Mazuma, Nevada was a small mining town in

Pershing County, Nevada Pershing County is a county in the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,650. Its county seat is Lovelock. The county was named after army general John J. Pershing (1860–1948). It was formed from Humboldt Count ...

where eight people were killed in a flash flood on July 11, 1912. Mazuma was founded in 1907 and a post office was established on August 28, 1907. The name "Mazuma" is derived from a Yiddish slang word for money: m'zumon. Other sources indicate that m'zumon means "the ready necessary".. Just after 5pm on July 12, 1912, a wall of water was observed upstream from Mazuma at the Seven Troughs Canyon. The Seven Troughs Cyanide Plant was destroyed, releasing dozens of gallons of

cyanide Cyanide is a naturally occurring, rapidly acting, toxic chemical that can exist in many different forms. In chemistry, a cyanide () is a chemical compound that contains a functional group. This group, known as the cyano group, consists of ...

into the flood. A phone call was made, but due to the electrified atmosphere, the only word that could be heard at Mazuma was "water." The warning was not received in time, the high, wide flash flood hit Mazuma and killed almost a tenth of the population. Over the following weeks, relief efforts included visits by doctors and nurses from as far as

Reno Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...

. A statewide relief fund was set up. In addition, a relief fund was set up by the '' San Francisco Examiner'', where

William Randolph Hearst William Randolph Hearst Sr. (; April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American businessman, newspaper publisher, and politician known for developing the nation's largest newspaper chain and media company, Hearst Communications. His flamboya ...

personally donated $100. Postmistress Maude Ruddell was killed in the flood when the post office collapsed on her while she was attempting to save the money. The post office formally moved from Mazuma to Seven Troughs on November 30, 1912. The Mazuma Hills Mill, located upstream of Mazuma, burned down 13 days after the flood, though the Darby Mill located southwest of Mazuma, operated from 1909 until it was dismantled in 1918.

References

{{Pershing County, Nevada Ghost towns in Pershing County, Nevada Populated places established in 1907 1907 establishments in Nevada 1907 natural disasters in the United States