Eli Gallup found this 23-short-ton glacial erratic, the Rock, in the city gravel pit on Pontiac Trail and installed it near the University of Michigan in 1932. It was found by Eli A. Gallup in the city gravel pit on Pontiac Trail; this limestone boulder still bears the deep scratches left by glaciers. Gallup, Ann Arbor's parks superintendent from 1919 to 1961 and namesake of Gallup Park, personally directed the Rock's installation in 1932. It was first placed in honor of George Washington's 200th birthday.
The small triangular parcel that holds the Rock — at Washtenaw Avenue and Hill Street — had been donated to the city in 1911, and that parcel was officially named George Washington Park in 1993. The Rock first wore paint in the 1950s, and that lively tradition continues: students and the general public repaint it regularly, adding layer upon layer of community history.
Stand close enough to feel the stone's mass and imagine Gallup hauling this distinctive limestone into place. Notice the glacial scratches and the weathered surface that has watched decades of university life pass by. Notice the deep scratches the glaciers carved before students began painting this boulder in the 1950s.