Jasper O'Farrell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jasper O'Farrell
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Jasper O'Farrell around 1850
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| Born | 1817 |
| Died | November 16, 1875 |
Jasper O'Farrell (1817–1875) was an important Irish-American politician and surveyor. He became the very first official surveyor for the city of San Francisco. He is famous for designing the main street that we know today as Market Street. Another well-known street, O'Farrell Street in San Francisco, is named after him.
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Early Life and Travels
Jasper O'Farrell was born in County Wexford, Ireland, in 1817. He received his education in Dublin. Later, he traveled to London, England, where he boarded a ship heading to South America. After spending some time in Chile, he arrived in San Francisco in 1843.
Working as a Surveyor
When O'Farrell arrived in California, he found work with the Mexican government. He helped survey, or map out, large parts of Marin and Sonoma counties. He was one of the first people to settle in Sebastopol. In 1843, he bought a large piece of land there called Rancho Estero Americano. He named the valley after Annaly, a place in Ireland where his family came from.
Mapping San Francisco
After the United States took control of San Francisco, the military mayor, Lt. Washington Allon Bartlett, asked O'Farrell to survey the land in 1847. At that time, San Francisco was still called Yerba Buena. O'Farrell improved the older street maps that had been made in 1839 by the former Mexican mayor, Francisco Guerrero y Palomares, and his surveyor, Jean Jacques Vioget.
O'Farrell's new map covered a big area, including what is now Post, Mason, and Green Streets, and the Bay. He also fixed mistakes in the old maps, where the streets were not perfectly straight. Soon after, he decided where Market Street would be and how wide it would be. He also helped name many other streets, like Lombard, Chestnut, Filbert, and Pine. He named Valparaiso Street after a port city in Chile, where he had lived before coming to San Francisco.
Later Life and Contributions
Jasper O'Farrell became a witness to a sad event in 1846. He saw the murders of José de los Reyes Berreyesa and the twin sons of Francisco De Haro. These killings were done by soldiers working for John C. Frémont. O'Farrell's detailed report of what he saw is thought to have made it harder for Frémont to have a successful political career later on.
O'Farrell also became a very successful landowner. He was given ownership of Rancho Estero Americano and claimed other large areas like Rancho Cañada de Jonive and Rancho Cañada de Capay. At one point, he even owned part of Rancho Nicasio. In 1849, Jasper O'Farrell married Mary McChristian. He was elected as a State Senator for Sonoma County in 1858. He passed away in San Francisco on November 16, 1875.
