content: SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
  
                          Washington, D.C. 20549
  
  
                                 FORM 8-K
  
                              CURRENT REPORT
  
      Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
  
         Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): March 7, 1997
  
  
  
                        HANOVER GOLD COMPANY, INC.
         (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
  
  
  Delaware                      0-23022                       11-2740461
  (State or other             (Commission                   (IRS Employer
  jurisdiction of             File Number)               Identification No.)
  incorporation)
  
  
  
                   1000 Northwest Boulevard, Suite 100
                       Coeur d'Alene, Idaho 83814
                 (Address of principal executive offices)
  
      Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (208) 664-4653
  <PAGE>
  Item 5.  Other Events.
  
  Hanover Gold Company, Inc. ("Hanover") announced on March 10, 1997 that it
  had entered into an agreement, dated March 7, 1997, with Easton-Pacific and
  Riverside Mining Company ("Easton-Pacific") for the acquisition of all of
  the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock of Easton-Pacific in
  exchange for 7,000,000 shares of Hanover's common stock, following which
  Easton-Pacific will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hanover.  Easton-
  Pacific has advised the Company that it owns or controls 36 patented and
  137 unpatented mining claims in the Brown Gulch area, in a claims block
  that is contiguous to the Company's claims block, and an interest in an
  additional 35 patented and 58 unpatented claims near Norris and Pony,
  Montana, some 35 miles northwest of Browns Gulch.  
  
  The Hanover common stock to be issued to the holders of Easton-Pacific's
  capital stock in the transaction will be included in an effective
  registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the
  "Securities Act") and will generally be freely transferable following such
  issuance.  Certain affiliates of Easton-Pacific will be required to enter
  into lock-up agreements as part of the transaction, however, prohibiting
  the resale of any shares of Hanover common stock received in the
  transaction for a period of six months and limiting the number of shares
  that may be sold for during the ensuing twelve-month period.  In addition,
  Richard J. Fisher, Easton-Pacific's current chairman and president, will be
  appointed to Hanover's board of directors at closing.
  
  It is expected that the transaction will close no later than June 30, 1997. 
  As a condition to moving forward with the preparation and filing of the
  registration statement under the Securities Act and the preparation of
  proxy materials to be used in conjunction with the special meetings of
  stockholders of Hanover and Easton-Pacific, each holder of more than five
  percent (5%) of Easton-Pacific's capital stock has agreed to execute and
  deliver irrevocable proxies instructing the proxies named therein to vote
  the shares of Easton-Pacific held by such persons for approval of the
  transaction.
  
  Closing is specifically conditioned on:  the approval of definitive
  transaction documents; the filing by Hanover of an effective registration
  statement under the Securities Act (which registration statement may take
  the form of a post-effective amendment to its current registration
  statement) with respect to the shares of common stock to be issued by
  Hanover in the transaction; the approval of the transaction by Hanover's
  stockholders in accordance with proposed requirements of the Nasdaq Stock
  Market; the approval of the transaction by the shareholders of Easton-
  Pacific; and the delivery of an opinion of counsel to Easton-Pacific to the
  effect that the transaction will be tax free to Easton-Pacific and its
  shareholders.
  
  As part of the transaction, N. A. Degerstrom ("Degerstrom"), an affiliate
  of Hanover, has guaranteed payment of Hanover's obligations to the
  landowner-lessees of its mining claims for a period of eighteen months, or
  until August 7, 1998, up to an amount of $2,891,210; such guaranty will
  take effect in the event Hanover is unable for any reason to meet such
  obligations.  As consideration for such guarantee, Hanover's board of
  directors is expected to approve the grant to Degerstrom of options to
  purchase up to 2,312,968 shares of Hanover's common stock, which options
  will be exercisable at the price of $1.25 per share for a period of three
  years from the date of grant.  Payments made by Degerstrom pursuant to the
  guaranty, if any, will be credited toward the exercise of such options.  
  
  It is anticipated that the transactions will be accounted for by Hanover as
  a purchase of assets as opposed to a pooling of interests.
  
  Hanover had previously announced, in February of 1996, that it had entered
  into a letter of intent with Easton-Pacific contemplating the possible
  merger of Easton-Pacific into the Company in exchange for 14,368,713 shares
  of Hanover's common stock.  Although that letter of intent expired in July
  of 1996, representatives of Hanover and Easton-Pacific continued to discuss
  the possibility of combining their respective mining properties.  These
  discussions lead to the agreement that was signed on March 7th.
  
  Item 7.  Financial Statements and Exhibits.
  
  No financial statements are required to be included as part of this report.
  
  The exhibits hereto consist of:
  
       (a)  A copy of the letter agreement, dated March 7, 1997, and the
            exhibits thereto, by and between Hanover and Easton-Pacific; and
  
       (b)  A copy of the Hanover's press release dated March 10, 1997.
  <PAGE>
                                SIGNATURES
  
  Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
  registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
  undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
  
                                     HANOVER GOLD COMPANY, INC.
  
