The Draper rock snake outgrows its house and makes its way to Utah Arts Alliance

Draper, Utah – A snake named Rockwell is involved in what started as a fun project for a Draper mother and her kids, but it has grown out of control and needs a new home.

Many people are terrified of snakes, but because Rockwell is composed of rocks, he has gained the community’s affection.

From just a few pebbles for baby Rockwell at first, to 4000 rocks devotedly placed by his fan following, he has developed into a force to be reckoned with.

Properly speaking, he’s currently living close to the Porter Rockwell Trail. Kelsee Sellers hatched him last summer.

“This one doesn’t bite or anything,” she said. “It’s been really fun to have here.”

The children were “ecstatic,” according to Sellers when Rockwell reached 100 rocks. However, what they didn’t realize was that the snake would grow enormously with a regular meal of fresh rocks from the neighborhood.

Rockwell’s Rocks are a collection of artwork made by artists of all ages and skill levels that feature designs, words, and quotes.

“We’d come down and see okay, now we’re at 400. Now we’re at 500. And then once we hit 1000, we were just amazed that it had gotten that far. And then our 2000 and our 3000. And we’re about 4000 now, too,” said Sellers.

However, Rockwell’s current size presents a potential safety threat because he lives close to abandoned train tracks.

“Whether it’s an active rail line, or an inactive rail line, we don’t ever encourage anybody to be around either of those,” said Carl Arky of the Utah Department of Transportation.

“We just don’t want anybody to go on to the alignment and get themselves hurt and it can happen.”

However, UTA thinks it has figured out a way to keep Rockwell alive; his rocks can be transported to downtown Salt Lake City by the Utah Arts Alliance, so he can keep growing there.

As early as May 6, Rockwell might be relocated there.

And that brings great joy to Liberty Sellers, seven years old.

“It’s gonna have a forever home. We don’t have to worry about Rockwell anymore. He’ll be okay.”