Wood Road & Jacques Ridge

Wood Road and Jacques Ridge Built in April 1876 by the Quicksilver Mining Company, Wood Road originally served to connect nearby oak woodlands to the mining operations where voracious wood-fueled furnaces processed cinnabar ore into liquid mercury. Dedicated on April 7, 2004, Wood Road now provides parking and trail access to Almaden Quicksilver County Park. In 1994, the Santa Clara County Parks partnered with the Mid-peninsula Regional Open Space District to purchase 907 acres known as Jacques Ridge for $6.65 million dollars. The California Department of Parks and Recreation supplied a $230,000 grant to help insure that deer and mountain lions inhabiting the area were provided with a permanent home. The purchase straddles Hicks Road, thus connecting New Almaden Quicksilver County Park with the Mount Unumhum area of the Sierra Azul Open Place Preserve. One and one-half miles long, the Jacques Ridge purchase also provided a vital link in the Bay Area Ridge Trail. Photograph courtesy John Slenter.