O’Hare Airport Found A Giant 50 Ton Boulder, Now It Needs A Name

In all the years they've had lost-and-found boxes at O'Hare International Airport, there's never once been a 50-ton boulder reported lost or found... until now, that is.

OK, technically, nobody lost this boulder. But construction crews working on O'Hare's massive expansion project uncovered the enormous rock about 30 feet beneath the airport this summer, and now Chicago officials are asking the public to help give it a name.

Because, apparently, when life hands you a 50-ton boulder, you make it a tourist attraction, and launch the naming contests.

Large boulder balanced on smaller rocks in grassy field

How Does One Accidently Discover A 50 Ton Boulder?

The rock was discovered during excavation work on a stormwater management facility associated with O'Hare's ORDNext expansion project. It's approximately 11.5 feet wide, 8 feet deep, and 7.5 feet tall. Geologists identified it as dolostone, a sedimentary rock made primarily of the mineral dolomite.

And before you ask, no, it wasn't part of a long-forgotten airport baggage claim.

In September, Chicago launched a public naming contest for the rock, and the response was unsurprisingly super-enthusiastic. Nearly 3,000 suggestions rolled in, giving city officials the difficult task of narrowing them down to six finalists.

a large rock sitting on top of a lush green field

Let's Get To The Name Suggestions

Here are the six finalists for the boulder-naming contest:

• Sweet Stone Chicago
• No ORDinary Rock
• Chicago Rocks
• O'Rock
• Orchard Rock
• Da Rock

I have to admit, O'Rock is pretty clever. Da Rock is also hard to beat, because it carries the same energy as the current and very popular Da Pope.

The city opened online voting on October 16th, and you've got until 5pm on November 2nd to cast your vote. The winning name will eventually be displayed alongside the boulder in a new exhibit at O'Hare.

Which means that someday, while you're rushing to catch a flight, you might be able to stop and admire a rock that spent who-knows-how-long buried beneath the airport before becoming an attraction.

It's not exactly the Field Museum, but honestly, Chicago has found stranger ways to entertain us.