Mazuma, Nevada, was a short-lived gold mining boomtown in the remote Seven Troughs mining district of Pershing County, in northwestern Nevada. Located at the mouth of Seven Troughs Canyon in the Seven Troughs Range, approximately 25-30 miles northwest of Lovelock and about 30 miles from the county seat, the town sat in a vulnerable position prone to flash flooding from the surrounding mountains.
The name “Mazuma” derives from Yiddish slang for “money” or “ready cash,” reflecting the optimistic spirit of the gold rush era.
Founding and Boom Period
The townsite was established in late 1906 by S.B. Hill and Starr Hill at the base of the canyon. It formed as part of the 1907 rush to the Seven Troughs district, alongside nearby camps like Seven Troughs, Vernon, and Farrell. Gold discoveries in the area, particularly at mines such as the Mazuma Hills Mine, drove rapid growth.
By mid-1908, Mazuma had become the most prosperous settlement in the district. Within just six weeks of its founding, it boasted:
- A mercantile house (general store)
- Three restaurants
- A lodging house
- Five saloons
- Other businesses
The town later featured more substantial structures, including a two-story bank, a three-story hotel, stamp mills (for processing ore), a post office (established 1907), and homes for residents. Population estimates during its peak hovered around 80-100 people, typical of small mining camps in the region. It served as a key milling and support hub for nearby gold operations, with at least two stamp mills operating there.
The Tragic Flash Flood of 1912
Mazuma’s prosperity ended abruptly on July 18, 1912 (some sources note July 11 or 19 due to reporting variations; the event occurred around 5 p.m.). A sudden and intense cloudburst struck the Seven Troughs Range above the town. Heavy rain in the mountains funneled massive amounts of water down Burnt Canyon and Seven Troughs Canyon.
A towering wall of water—described as 20 feet high and 150 feet wide—rushed into Mazuma without warning. Attempts to telephone warnings from upstream failed or came too late. The flood devastated the town, destroying most buildings, sweeping away homes, businesses, and debris including mining equipment and even a bank vault reportedly carrying $20,000 in gold bullion (which was carried nearly two miles downstream).
The disaster claimed eight lives (some accounts suggest up to 11), nearly one-tenth of the population. Victims included children from the Kehoe family (three siblings) and others caught in the torrent. The Seven Troughs Cyanide Plant was also destroyed, releasing cyanide into the floodwaters and adding to the hazard.
Surviving structures were limited to the two-story hotel, the general store, a few cabins, and the Darby Mill (or similar remnants). The post office closed shortly after, in late 1912.
Yesterday afternoon, at about five o’clock, the town of Mazuma (northeast of Reno) was devastated, eight people were drowned and nine more injured, many fatally, and a property loss estimated at nearly $200,000 by a cloud burst that swept down, unheralded, upon the mountain town. The known dead are:
Edna Russell, Postmistress at Mazuma;
Three children of Wm. Kehoe, all aged under seven;
M.C. Whalen, a miner, aged 35;
Mrs. Floyd Foncannon, drowned in Burnt Canyon six miles north of Seven Troughs canyon.
Those injured so far as can be learned at time of going to press are:
John Trenchard, merchant, probably fatally;
Mrs. Trenchard, badly cut and bruised, may recover.
Mrs. Kehoe, cut about head and face, bruised about body, may die;
Mrs. O’Hanlan, badly injured, may recover.
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Today the first witnesses of the flood conductions and who talked to the survivors returned to town. Among them was Drs. Russell and West, H.J. Murriah, J.T. Goodlin, H.S. Riddle, Jack and Will Borland and W.H. Copper.
Lovelock Review-Miner July 12, 1912
Aftermath and Legacy
Mazuma was never rebuilt. The flood marked the effective end of the town, accelerating the decline of the entire Seven Troughs district. Nearby Seven Troughs and Vernon also faded, with small-scale mining continuing sporadically into the 1950s but no major revival. A later tunnel project (Tunnel Camp) attempted to drain mines but ultimately failed.
Today, Mazuma is a classic Nevada ghost town. Scattered ruins, debris from the flood (such as old cans, pipes, and mining remnants), and a small cemetery remain visible in the desert landscape. The site has returned largely to nature, with little left beyond rubble as early as the 1950s. It attracts ghost town explorers and historians interested in the dramatic story of a community erased almost overnight by nature.
The tragedy of Mazuma stands as a stark reminder of the risks faced by early 20th-century mining camps in arid regions—boom driven by precious metals, bust delivered by sudden desert floods.
