BlockBefore

Ophir, California

33 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1891 and the latest in 1994. It stands in the Auburn census division. It lies in ZIP code area 95658. It lies near North Ravine. The Survey maps it on the Auburn quadrangle. It stands 682 feet above sea level.

Ophir within Placer County

Then and now

1891 to 1994

The same ground, surveyed 103 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet of Ophir, surveyed 1994
Topographic sheet of Ophir, surveyed 1891

Topographic sheets covering this place

12 surveys from 33 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

Fires near this place

1,207 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 1,207 fires within 5 miles of Ophir between 1992 and 2020, burning about 2,642 acres in total. 7 started naturally. 50 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined518
Equipment and vehicle use376
Debris and open burning153
Arson/incendiarism50
Misuse of fire by a minor34
Smoking28
Power generation/transmission/distribution24
Railroad operations and maintenance14
Natural7
Recreation and ceremony2
Firearms and explosives use1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
9 September 2017Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire ProtectionGERRY
9 September 2016Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire ProtectionEDGEWOOD
9 September 2010Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreNevada-Yuba-Placer UnitSHAWNEE
9 September 2009Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreNevada-Yuba-Placer UnitAIRPORT
9 September 2004Equipment and vehicle use1.0 acresNevada-Yuba-Placer UnitMEARS
9 September 1996Equipment and vehicle useunder an acreNevada-Yuba-Placer UnitLINE
8 September 2015Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreNevada-Yuba-Placer UnitNEWCASTLE
8 September 2011Misuse of fire by a minor1.0 acresNevada-Yuba-Placer UnitLINCOLN

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Placer County

Mines and quarries near this place

10 of 221 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 221 workings within 5 miles of Ophir: 91 past producers, 71 unknowns, 49 occurrences, 10 producers. 10 still produce. What was taken out: Gold, Silver, Lead, Copper. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
AlabamaGold, Silver, Lead, Copper, Bismuth, Antimony, ArsenicPast ProducerArgentite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Pyrite
Alabama-California MineSilver, Gold, Lead, Arsenic, Bismuth, AntimonyPast Producer1860
ChicagoGold, Lead, Copper, SilverUnknown
Davenport DepositSilicaOccurrence
Eclipse ConsolidatedGold, Copper, Silver, Lead, ZincPast ProducerArgentite, Galena, Gold, Pyrite, Sphalerite
Gold BlossomGold, Silver, Lead, Zinc, Copper, ArsenicPast ProducerGold, Pyrite, Sphalerite, Tetrahedrite
Golden StagGold, Silver, MolybdenumPast ProducerGold, Molybdenite
HathawayGold, Lead, Silver, Zinc, Copper, ArsenicPast ProducerChalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Marcasite, Pyrite
Highway Forty MineGold, Lead, Silver, CopperUnknown
Moore MineGold, Zinc, Silver, Copper, LeadPast ProducerChalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Pyrite, Sphalerite

Every working recorded in Placer County

Storms near this place

3 since 2015

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Ophir in 3 storm reports between 2015 and 2025: 2 flood, 1 hail. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
February 2025FloodOphir-California Highway Patrol reported roadway flooding on the south shoulder in a few places. 1 to 2 feet of water also reported into the eastbound lane and dissipating through the drainage system.
January 2023FloodOphir-CHP reported rock slide at Wise Road and Ophir Road resulting in road closure of Ophir Road to Interstate 80 on-ramp.
November 2015HailOphir-Dime size hail pile up and covered the road, causing slippery conditions.

Every storm recorded in Placer County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Newcastle1.3 miles28
Millertown (historical)2.2 miles33
Auburn2.5 miles33
Gold Hill3.2 miles27
North Auburn3.5 miles33
Penryn3.6 miles28
Elders Corner4.7 miles33
Bickford Ranch4.8 miles28

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on OphirAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q7097975The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1659308. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.