1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:27,600 Speaker 1: Ridiculous History is a production of I Heart Radio. Welcome 2 00:00:27,640 --> 00:00:31,040 Speaker 1: back to the show Ridiculous Historians. Thank you, as always 3 00:00:31,120 --> 00:00:35,199 Speaker 1: so much for tuning in. No first question today, have 4 00:00:35,280 --> 00:00:38,280 Speaker 1: you ever been to like a weird themed town? You 5 00:00:38,280 --> 00:00:40,960 Speaker 1: know how some small towns have like they're they're big 6 00:00:41,320 --> 00:00:44,720 Speaker 1: specific events like we're the best funnel cake place, stuff 7 00:00:44,760 --> 00:00:46,199 Speaker 1: like that. Yeah, there was one time I went to 8 00:00:46,240 --> 00:00:50,360 Speaker 1: this weird town in the seaside of England and they 9 00:00:50,400 --> 00:00:52,839 Speaker 1: had everyone was really nice for a while, but then 10 00:00:52,880 --> 00:00:56,720 Speaker 1: they lured me into this giant wicker contraption and set 11 00:00:56,720 --> 00:00:59,120 Speaker 1: it on fire and I barely escaped with my life. 12 00:00:59,160 --> 00:01:05,080 Speaker 1: Does that country that didn't happen to me? Um? Now, 13 00:01:05,120 --> 00:01:08,039 Speaker 1: I don't know the themes town, maybe like a Mayfair 14 00:01:08,720 --> 00:01:12,000 Speaker 1: type situation, like some sort of old timey recreation thing, 15 00:01:12,120 --> 00:01:14,520 Speaker 1: or what do we tell like Helen Georgia. Maybe I've 16 00:01:14,560 --> 00:01:17,400 Speaker 1: been to Helen Georgia. It looks like a tiny German village. 17 00:01:18,520 --> 00:01:21,000 Speaker 1: It does, and it's it's a well worth the trip 18 00:01:21,040 --> 00:01:24,479 Speaker 1: if the weather is nice and you're out that way. Oh, 19 00:01:24,520 --> 00:01:27,640 Speaker 1: I'm Ben. There's our super producer Casey Pegrove and our 20 00:01:27,680 --> 00:01:31,120 Speaker 1: guest producer Andrew Howards. When I think of theme towns, 21 00:01:31,319 --> 00:01:33,520 Speaker 1: I tend to think of some of the same stuff 22 00:01:33,520 --> 00:01:37,959 Speaker 1: you mentioned, all like a big holiday celebration that people 23 00:01:37,959 --> 00:01:41,160 Speaker 1: have specific to that town. But then it could also 24 00:01:41,240 --> 00:01:44,039 Speaker 1: just be a theme that they're really into. Like let's 25 00:01:44,080 --> 00:01:47,119 Speaker 1: say I'm just making up an example here. Let's say 26 00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:52,200 Speaker 1: that several centuries ago town was saved by like a 27 00:01:52,240 --> 00:01:55,600 Speaker 1: little drummer boy, and you go there centuries later and 28 00:01:55,640 --> 00:01:58,240 Speaker 1: you see all these statues of little drummer boys, and 29 00:01:58,280 --> 00:02:01,240 Speaker 1: then things are named after the drummer, like it's Little 30 00:02:01,320 --> 00:02:06,400 Speaker 1: Drummer Boy Avenue or Little Drummer Boy Lane. Uh. Today's 31 00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:10,720 Speaker 1: episode is kind of in that same vein. But we're 32 00:02:10,800 --> 00:02:15,600 Speaker 1: knocking out two missions with one stone today because my friends, 33 00:02:15,639 --> 00:02:18,639 Speaker 1: I think we are finally back on our state by 34 00:02:18,680 --> 00:02:22,280 Speaker 1: state episode. Horse. Oh my goodness, Ben, that's exciting. By 35 00:02:22,280 --> 00:02:24,280 Speaker 1: the way, I'm Noel, and yeah, I just wanted to 36 00:02:24,520 --> 00:02:26,440 Speaker 1: point out a few really quick before we hop right 37 00:02:26,440 --> 00:02:29,240 