40.4438N 118.77156W USGS Seven Troughs Quad

We Visited: February 15, 2002
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 4.8 miles and take left fork; proceed for 12.8 miles.

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)

Sometimes referred to as "New Seven Troughs" Tunnel never really attained the status of a town and it was never intended to be anything more than a well-equipped company camp. Established in 1926, a number of buildings were hauled over from the town of Vernon. By the summer of 1930, a 100 ton cyanide plant was built. A number of trees were planted which were watered by the natural flow of water from the tunnel.

Not unlike the more famous Sutro Tunnel, the 11,000' "Deep Tunnel" was supposed to drain the water-logged Coalition, Fairview, and Mazuma hills mines and provide an economical way to retrieve the ore. By March 1929 the tunnel had advanced to 7,200 feet; at about 7,500' they realized the alignment was off a bit so they dropped back several hundred feet to compensate; by November they had reached 10,000'. Several ore bodies were intersected during the digging and about 1,000' of drifts were dug to pursue them. Unfortunately, the designers of the tunnel were not very good at math, and the tunnel was not dug at the proper angle,and missed the target they were aiming for. It failed to drain the mines as hoped for, and failed to reach the levels of the mines they were aiming at to retrieve their ore. The whole project was a dismal failure. (Shamberger)

Fantastic remains here. An old stamp and the remains of the mill, along with several buildings, one of which is decked out pretty nicely. Lots of things to see and up the canyon there are a couple of dugout cabins.