TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — It is a 27-mile drive to the top of Mt. Lemmon transporting drivers from the desert floor to the pine forest at the top.
"Wow, am I really in Tucson," said Tucson Historian David Leighton. "This is a gorgeous place. It's green and it's kind of awe-inspiring."
Leighton is describing his emotions driving up the two-lane highway to Mt. Lemmon.
Tucsonans have several names for the winding road. The most popular names are Catalina Highway and Mt. Lemmon Highway.
But did you know the actual name of the road is General Hitchcock Highway, in honor of Frank Harris Hitchcock.
Hitchcock held several high-profile jobs in both the Teddy Roosevelt and William Taft administrations. He then earned a major promotion in 1909.
"He gets named postmaster general," Leighton said. "That's why it's called General Hitchcock Highway or he was called General Hitchcock. He's most well known as postmaster general for instituting airmail service."
Leighton says during his time as postmaster general, Hitchcock invested in the Tucson Daily Citizen newspaper.
In 1928, he moved to Tucson and enjoyed trips up to Mt. Lemmon to escape the heat.
But the only way up was a very long, very bumpy trip up the back side of the mountain from Oracle.
"It was General Hitchcock who pushed the most through the newspaper and through government connections, to get the labor and and get the money from the Department of Treasury," recalled Leighton.
Construction on Hitchcock's highway to Mt. Lemmon began in 1933.
They even built a prison camp on the mountain, using prisoners to help construct the highway.
"It was those prisoners from the 1930s all the way up to about 1950, that built the road that we now enjoy," Leighton said.
Some reports say during World War II it was as an internment camp, but Leighton says that is not true.
Gordon Hirabayashi, a Japanese American, was in prison as a conscientious objector to the war and worked on building the highway. There's now a recreation area along the highway that bears his name.
"My grandfather came up here in 1935," said Jenni Zimmerman.
Her grandfather, Tony Zimmerman, used to bring Tucsonans up the backside of Mt. Lemmon.
"That's what he did was shuttle people up and down," Jenni explained. "If you've ever been on the backside, it's so much longer. Those switchbacks take forever."
Tony Zimmerman then began a business on Mt. Lemmon. His sawmill was used to build the original cabins in Summerhaven.
The General Hitchcock Highway was finally finished in 1950, 17 years after construction began. Hitchcock never lived to see it, but Tony Zimmerman did.
He built and operated the Mt. Lemmon Inn, even keeping it open during the winter months. Unfortunately, the inn was destroyed by fire in 1977.
Today, the Zimmerman name is still very well-known on Mt. Lemmon and in the community of Summerhaven. The family owns a real estate company, the Sawmill Run Restaurant and a gift shop.
"Grandpa Tony would be so surprised," said Jenni Zimmerman. "He would be proud."
Proud of an area that is now booming thanks in large part to the General Hitchcock Highway. A road which has become Absolutely Arizona.
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Pat Parris is an anchor and reporter for KGUN 9. He is a graduate of Sabino High School where he was the 1982 high school state track champion in the 800 meters. While in high school and college, he worked part-time in the KGUN 9 newsroom. Share your story ideas and important issues with Pat by emailing pat.parris@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.