Dolores Mission and Cemetery were important parts of the small Hispanic community in Picket Wire Canyonlands from the late 1870s through the 1890s. In 1889, Damacio Lopez, the original owner, sold the land to Reverend Bishop Mattz of the Denver diocese of Catholic Church for $1, and this donation reflected Lopez's importance in the community while giving added significance and focus to community life. Churches were important architectural elements in Hispanic communities, symbolizing the social values of the inhabitants and giving structure to everyday life. Although the church's construction date is unknown, it was likely built in the late 1880s to early 1890s, and its stone masonry and adobe construction represent a blend of Hispanic and Euro-American influenced architecture in the region. The elaborately designed headstones appear to have been imported into the canyon as blanks and later personalized with the names of the deceased. Most commemorate young children who died between 1895 and 1900, and their short lives illustrate the hardships early inhabitants faced; additional unmarked graves are also present. The Catholic Church donated the 0.11-acre parcel to the U.S. Forest Service in 2007.