The story
Read it all →How Hayfork came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Hayfork.
In 1921 the first Trinity County Fair was held with the Governor at the time William Stephens [1]
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
C−History
History · Hayfork
Hayfork’s post office opened in 1861
More historic than 25% of U.S. towns · #388 of 847 in California. What drives it
Most of Hayfork was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1974. Below: maps from 1951 on and the census since 1990.
1861first post office
0on the National Register
7%homes built before 1940
Quick answers
How Hayfork began
When was Hayfork founded?
1861
The Hayfork post office opened in 1861, the earliest record of the town by name.
First census: 2,549 in 19902020 census: 2,324165 years
How historic is Hayfork?
C−
What drives the grade ↓More historic than 25% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Hayfork post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Hayfork’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hayfork is more historic than 25% of U.S. towns, #388 of 847 in California. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Hayfork’s overall grade.
Founding era1861, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 19406.6% of homes (±9.9) · typical CA town 3.4% · U.S. 8.4%C+National RegisterNo listings counted · typical CA town 0.0 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 25%
NewerOlder
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 54%
Few California towns list much on the Register (a typical California town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Hayfork’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (31% of California towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to C. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±9.9 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Hayfork’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Hayfork’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Hayfork’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.By decade
Hayfork, decade by decade
Today6 recent
20132013, How the Civilian Conservation Corps Took Care o…
20132013, Carr Creek Barn
20132013, 1950 Fire Engine, Old Station Volunteer Fire De…
20132013 - Type 6 and Slip-on Wildland Firefighting Rigs,…
20132013 - Shasta 21 California Conservation Corp Crew Pr…
20132013 - Durango CO Type 4 Engine Readies for a Patrol …On the map
Hayfork on the map, 1951 to 1998
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Hayfork. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1951Hayfork sheet · 1:62,500U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Hayfork.
People over time
Hayfork, census by census
Between 2,315 and 2,549 people in every census since 1990.
4 censuses, 1990–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Hayfork’s Wikipedia page.
Famous people
See all →Famous people close to Hayfork
Nobody well known was born in Hayfork itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Places that used to be
Old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Hayfork’s post office has been open since 1861.
Hamlets and corners on the map
Luckie Place
Gone or out of use
Cope and Johnson MinemineFarmer MinemineKellogg MinemineKelly MinemineLayman Minemine
1cemetery inside Hayfork
Hayfork
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Hayfork’s history
What year was Hayfork founded?
The Hayfork post office opened in 1861, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Hayfork rank for history?
Hayfork is more historic than 25% of U.S. towns, #388 of 847 in California. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Hayfork?
7% of Hayfork’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±9.9 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1974.
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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).
From Wikimedia Commons (6), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.