Memorial Rock is a boulder on State Highway 145 (SH 145) near

Dolores Dolores, Spanish for "pain; grief", most commonly refers to: * Our Lady of Sorrows or La Virgen María de los Dolores * Dolores (given name) Dolores may also refer to: Film * ''Dolores'' (2017 film), an American documentary by Peter Bratt * ' ...

in the US state of Colorado.

Rockfall

Rockfall, caused by

ice jacking Ice is water frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 degrees Celsius or Depending on the presence of impurities such as particles of soil or bubbles of air, it can appear transparent or a more or less opaqu ...

during freeze-thaw cycles in the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...

, is cited as a "chronic hazard" at over 750 locations by the

Colorado Department of Transportation The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT, pronounced See Dot) is the principal department of the Colorado state government that administers state government transportation responsibilities in the state of Colorado. CDOT is responsible f ...

(CDOT). On May 24, 2019, a

rockfall A rockfall or rock-fallWhittow, John (1984). ''Dictionary of Physical Geography''. London: Penguin, 1984. . is a quantity/sheets of rock that has fallen freely from a cliff face. The term is also used for collapse of rock from roof or walls of min ...

from a mountain ledge occurred at milepost 22 of SH 145 near Dolores, completely covering and closing the highway. The largest rock in the rockfall left an trench behind it. Another, smaller boulder that weighed over and was long came down in the same rockfall and was blasted to fragments on May 26 by the state in order to reopen one lane of SH 145.

Designation as landmark

When it was deemed impractical to remove or destroy with explosives, Governor

Jared Polis Jared Schutz Polis (; born May 12, 1975) is an American politician, entrepreneur, businessman, and philanthropist, serving as the 43rd governor of Colorado since January 2019. He served one term on the Colorado State Board of Education from 200 ...

declared the largest boulder would be named Memorial Rock as a memorial landmark and left where it came to rest; the highway would be rebuilt and rerouted slightly at a cost of over $1 million. The governor stated he hoped it would become a

tourist attraction A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or an exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural b ...

, and the state would be seeking a matching designation and funding from the

U.S. Federal Government The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the Federation#Federal governments, national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 ...

References

Landslides in 2019 Individual rocks Landslides in the United States Tourist attractions in Montezuma County, Colorado 2019 in Colorado {{Colorado-stub