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Glossary · Places

Barron Park

A neighbourhood on the old Mayfield Farm, known for its donkeys and Bol Park; it was the last large area annexed to Palo Alto, in 1975.

The land was Mayfield Farm, bought by Elisha Crosby in 1853 and later by Sarah Wallis, who sold it to Edward Barron in 1878. The neighbourhood stayed outside the city until 1975, which is why many of its streets still have no sidewalks.

Bol Park and its donkey pasture lie along Matadero Creek in the heart of the neighbourhood.

Sources

Questions people ask

When did Barron Park join Palo Alto?

In 1975, the last major annexation.

Related terms

  • Bol ParkA 13.8-acre park along Matadero Creek in Barron Park, beside the pasture of the Barron Park donkeys.
  • Barron Park donkeysThe donkeys that have grazed the pasture beside Bol Park since 1934; one of them, Perry, was the model for Donkey in Shrek.
  • Sarah WallisThe owner of Mayfield Farm (1825-1905) and a pioneer of women’s suffrage in California, honoured by a state landmark in Barron Park.
  • Matadero CreekThe creek that runs through the middle of Palo Alto, past Bol Park and the donkey pasture, to the Baylands flood basin.

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