Jasper O'Farrell
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jasper O'Farrell (1817-1875) was the first surveyor for San Francisco. He designed the "grand promenade" that became today's Market Street. O'Farrell Street in San Francisco is named after him.
O'Farrell was born in County Wexford, Ireland in 1817 and was educated in Dublin. He went to London, England, where he boarded a ship bound for South America. After leaving Chile, he moved to California in 1843, and was one of the first settlers of the Sebastopol, where he purchased Rancho Estero Americano in 1843.
He soon surveyed the new settlement of Yerba Buena (later to be called San Francisco) and was the city's first engineer and became active in politics. He was elected as State Senator from Sonoma County in 1858.
O'Farrell was an eye-witness to the murders of Jose R. Berreyesa and his nephews, Francisco and Ramon De Haro, in 1846. His account of the murders, which were given on the orders of John C. Frémont, are believed to have hindered Fremont's political career. [1]
According to a local legend in San Francisco, O'Farrell named several alleys south of Market Street after his girlfriends.
He died November 16, 1875 in San Francisco.
