Mount Ophir, California facts for kids
Mount Ophir is a ghost town in Mariposa County, California. It was once a busy mining town that started in 1850. This was during the exciting time of the California Gold Rush. Mount Ophir was special because it had the first official mint in California. It was called the Mount Ophir Mint.
A Look Back at Mount Ophir
Mount Ophir was a large camp in the early 1850s. Stores and tents stretched along the main road. Miners and travelers often visited these places. In 1854, a man named Louis Trabucco bought a stone trading post there. This post was very popular with miners. Today, you can still see its old ruins. They are next to where a large hotel once stood. That hotel was built in 1852.
The town's post office opened in 1852. It was first called "Ophir." But its name changed in 1856 to "Mount Ophir." This was to avoid confusion with another town named Ophir in a different county.
The Special Gold Mint
A special gold processing mill was built in Mount Ophir between 1850 and 1851. It was made by a company called Moffat and Company. This mill worked under the direction of Augustus Humbert. He was chosen by President John Tyler to be the official gold tester for California.
The Mount Ophir Mint made unique gold pieces. These were called "Octagonal Gold Slugs." They were shaped like an octagon and were worth fifty dollars each.
On February 14, 1851, a newspaper called the San Francisco Prices Current wrote about these new gold pieces. It said that the fifty-dollar pieces would be very valuable. They would be made like regular coins. The government would accept them for payments. This was expected to make gold dust more valuable.
Most of the gold pieces made at the Mount Ophir Mint were later melted down. They were turned into government gold bars. The mint closed down by 1853. You can still see the ruins of the old mill today.
