O. EDWIN GALLAGHER RANCH (site) 



(Golden Gate National Recreation Area) 



1. Description 



The 321 -acre former Edwin Gallagher Ranch is a narrow strip of land 

 that reaches from Highway One on the west to Lagunitas Creek on the east. 

 The ranch has not operated for about 30 years and the old buildings were 

 removed about 10 years ago. The land is mostly grassy with hardwood trees in 

 the gulches and brush and trees covering much of the east slope. The ranch is 

 bounded on the north by the Genazzi Ranch, on the east by Lagunitas Creek 

 and Platform Bridge Road, on the south by the McFadden Ranch and on the 

 west by Highway One. It is currently used for grazing and feed crops. 



2. History of the Edwin Gallagher Ranch 



Felipe Garcia received this ranch as his part of the family land division of 

 1868. Felipe and his wife Virginia lived in San Francisco and did not appear to 

 have any interest in working the land; Felipe, in consideration of love and 

 affection," deeded the ranch to his wife in October of 1872. 18 



Edward Gallagher, a native of Ireland, bought the ranch from the Garcias 

 for $9636 on November 12, 1875. Gallagher operated a dairy ranch on the 

 property, and left it to his sons Daniel and Edward around 1890. Daniel 

 Gallagher married Ellen Ryan and the couple had two children; Mrs. Gallagher 

 died and, coincidentally, Daniel married another Ellen Ryan and had two more 

 children. A son from the first wife, Edwin Gallagher, continued to operate the 

 Grade B dairy after his father's death in 1934. The ranch was never connected 

 to commercial electricity, reportedly because Ellen Gallagher didn't want the 

 modern conveniences. Her son Edwin milked cows and kept up the old 

 buildings without electricity until his mother's estate sold the ranch in 1962 to 

 San Francisco pharmacist Abe Jean Melmon. Three years later the Melmons 

 sold the ranch for $240,000 to their friend Dr. Millard Ottinger. Ottinger, 



'""Deeds Book H, p. 83 and Book J, p. 595, MCRO. 



325 



