Garfield County Sites

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built all the roads into Boulder UT, which had previously been inaccessible by modern roads of any kind.  The CCC set up camp FS-18 on Escalante Mountain in 1933 and went to work building the first access road from the town of Escalante via Hell's Backbone.  That road was completed in September 1933, but was closed in winters. According to Scenic Byway Utah 12: “Construction of Hell’s Backbone Road was completed in 1933 by Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), allowing vehicle traffic between Escalante and Boulder for the first time. Hell’s Backbone Bridge, a must-stop for taking...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built the roads into Boulder UT, which has previously lacked any modern access.  The first road from Escalante to Boulder was along Hell's Backbone, built in 1933, and the second – and first all-weather road – was the present State Highway 12, started in 1935 and finished in 1940.  A roadside information marker on Highway 12 explains in detail: “Before the Highway 12 route was built, traveling through this region was slow, hard work. As late as 1940, Boulder (Utah) still received its mail by mule train for part of the year. The Civilian Conservation Corps...

The Torrey-Boulder Road is one of three roads into Boulder, Utah in Garfield County. Before they were built, Boulder was a completely isolated settlement. The three roads are: Hells Backbone road - northwest from Boulder; Escalante-Boulder road, also called the "Million Dollar Highway';"  Torrey-Boulder Road - north from Boulder. It is certain that Hell's Backbone and the Escalante roads were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).  It appears that the Torrey-Boulder road was also started by the CCC, but more information is lacking. The Torrey-Boulder road is now part of Highway 12.  It goes over a 9,000 foot pass and through aspen forests.