Some time ago, a friend suggested that I might consider writing a series of articles on the natural history of Brandon, Vermont. She suggested a 1.3 billion year synopsis of how Brandon got to be the way that it is, how geology, meteorology, and biology all conspired with human history to make this unique and special place we know today. I wasn’t convinced anyone would be interested. “The problem with history,” I said, “is that it gets old after a while.”
“You could put in lots of interesting examples,” she countered, “like how Smalley Swamp was formed by a block of ice, what created the “hogback” off of Pearl Street, what put the Paint in “Paintworks” road, and riveting story of Forestdale’s giant frog.” I thought perhaps she was on to something, but would anyone else think so? ”
And so, dear Reader, this is a very tentative first installment of a 1.3 billion year natural history of Brandon, Vermont. In an attempt to keep you reading for a few more paragraphs, we’ll start in the year 1865 when, according to a 1920 article in the New York Herald, a fourteen inch frog was discovered in a mine shaft in nearby Forestdale, buried over 100 feet underground. Now I didn’t make this story up just to get your attention. Here is the text from the original New York Herald article:
“In the summer of 1865 workmen while digging in a new shaft at an ochre mine at Forestdale, unearthed a huge bullfrog at a vertical depth of 114 feet under ground. The frog lay dormant in a sort of pocket or miry hole, and aside from the fact of its being found at so great a depth its large size and its excellent state of preservation attracted attention. The frog measured from tip of nose to end of spine about 14 inches and was of a light green color, in every respect resembling our common bullfrog. For several hours the frog lay as dead on the grass at the surface of the ground, then it began to jump up and backward in a convulsive manner. When several townsmen had come to see the big frog it was put into a pond nearby and there for many years during summer nights it bellowed so loudly that its voice could be heard for miles around.”
In future posts, we'll explore the story of the giant frog more deeply (pun intended) as well as examine why there is an ochre mine in Brandon and many other natural history tidbits.
This and future posts brought to you by Wolf Tree Forest, Brandon VT.