Vernon 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 many closed down entirely. As this happened, the town itself began to dwindle down to a population of only 300 in 1907.  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 mining 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.