Middleton Tract, California

Middleton Tract is a rural community in the coastal Redwoods of San Mateo County, California.

Some of the roads and the fire station are shown on commercial maps such as Thomas Brothers Guides but the name Middleton Tract is not identified.

Middleton received title to the great expanse of land (approximately 640 acres (2.6 km2) or one "section") by way of several deeds.

However much of the logging was perfunctory and many stands of old growth redwoods remained within the quarter section, including some very large trees in the Peters Creek drainage, and in several steep canyon areas.

During the late 1920s and through the early 1950s a number of parcels were purchased by Stanford University luminaries and summer "cabins" were constructed.

Terman founded the "towers of excellence" academic strategy that led Stanford to a leading role in engineering and electronics.

Many of the undeveloped parcels were acquired by the Holmes Lumber Company in Santa Cruz County.

Approximately 150 acres (0.61 km2) were purchased and in 1986 Holmes Lumber applied for and received a "Timber Harvesting Permit" from the California State Board of Forestry allowing commercial logging activities on the property Many residents of the Middleton Tract, fearing the devastation of logging within their peaceful rural community formed the Greater Middleton Association(GMA)and proceed to file a lawsuit to enforce Middleton's Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions (CC&R's) reflected within the deeds to the parcels.

Residents of the Middleton Tract Laura: A. Bryan, Timothy G. Geiser, and Malcolm McGilvray, Jr., were responsible for forming the GMA After a lengthy court trial in Superior Court of San Mateo County, Presiding JudgeFrank Piombo ruled in favor of the GMA and enforced the CC&R's.

Other notable personages who owned cabins in the Middleton Tract include famed Palo Alto Architect Birge Clark, Round Table Pizza founder William R. Larson, Stanford University Professor of Education Avlarez[check spelling], and one of the Mozilla Foundation/Mozilla Corporation's founders Asa Dotzler.