Ophir, California
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ophir was a ghost town in Placer County, California, now a suburb of Auburn. It was a boomtown of the California Gold Rush. In 1852 it was the center of the local gold mining industry, and the most populous town in the county. After the gold rush, the area was planted in vineyards and orchards, and during Prohibition just in orchards. Beginning in the 1970s vineyards again returned to the area. Today, local services for Ophir come from Auburn, California 3 miles to the east.
Originally named The Spanish Corral in 1849, Ophir received its Biblical name in 1850 because of the rich, gold placer mining in the area, and grew to over 500 families by 1853, when a disastrous fire on the 12th of July destroyed the whole town. Later it became the center of quartz mining in the county. It is remembered at California Historical Landmark #463. Zip code is 95603.
