Seven Troughs Nevada – Pershing County Ghost Town

Seven Troughs Nevada 1907
Seven Troughs Nevada 1907

In 1894, Frank Ward a sheepman in the area, built seven water troughs to water his sheep. The name Seven Troughs came from this simple event. Seven Troughs is a ghost town and old mining camp in Pershing County, Nevada.

In the fall of 1905, gold was discovered in the upper parts of Seven Troughs Canyon area. This discovery led to the ability to raise capital investment and soon funding was in place for the young mining district. Discoveries were reported in excess of $100,000 per ton in 1907 attracted in miners from Tonopah and Goldfield.

In 1907 a townsite was plotted out and the tent city soon followed. Townsite plots sere sold for $500 a lot, and the small town supported 350 citizens. A water system and school was built to support the population in 1908. The previous year, 1907, saw the construction of the post office, stores and saloons to keep the population happy and give one an insight into the priorities.

At its height their was consideration to bring in rail with the Southern Pacific line from Lovelock, to near by Vernon and up to Seven Troughs. The rail never developed and the mine camp continued to the production of the Kindergarten mine until 1918 and World War I. The Kindergarten mining operations produced about two million dollars from 1908 until its end in 1918.

The post office followed the miners out of the area, and only lease operations continued past this time.

Seven Troughs Trail Map

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