Speaker 1: into today's theme town. Uh. There are lots of them. 38 00:02:29,240 --> 00:02:32,480 Speaker 1: It's a thing like Pella, Iowa, for example, is all 39 00:02:32,520 --> 00:02:37,239 Speaker 1: about the Tulip Time Festival, and Mount Airy, North Carolina 40 00:02:37,800 --> 00:02:41,640 Speaker 1: is basically a recreation of the Andy Griffith Show with 41 00:02:41,720 --> 00:02:44,600 Speaker 1: a Mayburry courthouse you can visit and and and all 42 00:02:44,639 --> 00:02:49,040 Speaker 1: that stuff. And then New Glaris, Wisconsin is themed after 43 00:02:49,480 --> 00:02:51,639 Speaker 1: like Switzerland. It's sort of like in the same way 44 00:02:51,639 --> 00:02:55,000 Speaker 1: that Helen is a small German village, New Glaris is 45 00:02:55,040 --> 00:02:57,640 Speaker 1: a tiny Swiss village, Ben, do you know about any 46 00:02:57,639 --> 00:03:01,320 Speaker 1: other weird towns with themes? I'm so glad you asked. Yeah, 47 00:03:01,400 --> 00:03:04,480 Speaker 1: shout out to lily Dale, New York, which is just 48 00:03:04,720 --> 00:03:08,960 Speaker 1: home to so many psychics and outsiders go to lily 49 00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:11,720 Speaker 1: Dell just to hang out with the psychics. And of 50 00:03:11,760 --> 00:03:16,280 Speaker 1: course the villages in Florida. Uh, no one living there 51 00:03:16,320 --> 00:03:19,960 Speaker 1: could be under nineteen and at least one member of 52 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:24,040 Speaker 1: every house has to be over fifty five. But perhaps 53 00:03:24,040 --> 00:03:28,240 Speaker 1: one of the weirdest ones knowl is uh Thames Town, China, 54 00:03:28,400 --> 00:03:32,559 Speaker 1: which is located in song Jiang. It is a simulated 55 00:03:32,639 --> 00:03:36,640 Speaker 1: British city with everything amazing. Do they have fish and chips? 56 00:03:37,320 --> 00:03:41,920 Speaker 1: They have fish and choke certain newspaper. Well, now, Ben, 57 00:03:41,920 --> 00:03:44,160 Speaker 1: while all those towns sound amazing, we're not talking about 58 00:03:44,160 --> 00:03:46,600 Speaker 1: any of those towns today. I just wanted to establish 59 00:03:46,280 --> 00:03:50,320 Speaker 1: a legacy of themes towns. Today's town definitely fits amongst 60 00:03:50,320 --> 00:03:56,119 Speaker 1: those ranks, but has a much more Shelly say, amphibious theme. Yes, 61 00:03:56,400 --> 00:04:01,080 Speaker 1: that's correct. If you are driving through a tiny town 62 00:04:01,200 --> 00:04:06,320 Speaker 1: called Willomantic over in eastern Connecticut, you might notice things 63 00:04:06,320 --> 00:04:09,360 Speaker 1: are getting a little froggy in more ways than one. 64 00:04:09,640 --> 00:04:12,600 Speaker 1: There are lots of local businesses that are named after frogs. 65 00:04:12,600 --> 00:04:16,320 Speaker 1: You'll see frogs on logos, You'll see different statues of 66 00:04:16,400 --> 00:04:19,640 Speaker 1: frogs and main street and even the local graph heads. 67 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:23,960 Speaker 1: Graffiti artists are spraying frogs around on the you know, 68 00:04:24,040 --> 00:04:28,640 Speaker 1: the local building walls. It's weird because there's a burrow 69 00:04:29,440 --> 00:04:33,560 Speaker 1: of Willimantic called Wyndham, and if you go to Wyndham 70 00:04:34,080 --> 00:04:37,000 Speaker 1: you will see this frog stuff turned up even further 71 00:04:37,120 --> 00:04:40,719 Speaker 1: turned Like if Willomantic main Street is an eight, windhom 72 00:04:40,839 --> 00:04:45,160 Speaker 1: is apparently and