Driving into the Sierra Nevada is an intense experience. Imagine, if you will... BUILDING those roads! When General Charles Young (then Captain) arrived at Sequoia and General Grant National Parks in 1903, he faced many challenges, including the ongoing construction of the road into the Giant Forest. The road was originally built by the Kaweah Colonists, a group of utopian socialists who aspired to build a cooperative logging settlement in the Giant Forest. They were forced to abandon their claims, but not before they constructed, almost entirely by hand, an 18-mile wagon road that ascended over 4,000 feet into the forests of the Sierra—an arduous project that took over three years. By 1900, the road was badly in need of repair, and the US Army set to work rebuilding much of the old road. Progress was slow, and by the time Young arrived only six miles of repairs had been completed. Fortunately, Young was the man for the job. Young was only the third African-American graduate of West Point, and studied engineering under George Washington Goethals, the man who would direct the construction of the Panama Canal. Young began the work quickly, while the ground was still soft from the spring thaw. He worked closely with civilian workers and foremen, and the road was completed by August 11th. Young stated: “I submit that more work has been done, and better work in rougher country than has been done in any two years prior to this.” Young also complimented the work crews, who did fully three months of work in only six weeks. The results were soon apparent. Whereas only a few hundred determined tourists made the trek to see Moro Rock and General Sherman in 1900, that number rose to several thousand by 1910—and by the 1920s, tens of thousands of people were making their way into the park each year. In 1926, the Generals Highway replaced the old road as the primary means of access to the big trees. The old “Colony Mill” road is now a remote trail—and will still deliver (very) determined hikers right into the heart of Giant Forest. Photo of the completed Colony Mill Road, date and photographer unkown.