Ophir (also, Spanish Corral and Ophirville) is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in Placer County,

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. Ophir is located west of

Auburn Auburn may refer to: Places Australia * Auburn, New South Wales * City of Auburn, the local government area *Electoral district of Auburn *Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region *Auburn, South Australia *Auburn, Tasmania *Aub ...

. It lies at an elevation of 682 feet (208 m). Ophir addresses have the ZIP code of 95658, a Newcastle address.

History

Ophir was a

boomtown A boomtown is a community that undergoes sudden and rapid population and economic growth, or that is started from scratch. The growth is normally attributed to the nearby discovery of a precious resource such as gold, silver, or oil, although ...

of the

California Gold Rush The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) was a gold rush that began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California fro ...

. Originally named ''The Spanish Corral'' in 1849, Ophir received its Biblical name Ophir, the source of King Solomon's treasures, in 1850 because of the rich gold

placer mining Placer mining () is the mining of stream bed (Alluvium, alluvial) deposits for minerals. This may be done by open-pit mining, open-pit (also called open-cast mining) or by various surface excavating equipment or tunneling equipment. Placer minin ...

in the area. In 1852 it was the center of the local gold mining industry, and the most populous town in the county. It grew to over 500 families by 1853, when a disastrous fire on the 12th of July destroyed the whole town. The town was not rebuilt at the time. Later Ophir became the center of quartz mining in the county. It is remembered at

California Historical Landmark A California Historical Landmark (CHL) is a building, structure, site, or place in California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance. Criteria Historical significance is determined by meeting at least one of ...

#463. The Ophirville post office was open by 1852 and closed in 1866. The Ophir post office opened in 1872 and closed in 1910. The name comes from the Biblical Ophir, the source of King Solomon's treasures. After the gold rush, the area was planted in vineyards and orchards, and during

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...

just in orchards. Beginning in the 1970s vineyards again returned to the area. Today, local services for Ophir come from Auburn.

References

External links

"Ophir, Placer County, California" ''California Genealogy''

Unincorporated communities in Placer County, California Mining communities of the California Gold Rush Ghost towns in California Populated places established in 1849 1849 establishments in California Unincorporated communities in California {{PlacerCountyCA-geo-stub