Blood Will Tell

History has a bias. Depending on the time and social attitudes, historical figures rise and fall in the popular imagination. Some gain recognition they never deserved, while many of those who achieved greatness are forgotten.

Jasper O'Farrell was the Irish immigrant who surveyed and mapped San Francisco, Sonoma, Benicia, and Stockton. O'Farrell's maps are so accurate, surveyors continue to refer to them today; yet this man's contributions to California history have been all but forgotten.

Surveying in the 1800s was a dangerous task. Angry over O'Farrell's changes to street corners and locations, a San Francisco mob once tried to lynch him. He survived to serve as state senator for the vast Sonoma District and made an unsuccessful bid for the position of lieutenant governor.

The father of six children, O'Farrell speculated in gold and silver mines, survived a vicious scandal, and was an early environmentalist who fought to preserve California's iconic redwoods. O'Farrell does not deserve to be forgotten, and thanks to the efforts of historian Frank H. Baumgardner III, he can reclaim his place as an influential force in California's storied past.