Directions: From Fallon, take U.S. 95 north for 33 miles; proceed north on Interstate 80 for 23 miles; take Main Street exit in Lovelock and proceed west for 0.3 miles' Main Street turns north and turns into SR 398- take SR 398 north for 1.6 miles; make left on SR 399 and take this road for 12 miles; take Seven Troughs Road for 2 miles; refer to TopoZone map
From Fallon: 82 miles
What Was
A number of camps were founded in this area during the early part of the twentieth century, among them Seven Troughs, Farrell, Mazuma, and Vernon.
Vernon was the commercial hub of the area for about five years beginning in 1905; about 300 people lived here. In the 1920's, most of the buildings were hauled off to Tunnel. (Paher)
Mazuma was, at one time, the largest camp in the Seven Troughs District. Founded in 1907, it had all the trappings of a large town, such as hotels, banks, fire department, and regular stage service, not to mention a ten stamp mill. Mazuma was destroyed in a series of flash floods down Seven Troughs Canyon, and never recovered. (Paher)
Tunnel Camp came into being in 1927, in an attempt to build a 100-stamp mill and a tunnel to the Seven Troughs deposits. It would also serve to drain the water out of the mines. Unfortunately, after digging over 2 miles, the project failed. Mining went on as late at 1950. (Paher)
Seven Troughs produced almost two millions dollars in gold between 1908 and 1921. The town was formed shortly after discoveries in the area in 1907. Sitting in a narrow canyon, over 300 people made Seven Troughs their home, and the town had a water system, power, and its own school district. Production at the 50-ton mill continued up until about 1918. (Paher)
What is
The crumbling foundation of the Vernon Jail is just about all that's left there- vandals blew up the jail years back, and it was a lot more interesting back then.
When we pulled into Tunnel Camp I got the distinct feeling I was being watched. I pulled up my goggles and turned to my right, and found myself staring directly in the the face of a large, well-fed white dog. Luckily, he seemed friendly- or at least tolerant- and allowed us to explore without gnawing on us. Someone certainly seemed to be living or working in the area, though- which is good, as there are a lot of buildings and equipment in the area to gaze at.
Mazuma is, as you could guess, washed away. Really, the mouth of a canyon is not a good place to build a town. A lot of water comes out of this canyon, as evidenced by the very serious erosion. They say the wall of water that came down here was twenty feet high- something to think about if you are in the area and there are thunderstorms.
