40.52434 118.72906 USGS Rocky Canyon Quad

We Visited: March 8, 2014
Our Breakfast: Eggs at La Casita in Lovelock
Our Dinner : Bacon-wrapped sausages in a gravel pit somewhere.

From Fallon: Take US 95 north for 32.9 miles; turn east onto I80 towards Lovelock and proceed 28 miles to Exit 105; take frontage road (Business 95B) about 1.5 miles; turn left onto Main St.; go one block and turn left onto Western Ave (SR854).; proceed west 1 mile and turn north on Sand Hill Ave.; proceed 1.5 miles and turn west on Pitt Rd. (SR 399); proceed for 11.9 miles to dirt road; turn right onto dirt road; Proceed on Seven Troughs Rd for 4.8 miles; take right fork and proceed generally north for 7.2 miles; bear left and continue for another 8.2 miles.

The first discoveries in the area were in 1863, and interest was renewed in 1907 when Seven Troughs boomed. A small mill treated about 200 tons of ore. A 50 ton flotation plant was erected in 1930 at the Monarch Group about two miles north. Superceded by amalgamation, it treated about 1500 tons before being sold at a sheriff's sale. (Vanderberg, 1936)

The towns of Seven Troughs and Mazuma are also enjoying a healthy growth. Within the last few days a new town has sprung up. It is located at the mouth of Stonehouse canyon, and the north end of the district, and is known as "Farrell." It already has a population of about 150 people, and this number is being daily increased.
1907 May 31, Reno Evening Gazette

"Farrell is a Mushroom Town. In less than a month grows to a village. Saloons, restaurants, lodging houses, and stables already in this prosperous camp. According to several mining men who have just come in from the new town of Farrell, this is one of the most stable and at the same time one of the liveliest boom towns on the map of the state. They declare that this is no bubble town, and that it has the backing to make it a leading mining town. Farrell was founded on the 15th day of May of this year. Yet, town lots started to sell at $250 There are already 75 tents in the place, besides two saloons, two restaurants, and two rooming houses."
-Reno Evening Gazette, June 3, 1907.

Maybe they were getting a little bit too excited:

RAILROAD MAY RUN INTO NEW TOWN OF FARRELL; PLACE BOOMING
W.F. Farrell, founder of the booming town of Farrell, was in town on business Saturday. He says that everything in the district is going ahead, and that better ore is being uncovered every day. "Forrester, Bradley, and the Seven Troughs Promotion Company are backing a railroad project. They have incorporated a company with the idea of running a traction line from Rye Patch to Farrell, and state that they will start construction before long."
1907 July 22, Reno Evening Gazette

[ADVERTISEMENT]
SEVEN TROUGHS AUTO LINE
Bailey and Farrell, Prop.
First-Class AUto Service to all parts of the Seven Troughs District.
FARE
Lovelocks to Vernon, Seven Troughs, and Mazuma
$7.50 [$187 in 2014 dollars]
Office: Franklin Hotel, Lovelocks, Nevada
1909 March 5, Reno Evening Gazette

Farrell was apparently such a paradise that, after water was finally piped into the town from Stone House Canyon three years later, the proponents of the new water system speculated some interesting results.

"... they already have visions of succulent green onions, crisp lettuce, fine red strawberries, and even oranges and bananas in the near future."
- Seven Troughs Miner, April 30th, 1910

Although mining activity continued in the area, it wasn't enough to support a camp, and Farrell was abandoned by 1911. Paher says a 5-stamp mill was constructed in 1935 for some reason, but hampered by lack of water. Probably going to all those banana trees.

DEVANEY WORKS FARRELL MINE
P.B. Devaney is taking up development work on the Farrell mine of his wife, Mrs. Mary Devaney, following the termination of the three year lease taken on the property by J. Ralph McInerny of Reno, the Lovelock Review Miner says.
1935 January 2, Reno Evening Gazette

The tiny camp of Stone House was located near the mines, and below an old 1860's rock structure.

Not much left. A modern corral and some debris. Up the canyon is the remains of a mill, a few ruins, and some modern activity of some kid is going on- huge orange barriers have been hauled up the road and dumped. There is new culverts under the road in some places so somebody wants to make sure they can get up and down that road.