Vernon, Nevada facts for kids

Vernon was a small mining town, now a ghost town, located in Pershing County, Nevada northwest of Lovelock.

History

The town was founded in 1905 to serve as a base for the nearby mines in the Seven Troughs mining district. The mines remained active for the better part of 3–4 years, but by 1910 the ore was pretty much played out, and the mines began to reduce operations and / or close down entirely. As this happened, the town itself began to dwindle (down to a population of only 300 in 1907), and by 1918 so few people were left in Vernon and the nearby area that the post office closed its doors. At this time, many of the wooden buildings were torn down and moved to the nearby town/camp of Tunnel, where activity was on the increase. This spelled the end of Vernon as a town, and the last residents moved on shortly thereafter.

Location

To reach the site of Vernon today you can take the two-laned paved road leading out to the Eagle-Pitcher diatomaceous earth mine (look for signs indicating this) 14 miles from Lovelock towards Vernon. Bearing away from the mine road onto a dirt road will take you the last 12 miles to the site of Vernon. The site itself is easily recognizable by the remains of the old stone jail (heavily vandalized), some depressions from old building foundation locations, and wood debris scattered about in the sagebrush.

Vernon is at an elevation of 4646 feet (1416m).

Images for kids

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  Tunnel Camp panorama, 2013