Lewis Rockwood and his son, Del, never owned the land where this park is located, but the neighborhood and the nearby school were both named for them. This park once bore their name as well. Father and son both settled homesteads during the Land Run of 1889 which happened to occupy the land selected for the Stockyards and the meat packing plants in 1909.  Although it seems so far away today, this neighborhood, the Rockwood Addition, was created to provide housing for workers within walking distance to the plants. Rockwood School was also begun that year.

This was called Rockwood Park when the city first purchased the land in 1953 but the name was changed in the late 1960s to honor the late Lorraine Thomas, a beloved teacher and principal at Rockwood School for over 20 years.