Teague Hill Open Space Preserve is located in the Santa Cruz Mountains just above the town of Woodside. Private property and California Water Service Company property make it difficult to visit the majority of Teague Hill. For those interested in visiting Teague Hill, the only accessible route is along the Bay Area Ridge Trail.
Teague Hill is a preserve that is steeped in the logging history of the area. The first shingle mill in San Mateo County was introduced in 1856 by John G. Moore in Tripp Gulch, now a part of Teague Hill Open Space Preserve. The mill was later acquired by Dr. Tripp, a prominent Woodside merchant (and the town dentist), who for some time operated the small lumber yard. He made shingles with machinery; an innovative new process in the 1850s. Lumber went out via Old La Honda Road and past Woodside’s Whiskey Hill, heading for Redwood City. Woodside reached its peak as a lumbering center about 1859-60.
The County of San Mateo was formed by a separation from San Francisco County in 1856, and the lumber port of Redwood City was chosen as the seat of county government. Andrew Teague was elected San Mateo County District Attorney in 1869. Presumably Teague Hill was named after Andrew Teague.
