 046xRP - Flickr - drewj1946
Every building

Hayden, building by building, 1927

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a sheet.

Hayden fire insurance map, 1927, sheet 11927Sheet 1 of 2
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

People over time

Hayden, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,4001,6001,80019401960198020002020Peak: 1,760

Between 512 and 1,760 people in every census since 1940.

9 censuses, 1940–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Hayden’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Hayden

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Dick TuckAmerican prankster · b. 1924
R
Rankin Johnson Jr.American baseball player · b. 1917
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Winkelman1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Hayden’s history

What year was Hayden founded?

In 1909, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Hayden’s post office opened in 1910, and the census of 1940 counted 1,577 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (7), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.