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A file in Mayor Wes Uhlman’s records outlines how in 1975,
the cities of Seattle and Snohomish
jointly sponsored a frog in the Mark Twain inspired
Calaveras County, California frog jumping contest.
The Woodland Park Zoo's amphibian curator was asked to prepare a box
in which the frog would be flown to California
and to suggest a diet to keep the frog in top jumping shape.
Crickets and earthworms were the recommendation.
Radio station KWYZ paid for the frog’s entry and sponsored a naming contest
which resulted in the frog being called Lord Sno-Sea the 123rd.
The frog jump file includes a handwritten note outlining the frog’s
travel itinerary, along with a letter from a mayoral assistant to the frog’s
jockey, which ended with, quote, “If you don't win, forget about coming back,”
end quote.
In a letter to the contest manager, Mayor Uhlman went on at length
about the superiority of Washington's frogs and spun a tall tale about how frog
jumping originated in Washington when lumberjacks would use
high jumping frogs attached to ropes to bring down tall trees.
He claimed that airplanes were used
to track frogs who jumped off-course and landed in the mountains
and that the Canadian government was notified before a local frog
jumping contest in case any inadvertently crossed the border.
Uhlman further claimed that frog jockeys who weren't used to the strength
of Washington's frogs had suffered
bruised or broken ribs from standing too close at the time of the jump.
He finished a letter with this request, quote,
“If ABC's Wide World of Sports covers the event again
this year, our frog is not to be requested to grant any interview to Howard Cosell.
Our local Humane Society has very strict rules about such things, “ end quote.
Alas, Lord Sno-Sea must have had an off day at the contest.
That year's winner was a frog named Ex-Lax, whose winning
triple jump landed 16 feet, 6 3/4 inches away from the starting pad.
To learn more about this or
other stories from the Achives, contact us at archives@seattle.gov.
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