John A. O'Farrell (February 23, 1823 – October 29, 1900) was an

Irish American Irish Americans () are Irish ethnics who live within in the United States, whether immigrants from Ireland or Americans with full or partial Irish ancestry. Irish immigration to the United States From the 17th century to the mid-19th c ...

adventurer, miner, and

pioneer Pioneer commonly refers to a person who is among the first at something that is new to a community. A pioneer as a settler is among the first settling at a place that is new to the settler community. A historic example are American pioneers, perso ...

and was among the first residents of

Boise Boise ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 census, there were 235,685 people residing in the city. Located on the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and nor ...

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

Early life and education

John Andrew O'Farrell was born February 13, 1823, in

County Tyrone County Tyrone (; ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the thirty-two traditional counties of Ireland. Its county town is Omagh. Adjoined to the south-west shore of Lough Neagh, the cou ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, the son of Andrew and Ellen (O'Flaherty) O'Farrell. He attended National school until age 13 then transferred to a naval school in

County Cork County Cork () is the largest and the southernmost Counties of Ireland, county of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, named after the city of Cork (city), Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster ...

. At age 15, O'Farrell crewed aboard a steamship of the Oriental Line bound for Calcutta, India. At 16 he served 13 months aboard the Australian ship ''Nebob''. Later he worked as a shipsmith for Captain William Coppin in Derryy, and he crewed aboard a ship bound for the United States. In 1843 O'Farrell arrived in New York City, USA. He worked as a shipsmith at the

Philadelphia Naval Shipyard The Philadelphia Naval Shipyard was the first United States Navy shipyard and was historically important for nearly two centuries. Construction of the original Philadelphia Naval Shipyard began during the American Revolution in 1776 at Front ...

, and when the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

began, he sailed for California and was assigned to the ''Lexington''.

California Gold Rush

While serving aboard the ''Lexington'', O'Farrell met

John Sutter John Augustus Sutter (February 23, 1803 – June 18, 1880), born Johann August Sutter and known in Spanish as Don Juan Sutter, was a Switzerland, Swiss immigrant who became a Mexican and later an American citizen, known for establishing Sutter ...

at the settlement of

Yerba Buena Yerba buena or hierba buena is the Spanish name for a number of aromatic plants, most of which belong to the mint family. ''Yerba buena'' translates as "good herb". The specific plant species regarded as ''yerba buena'' varies from region to reg ...

. He became a goldminer at

Sutter's Mill Sutter's Mill was a water-powered sawmill on the bank of the South Fork American River in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada in California. It was named after its owner John Sutter. A worker constructing the mill, James W. Marshall, found go ...

, earning between $30 and $50 per day. When

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

became a state in 1850, O'Farrell automatically became a citizen of the United States.

Crimean War

O'Farrell returned to England in 1853 and enlisted in the British Navy during the

Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...

, serving aboard the ''Agamemnon'', flagship of Admiral Lyons. He was wounded during the attack on Sevastopol and later received the

Crimea Medal The Crimea Medal was a campaign medal approved on 15 December 1854, for issue to officers and men of British units (land and naval) which fought in the Crimean War of 1854–1856 against Russia. The medal was awarded with the British version of ...

. Returning to California in 1856, O'Farrell soon joined the Pike's Peak Gold Rush and journeyed to Colorado in 1857, striking gold in 1860 at California Gulch.

Marriage and family

O'Farrell married Mary Ann Chapman on October 16, 1861, in Louisville, Kentucky. Leaving his wife in Philadelphia, he soon returned to mining in the western states and territories, and in 1863 he settled in Boise City, Idaho, becoming one of the town's original residents. He constructed a cabin from cottonwood trees near the entrance to the newly rebuilt

Fort Boise Fort Boise is either of two different locations in the Western United States, both in southwestern Idaho. The first was a Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) trading post near the Snake River on what is now the Oregon border (in present-day Canyon Count ...

, on the road to Idaho City. O'Farrell returned to Philadelphia then led a train of 14 wagons and members of his wife's family back to Boise City. The O'Farrells occupied the cabin until 1872, starting a family that included seven of their own children (three died in infancy) and seven adopted children. One of the adopted children, Rosa, was the niece of

Chief Winnemucca Winnemucca ( – 1882) (also called Wobitsawahkah, Bad Face, Winnemucca the Younger, Mubetawaka, and PoitoOntko, Gale. ''Thunder Over the Ochoco,'' Volume I: ''The Gathering Storm''. Bend, OR: Maverick Publications, Inc., 1997.) was a Northern Pa ...

. She lived with the O'Farrell's for 24 years until her death. The John A. O'Farrell Cabin was listed with the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

(NRHP) on December 3, 1999. The O'Farrells were active in the Catholic church, and for years their cabin hosted church services. In 1869 O'Farrell donated land for the construction of St. Patrick's Church in Boise City, but the church burned 18 days after construction. In 1869, citing the Town Site Act of 1867, the

United States General Land Office The General Land Office (GLO) was an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the United States government responsible for Public domain (land), public domain lands in the United States. It was created in 1812 ...

denied O'Farrell's claim to 442 acres that included the original plat of Boise City. The ''Idaho Statesman'' wrote of the case, "The evidence in this case shows that 500 buildings have been erected for dwellings, stores, etc.; that the population of the city is now 2000, and the improvements are valued at $1000." The O'Farrells relocated to Park City, Utah, in the pursuit of mining 1871–1878, but they later returned to Boise City. In 1892 they built the John A. O'Farrell House. The house was listed with the NRHP on September 4, 1979. In the Brumbach Addition in Boise's North End, O'Farrell Street is named for John O'Farrell.

References

External links

Town Site Act of 1867O'Farrell family interviews
Early Catholic church in Boise City