The Megafrog of Ecola
A hiking cache on a beautiful trail. But, there is an amazing bit of
history involved! Read on for details.
I was recently doing research in a local historical archive when I came across
an account of an incident which occurred very near the cache site but has been
largely forgotten in the mists of history.
On March 5 of 1855, a group of four local explorers were hiking along the very
trail you followed to reach the cache location. Near the site of the
present-day hikers' camp, they claim to have witnessed a most extraordinary
creature - a giant frog moving through the forest. Roger Shullbit, one of
the four, described the scene: "The frog was massive - at least seven feet
high and weighing, at a guess, 400 to 500 pounds. We came upon it
unexpectedly and stood not more than 10 feet away staring in utter disbelief.
At first, I thought it to be a giant model, but then it moved and watched us
warily."
The four sensed that the creature was not a threat and began taking photographs,
the most famous of which is included here. Click the image to see a much
larger rendition:
Eventually, the frog rapidly hopped away
from the explorers who followed but were
unable to keep up. It soon was lost is
the misty woods.
The four witnesses filed a report along with the photograph shown above,
identified as Roger Shullbit observing the frog at close quarters. The
story immediately attracted national and then worldwide attention, but only for
a very short time. One account featured in the Boston Globe
included an interview with a national photography expert who performed a
detailed analysis of the photo. In his words, "The image is almost
certainly genuine. Hue and saturation are consistent throughout and
there are no traces of chromatic aberration anomalies. Sepia toning
gradation is over 89%, indicative of a native image. Ambient light appears
natural and the hyperfocal distancing is precisely as expected given the
setting. I can attest that this is a genuine and unretouched photograph
and not a fabrication of any sort."
The Globe article continues with an account of how scientists have long
known exactly how such a giant creature could exist through a complex mix of
genetic and environmental factors, but that such a scenario has never been
successfully created in a laboratory. The conclusion is that the incident
was an actual experience by the four explorers, all of whom held excellent
reputations, and was not a hoax.
The giant amphibian quickly became known as the Megafrog of Ecola and local
tourism spiked as curious visitors attempted to catch a glimpse of the anomaly.
I found a few more archived references to the incident, none of which cast much
doubt on its authenticity. BUT, there is one aspect that seems to have
been overlooked in the many analyses of the photograph itself: The image,
confirmed to be unmodified, is in full color. However, the date of the
incident's occurrence was in 1855, whereas the first color photograph was not
produced until 1861. Interesting...
In your Found It log, feel free to state your opinion: Did the Megafrog of
Ecola actually exist or did the four explorers bamboozle the entire world for a
few days in 1855? Is the photograph a genuine image or a very clever and
convincing hoax?
Enjoy the hike and listen closely for some VERY loud croaking!