Gold was discovered on the hill across the Rogue River in 1860. Thomas and Rose Chavner donated land for Gold Hill in 1884, and the railroad was built in 1887. The first school met in the Methodist Church in 1889, and the town was incorporated on Feb. 12, 1895. Electricity came from Gold Rey Dam in 1904. Beaver Portland Cement Co. built a plant in 1914 and pumped water; the plant closed in 1967. A fire in 1915 destroyed livery stables, a blacksmith shop, and other businesses, but Western Union, Wells Fargo, Gold Hill News, a bank, a theater, and other stores thrived.