Rancho Corte de Madera
Maximo Martinez received 13,316 acres from Governor Manuel Micheltorena in 1844 -- a vast expanse of foothill territory whose name, Rancho el Corte de Madera, translates simply as 'the place where wood is cut.' Like its smaller neighbor Rancho Canada del Corte de Madera, this grant acknowledged the logging that had long been the primary economic activity in these hills. Martinez's rancho stretched across the Santa Cruz Mountain foothills in present-day Santa Clara County, encompassing terrain that now includes residential communities, open space preserves, and some of Silicon Valley's most secluded hillside properties.
A Vast Foothill Domain
At over 13,000 acres, Rancho Corte de Madera was one of the larger grants in the Santa Clara Valley region. Its foothill terrain, too steep and forested for the grain farming and cattle ranching that characterized the valley floor, was valued primarily for its timber. The grant gave Martinez control of a significant portion of the Peninsula's wood supply, a valuable resource in a territory where building materials were constantly in demand for the growing settlements along the Bay.
The Timber Economy
Logging in Mexican California was nothing like the industrial operations that would follow under American rule. Trees were felled with axes, hauled by oxen, and shaped by hand. But even this small-scale cutting had a significant cumulative effect on the forest. By the time American loggers arrived with steam-powered sawmills in the 1850s and 1860s, the forests closest to settlements had already been thinned by decades of Mexican-era cutting. The name 'Corte de Madera' preserves this economic history in the landscape itself.
From Grant to Greenbelt
Martinez's 13,316 acres have been subdivided into hundreds of separate properties, many of them now protected as part of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District's network of preserves. The foothills that once provided timber for missions now provide hiking trails for tech workers. The transition from resource extraction to recreation reflects the broader story of Silicon Valley: a landscape valued first for what could be taken from it, then for what remains.
From the Air
Rancho Corte de Madera covered approximately 13,316 acres centered around 37.36°N, 122.21°W in the Santa Clara County foothills. Nearby airports: Palo Alto (KPAO), San Carlos (KSQL). Best viewed at 3,000-5,000 ft AGL.