| Ophir | |
| Settlement Type: | Unincorporated community |
| Pushpin Map: | California#USA |
| Pushpin Label Position: | bottom |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in California |
| Pushpin Image: | California Locator Map with US.PNG |
| Unit Pref: | US |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Placer County |
| Coordinates: | 38.8911°N -121.1236°W |
| Elevation M: | 208 |
| Elevation Ft: | 682 |
Ophir (also, Spanish Corral and Ophirville) is an unincorporated community in Placer County, California.
Ophir is located 2.5miles west of Auburn. It lies at an elevation of 682 feet (208 m).
Ophir addresses have the ZIP code of 95658, a Newcastle address.[1]
Ophir was a boomtown of the California Gold Rush. Originally named The Spanish Corral in 1849,[2] Ophir received its Biblical name Ophir, the source of King Solomon's treasures, in 1850 because of the rich gold placer mining 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.[3] [4] 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 #463.
The Ophirville post office was open by 1852 and closed in 1866. The Ophir post office opened in 1872 and closed in 1910.
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.