Restoring a 'Monumental' stage

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — With years of experience in how to move heavy objects, Sean McConville tips over a 200-pound rock, preparing to split it in two.

After drilling a series of small holes, he inserts feathers and wedges: two thin pieces of steel that help a wedge to slide in with each blow of the hammer. With skill and rhythm, he taps each wedge in the row. The pitch of the tap sounds higher as the wedges go deeper. Then, like magic, the stone cleaves in two.

McConville is preparing stones that will make an underutilized attraction in the Colorado National Monument — the 60-year-old amphitheater — more accessible to everyone.