Forest Hill station for kids
The Oldest Subway Stop in the West. A true story near San Francisco, CA, told for kids 6-8.
Read along
Rumble, rumble! Did you know there's a train station hidden inside a hill near here? It's called Forest Hill station. It was built way back, from 1916 to 1918, when people dug a long tunnel right through the hill. Digging through a hill is like poking a straw through a giant pizza!
And here's the whoa part. People say it's the oldest subway station west of Philadelphia and east of Istanbul. That's a super-duper long way! So this station is older than everybody's grandma's grandma's cat, probably. Even movie makers liked it.
They filmed scenes for two movies down inside. Now here's your job. Look for a train that goes into a hill and pops out the other side. Can you say rumble, rumble when it goes in?
Quiz the back seat
What did people dig through the hill to make this station?
Show the answer
A tunnel. A tunnel! The station used to be named Laguna Honda, and you can still see those old letters carved on the building.
3 fun facts
- Forest Hill station was built from 1916 to 1918 as part of the Twin Peaks Tunnel.
- It is the oldest subway station west of Philadelphia and east of Istanbul.
- Scenes from the films Dirty Harry and Milk were shot inside.
For grown-ups
Written with AI from public sources, then checked claim by claim against the sources below before it was published; stories that don't pass stay off the app and this site. Narration is pre-recorded, and nothing you do on this page is tied to your kids.
Sources
More stories in San Francisco
The Island of Pelicans
Look across the water, toward the city. See that rocky little island with a lighthouse on top?
The Fort Under the Bridge
Psst! Down below the bridge, right at the edge of the water, there's a real castle-looking fort made of bricks.
The Hill That Used to Be Rocks
Look up at the hill with the rocky top. Do you think it was always here?
The Room That Is a Camera
Look at that little building next to the Cliff House. Do you know what is inside?Roads
Town and county names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0).