A petition from the family of former Colorado Gov. Dick Lamm to rename Roxborough State Park in his honor has set off a local fight over one of Douglas County's most recognizable natural landmarks, with a public open house scheduled for next Saturday to gather feedback. Lamm, who died in 2021, acquired the first parcel of land that became the park and made other acquisitions that expanded Colorado's park system during his time in office.
The petition, filed by Lamm's family with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, asks that the park be renamed Richard D. Lamm State Park at Roxborough, according to CBS Colorado. Lee White, described as Lamm's friend and former state budget director, proposed keeping the Roxborough name intact within that new title. White said Lamm, his wife, and their family often visited the park and brought out-of-state friends there, and White has argued the name change could bring more visitors and philanthropic resources to the park.
Roxborough was first established in 1975, when Colorado State Parks acquired an initial 500-acre parcel, and it did not officially open to the public until May 15, 1987, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife. That timeline places the park's founding and much of its early expansion squarely within Lamm's three terms as governor, which ran from 1975 to 1987.
Friends Group Says the Name Describes the Land Itself
The Friends of Roxborough State Park, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, opposes the petition. Mike Thomas, the group's president, has said the Roxborough name describes a village and fortress of rocks, and he has argued there is a different way to honor Lamm's legacy. Thomas has also said many Roxborough visitors feel strongly about the place as it is currently named, per the same CBS Colorado report.
The friends group was formed in 1994 by local volunteers specifically to prevent residential development along the park's borders, and it has since raised more than $500,000 to help expand the park to its current size of roughly 3,400 acres, according to the Friends of Roxborough State Park. The park was recognized as a National Natural Landmark in 1980 for its tilted red sandstone formations and Front Range plant communities, and in 2018 it became Colorado's first Leave No Trace Gold Standard Site, according to Leave No Trace.
Open House Set for September 12
Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commissioner Jack Murphy is hosting an open house at Roxborough State Park next Saturday, September 12, from 3 to 5 p.m., to collect public input on the proposal. The state Board of Parks and Wildlife must ultimately approve any name change, and under state administrative regulations, the 11-member citizen Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission — whose members are appointed by the governor — holds official authority to set that policy, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
Proposals to rename natural geographic features and public landmarks in Colorado are also evaluated by the Colorado Geographic Naming Advisory Board, a body established by Governor Jared Polis in July 2020, before any recommendations move to the governor and federal officials, per the Colorado Department of Natural Resources. That extra layer of review reflects how geographic names in the state are handled with some formality before a final decision is made.
Precedent Cuts Both Ways
Colorado does have a history of naming state parks after public officials. Lathrop State Park, the state's first, was established in 1962 and named for Harold W. Lathrop, who served as the state's first parks and recreation board director from 1957 to 1961. John Martin Reservoir State Park, established in 2001, was named after U.S. Representative John Martin, who represented Colorado's 3rd Congressional District from 1933 to 1939 and advocated for the reservoir's construction, according to the Colorado Virtual Library.
But naming public land after political figures has also drawn sharp scrutiny in Colorado recently. In September 2023, federal authorities approved changing Mount Evans to Mount Blue Sky following state advisory board recommendations to remove former Territorial Governor John Evans' name over his role in the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre, according to The Wilderness Society. That episode has left some Coloradans more attuned to the politics embedded in place names, even when the honoree's legacy isn't in dispute.
Before his three terms as governor, Lamm gained national prominence in 1972 by leading the Citizens for Colorado's Future movement, which successfully passed a state ballot measure rejecting tax funding for the 1976 Denver Winter Olympics over fiscal and growth concerns, according to KUNC. Supporters of the renaming point to that conservationist track record, alongside his role in acquiring Roxborough's original acreage, as reasons a state park makes a fitting tribute.
Roxborough's popularity with the public was on display just this past spring, when Governor Polis hosted a statewide “Colorado's State Park Bracket” competition in April 2026. Coloradans voted Roxborough into the final championship round, where it lost to eventual winner Lathrop State Park, according to the Office of Governor Jared Polis. That strong public showing underscores the attachment many visitors already have to the Roxborough name, ahead of what could be a contentious decision by the state commission in the months to come.
