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The pioneers who settled Pleasant Grove found a unique type of building rock northeast of the town. The rock was a soft, porous limestone formed when minerals in water accumulate around vegetation. The pioneers called it “Soft-Rock” because when in the ground, they could easily cut it into blocks with a saw or axe. Soft-Rock had excellent insulating qualities to keep structures warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Geologists call the rock “Tufa”. Between 1865 and 1900 over 100 buildings were erected using Soft-Rock including the first Town Hall, next to the monument and the Ashton/Driggs house south of this site. In 2021, only 19 Soft-Rock buildings remain with the original rock walls visible. Many other Soft-Rock buildings are hidden under stucco or siding. The Soft-Rock on top of this monument is a remnant of the K.V. and Gwen Adams House pictured (built in 1880 and demolished in 2012). The visible notch was cut with an axe to support a window. Historical information about the Pleasant Grove Soft-Rock Buildings is available from the Pleasant Grove Historic Preservation Commission.

This historic marker is Sons of Utah Pioneers historic marker #276, located in Rose Garden Park/Pioneer Park at 107 South 100 East in Pleasant Grove, Utah

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