The Rock Wall of Rockwall Texas

The rock wall of Rockwall, Texas gave this town its name. This extraordinary natural monument has been the center of many studies and historical reports. Coined the "Great Wall of Texas," the rock wall stretches across the county and is believed to be 1800 +/- ft deep under Texas. Excavations have allowed for this anomaly to see the light of day making it the subject of scientists and historians alike. Although you can't visit the rock wall itself you can see pieces of it on display in various places in Rockwall.

The rock wall has an extensive history that dates to the mid-1800s which is the same time this city was founded, hence the name Rockwall, Texas. The formation was founded by miners Benjamin Boydstun, Terry Utley Wade, and William Clay Stevenson in 1852. Due to the lack of publicity and geologists, the rock formation wasn’t studied until 12 years after its discovery in 1874. The geologist, Richard Burleson, concluded that the formation was a result of volcanic activity, but this was later disputed by a geologist named Sidney Paige. In 1901, Paige wrote a report of his findings on the rock wall. He explains that this extraordinary formation is in fact several clastic dikes, a line of sedimentary material that fills where it falls, built up over millions of years that stretches over miles. He believed the rock wall was the result of earthquakes leaving cracks in the Earth’s surface and water moving sediment and sand across these openings making clastic dikes.

With this significant report, scientists from across the country came to study this incredible rock wall. The rock wall is not unique in the fact that it is just a regular sandstone dike but that hasn’t stopped many from talking about it. Members of the Smithsonian Institute declared this rock formation natural and not manmade. Studies throughout the 1900s argued if the entirety of the structure was natural or if some were man-made. Some reports said it was fully natural while others disputed by saying some sections look manmade by a prehistoric race. A recent report in 2012 by the America Unearthed Program concluded that the rock wall was fully a natural formation but some still fight this fact.

The rock wall not only provided findings in the science/geologist community but also historical ones. The formation provided the name for the county where it was discovered but also brought forth its history of it. In the 1970s, archaeologists studied excavated parts of the rock and discovered bones and artifacts. Amongst the findings was the upper snout of a Tylosaurus which was a massive sea animal. This provided more evidence to Sidney Paige’s report that water helped form the rock wall and gave context to what Rockwall may have looked like millions of years ago.

The rock wall remains deep in the soil under Rockwall County with few pieces available for viewing by the public. Originally, in 1936, the wall was used as an attraction but because the large excavated parts are on public property it is no longer available. A few pieces taken from the big excavation are put on display throughout Rockwall County. A couple of the places where you can view it are Harry Myers Park(the address is the one provided for this entry), the Rockwall Historical Foundation museum, and the Rockwall Historical Courthouse. It may be still hidden but this natural monument has so much history and more discoveries in its sand that deserve the attention of not just locals. 

“The Rock Wall.” Rockwall County Historical Foundation & Museum, 10 Sept. 2022, https://rockwallcountymuseum.com/rock-wall/.

This article was written by the Rockwall Historical Foundation and provides a timeline of the rock wall that provided Rockwall County with its name. The article tracks from the discovery of the rock wall in 1852 all the way to the most recent news of it being concluded as a natural formation in 2012. Through various years, the article illustrates the rock wall’s history and creates a timeline of its “life.” The findings of numerous studies of the wall are outlined in this article which adds history to its history.

Bass, Elizabeth. Rockwall County.” Texas State Historical Association, https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/rockwall-county.

Elizabeth Bass writes the history of Rockwall County in this article added to the “Handbook of Texas.” She evaluates the beginnings of Rockwall by explaining the relationship between the Natives and the White settlers as well as the founding of the county. She briefly explains the origins of the name “Rockwall” while describing the landscape of the area. She continues with the effects that various historic events altered Rockwall County like the Civil War, WWII, and The Great Depression.

Sidney Paige. “The ``Rock Wall’’ of Rockwall, Texas.” Science, vol. 30, no. 776, 1909, pp. 690–91. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/1635848. Accessed 23 Feb. 2023.

Sidney Paige describes his research on the rock wall in this article from Science Magazine. This work gives details of the structure of the wall as well as describes the science behind it. Paige writes of his time with the rock wall and the county itself. He provides a scientific outlook on the origin of Rockwall County. The two-page article gives a detailed visual of the rock wall during the first years of Rockwall County.

“The 'Rock Wall' of Rockwall, Texas.” CBS News, CBS Interactive, 17 July 2015, https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/the-rock-wall-of-rockwall-texas/.

This article was written by a reporter at CBS News to explain the rock anomaly located in Rockwall, Texas. This report talks of the specifics of this rock wall in modern times. It explains the process Texas has gone through to evacuate this structure and the location of pieces available to the public. The information in this article teaches the public about the history that lies under Texas soil.

Ellwood, B.B., Payne, J. and Long, G.J. (1989), The rock wall in Rockwall, Texas: A study of unusual natural magnetic effects in geoarchaeological surveys produced by mineral oxidation. Geoarchaeology, 4: 103-118. https://doi.org/10.1002/gea.3340040202

Brooks Ellwood describes his time researching the rock wall with fellow scientists. The article illustrates the finding that they discovered. He explains that although insignificant to the scientific community, the rock wall is an incredible natural monument that deserves more attention. His conclusions allow for a better understanding of how this rock wall came to be.