Generals' Highway Stone Bridges facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Generals' Highway Stone Bridges
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General's Highway Stone Bridge
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 Location in California
Location in the United States
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| Nearest city | Mineral King, California |
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| Built | 1930 |
| Architect | Multiple; National Park Service |
| Architectural style | National Park Service Rustic |
| NRHP reference No. | 78000284 |
| Added to NRHP | September 13, 1978 |
The Generals' Highway Stone Bridges are two special bridges built in 1930. They are part of the Generals Highway, a scenic road that connects the General Grant Grove (with its huge giant sequoia trees) in Kings Canyon National Park to Sequoia National Park. One bridge crosses the Marble Fork of the Kaweah River in a forest. The other, similar bridge, crosses Clover Creek in a more open, rocky area. These bridges were designed to blend in with the beautiful natural surroundings.
How the Bridges Were Built
These bridges are made from strong, reinforced concrete. This means concrete with steel bars inside to make it extra tough. But you can't see the concrete! The outside of the bridges is covered with natural stone. This makes them look like they are part of the landscape. This style is called National Park Service Rustic. It means buildings and structures are designed to look natural and fit into their surroundings.
Designing the Bridges
The Clover Creek bridge is often seen as the most impressive. This is because of its stunning location. The bridges were designed by the National Park Service Branch of Plans and Designs. They worked together with the Bureau of Public Roads.
The idea for these bridges came from parkways in Westchester County, New York. These included the Bronx River and Hutchinson River parkways. The National Park Service sent two designers to watch how those bridges were built. One of these designers was John Wosky. He designed the Generals' Highway bridges.
Construction Details
John Wosky created the design for the Marble Fork bridge in late 1928. The Bureau of Public Roads then made the detailed plans for how it would be built in early 1929. The Clover Creek bridge was designed in 1930. Both bridges were built in the same year. The company that built both bridges was W.A. Bechtel.
Images for kids
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Drawing from the Historic American Engineering Record
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