Mazuma

Mazuma, Nevada, was a small mining town in Pershing County whose name came from a Yiddish slang word for money. One of four towns settled during the 1907 gold rush in the Seven Troughs Mining District, it was centrally located and had at least two district stamp mills, numerous mines, good hotel accommodations, and a livery stable. Pure water was brought from Wild Horse Canyon over a distance of 6 miles by a gravity system that cost $25,000, and a volunteer fire department with two hose carts and 1,000 feet of hose helped protect the town. These advantages made Mazuma the general headquarters of the district and the main stopping place for travelers and transient workers. Its future ended in a devastating flash flood on July 12, 1912, when thunderheads over Granite Peak and cloudbursts brought a heavy downpour, rumbling, and near darkness before a 20-foot-tall by 150-foot-wide wall of water struck, killing at least 12 people in Seven Troughs Canyon and completely destroying the town. Water swept through for more than 10 minutes as residents watched helplessly from a nearby hillside, and when another storm sent a second wall of water through the devastated town three weeks later, rebuilding was abandoned and Mazuma ceased to exist.

Lovelock, Nevada · United States