Ophir

Up the canyon stand the stone foundations of a mill that cost more than two hundred thousand dollars, and the walls of an office grand enough to call a mansion — the bones of Ophir. Ore was struck in 1863, the Murphy Mine became the producer, and an experimental Stetefeldt furnace, the first ever built, roasted its ore. The town reached four hundred people, emptied in the 1870s, revived in the 1880s, and emptied again. More than two million dollars in gold and silver came out before the canyon went quiet for good.

What the plaque says

Well up into the canyon out yonder, one can still see the massive stone foundations of a costly and splendid stamp mill, as well as, the stone walls of an elegant office and mansion. Here was the scene of once busy place, now a ghost town. Ore was discovered there in 1863 by S. Boulerond and his compatriots. In 1864, the Murphy Mine was discovered and became the leading producer; a mining district was organized. During 1865, a twenty-stamp mill was completed costing over $200,000. Connected with it was the first experimental Stetefedlt Furnace ever built. When the Murphy Mill was built, a town was started and it grew to a population of 400, but work in the mines declined in the 1870's and Ophir became almost deserted. In the 1880's, the mines reactivated, and Ophir had another period of prosperity. By the 1890's the town was deserted, but some mining activity at the Murphy Mine continued sporadically into the 20th Century. Over two million dollars worth of gold and silver were mined from the Murphy Vein and from surrounding properties. Iron, copper and arsenic were also found in the area. Ophir managed to have all the accouterments of a large community: School, church, various lodges, and of course, several saloons.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park — 21 mi
  A gold camp frozen in "arrested decay" since 1911, beside a quarry of fifty-foot ichthyosaurs left in the rock where they died — the Silver Trails' long exhale into deep time.

More markers nearby

• Tate’s Stage Station — 2.7 mi
• Big Smoky Valley — 11 mi
• Round Mountain — 15 mi
• Ione — 21 mi