  
                                     By  /s/ James A. Fish
                                       --------------------------------
                                        its President and
                                        Chief Executive Officer
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text: SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
  
                          Washington, D.C. 20549
  
                                 FORM 8-K
  
                              CURRENT REPORT
  
      Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
  
         Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): March 7, 1997
  
                        HANOVER GOLD COMPANY, INC.
         (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
  
  Delaware                      0-23022                       11-2740461
  (State or other             (Commission                   (IRS Employer
  jurisdiction of             File Number)               Identification No.)
  incorporation)
  
                   1000 Northwest Boulevard, Suite 100
                       Coeur d'Alene, Idaho 83814
                 (Address of principal executive offices)
  
      Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (208) 664-4653
  Item 5.  Other Events.
  
  Hanover Gold Company, Inc. ("Hanover") announced on March 10, 1997 that it
  had entered into an agreement, dated March 7, 1997, with Easton-Pacific and
  Riverside Mining Company ("Easton-Pacific") for the acquisition of all of
  the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock of Easton-Pacific in
  exchange for 7,000,000 shares of Hanover's common stock, following which
  Easton-Pacific will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hanover.  Easton-
  Pacific has advised the Company that it owns or controls 36 patented and
  137 unpatented mining claims in the Brown Gulch area, in a claims block
  that is contiguous to the Company's claims block, and an interest in an
  additional 35 patented and 58 unpatented claims near Norris and Pony,
  Montana, some 35 miles northwest of Browns Gulch.  
  
  The Hanover common stock to be issued to the holders of Easton-Pacific's
  capital stock in the transaction will be included in an effective
  registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the
  "Securities Act") and will generally be freely transferable following such
  issuance.  Certain affiliates of Easton-Pacific will be required to enter
  into lock-up agreements as part of the transaction, however, prohibiting
  the resale of any shares of Hanover common stock received in the
  transaction for a period of six months and limiting the number of shares
  that may be sold for during the ensuing twelve-month period.  In addition,
  Richard J. Fisher, Easton-Pacific's current chairman and president, will be
  appointed to Hanover's board of directors at closing.
  
  It is expected that the transaction will close no later than June 30, 1997. 
  As a condition to moving forward with the preparation and filing of the
  registration statement under the Securities Act and the preparation of
  proxy materials to be used in conjunction with the special meetings of
  stockholders of Hanover and Easton-Pacific, each holder of more than five
  percent (5%) of Easton-Pacific's capital stock has agreed to execute and
  deliver irrevocable proxies instructing the proxies named therein to vote
  the shares of Easton-Pacific held by such persons for approval of the
  transaction.
  
  Closing is specifically conditioned on:  the approval of definitive
  transaction documents; the filing by Hanover of an effective registration
  statement under the Securities Act (which registration statement may take
  the form of a post-effective amendment to its current registration
  statement) with respect to the shares of common stock to be issued by
  Hanover in the transaction; the approval of the transaction by Hanover's
  stockholders in accordance with proposed requirements of the Nasdaq Stock
  Market; the approval of the transaction by the shareholders of Easton-
  Pacific; and the delivery of an opinion of counsel to Easton-Pacific to the
  effect that the transaction will be tax free to Easton-Pacific and its
  shareholders.
  
  As part of the transaction, N. A. Degerstrom ("Degerstrom"), an affiliate
  of Hanover, has guaranteed payment of Hanover's obligations to the
  landowner-lessees of its mining claims for a period of eighteen months, or
  until August 7, 1998, up to an amount of $2,891,210; such guaranty will
  take effect in the event Hanover is unable for any reason to meet such
  obligations.  As consideration for such guarantee, Hanover's board of
  directors is expected to approve the grant to Degerstrom of options to
  purchase up to 2,312,968 shares of Hanover's common stock, which options
  will be exercisable at the price of $1.25 per share for a period of three
  years from the date of grant.  Payments made by Degerstrom pursuant to the
  guaranty, if any, will be credited toward the exercise of such options.  
  
  It is anticipated that the transactions will be accounted for by Hanover as
  a purchase of assets as opposed to a pooling of interests.
  
  Hanover had previously announced, in February of 1996, that it had entered
  into a letter of intent with Easton-Pacific contemplating the possible
  merger of Easton-Pacific into the Company in exchange for 14,368,713 shares
  of Hanover's common stock.  Although that letter of intent expired in July
  of 1996, representatives of Hanover and Easton-Pacific continued to discuss
  the possibility of combining their respective mining properties.  These
  discussions lead to the agreement that was signed on March 7th.
  
  Item 7.  Financial Statements and Exhibits.
  
  No financial statements are required to be included as part of this report.
  
  The exhibits hereto consist of:
  
       (a)  A copy of the letter agreement, dated March 7, 1997, and the
            exhibits thereto, by and between Hanover and Easton-Pacific; and
  
       (b)  A copy of the Hanover's press release dated March 10, 1997.
  SIGNATURES
  
  Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
  registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
  undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
  
                                     HANOVER GOLD COMPANY, INC.
  
                                     By  /s/ James A. Fish
                                       --------------------------------
                                        its President and
                                        Chief Executive Officer