eleven. That's right. I mean you literally 73 00:04:45,200 --> 00:04:50,280 Speaker 1: have the city center featuring a bridge that's uh, that's 74 00:04:50,320 --> 00:04:53,960 Speaker 1: surrounded by these columns, each of which has an eleven 75 00:04:53,960 --> 00:04:58,040 Speaker 1: foot tall frog statue that's sort of gazing off into 76 00:04:58,040 --> 00:05:01,320 Speaker 1: the middle distance. So you might ask yourself why all 77 00:05:01,360 --> 00:05:03,680 Speaker 1: the frogs? Well, we're here to tell you. The New 78 00:05:03,760 --> 00:05:06,640 Speaker 1: York Times has a fabulous profile of exactly why all 79 00:05:06,640 --> 00:05:11,360 Speaker 1: the frogs? In an article from August nineteen six by 80 00:05:11,480 --> 00:05:14,479 Speaker 1: Robert A. Hamilton's, the title of which is the Frogs 81 00:05:14,720 --> 00:05:18,200 Speaker 1: and Spools of Wyndham Bridge, and he's referring to that 82 00:05:18,760 --> 00:05:22,080 Speaker 1: pretty odd Bridge situation that we just described. The story, 83 00:05:22,120 --> 00:05:25,960 Speaker 1: as it turns out, begins on June of seventeen fifty four, 84 00:05:26,080 --> 00:05:29,680 Speaker 1: when the residents of Wyndham were awakened by a bit 85 00:05:29,680 --> 00:05:33,400 Speaker 1: of a tumult, a bit of a hubbub in the 86 00:05:33,560 --> 00:05:36,839 Speaker 1: night um and all of them rushed from their homes 87 00:05:37,160 --> 00:05:39,320 Speaker 1: to see what all the fuss was about. Some of 88 00:05:39,360 --> 00:05:42,800 Speaker 1: them were really freaked out, running around screaming for their lives. 89 00:05:42,880 --> 00:05:46,080 Speaker 1: Even some were even armed and firing their weapons into 90 00:05:46,160 --> 00:05:50,479 Speaker 1: the night, which seems really dangerous with those other people around, ben, 91 00:05:50,760 --> 00:05:54,640 Speaker 1: what's going on? Why are they freaking out like this? Well, 92 00:05:54,680 --> 00:05:57,120 Speaker 1: they were freaking out because they thought it was yet 93 00:05:57,160 --> 00:06:01,719 Speaker 1: a another attack from either French or Native American forces, 94 00:06:01,800 --> 00:06:03,640 Speaker 1: which was something very much in the cards in the 95 00:06:03,680 --> 00:06:08,000 Speaker 1: seventeen fifties. But it turned out when dawn came, they 96 00:06:08,080 --> 00:06:11,280 Speaker 1: discovered the noise was not created by humans at all, 97 00:06:11,320 --> 00:06:15,440 Speaker 1: but instead by bull frogs fighting over the last dregs 98 00:06:15,480 --> 00:06:18,520 Speaker 1: of water that were in this pond that dried up 99 00:06:18,560 --> 00:06:23,960 Speaker 1: over the droughts, so awkward, little awkward. Yeah, yeah, yeah, 100 00:06:24,000 --> 00:06:27,919 Speaker 1: it's not not exactly the proudest moment maybe, but Wyndham 101 00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:32,080 Speaker 1: took it and ran with it. Because sure other towns 102 00:06:32,120 --> 00:06:35,120 Speaker 1: in the area had their fun, you know, in pubs, 103 00:06:35,240 --> 00:06:39,040 Speaker 1: making light of the people who were terrified of bull 104 00:06:39,080 --> 00:06:44,120 Speaker 1: frogs in Wyndham. But Wyndham did something really interesting. They 105 00:06:44,200 --> 00:06:48,680 Speaker 1: doubled down. They didn't bury this story. They decided to 106 00:06:49,400 --> 00:06:52,000 Speaker 1: lean into it and they said, look, we're gonna put 107 00:06:52,040 --> 00:06:55,320 Speaker 1: the frog on the town seal. We're gonna go all 108 00:06:55,360 --> 00:06:57,919 Speaker 1: in on this frog thing. And that's been the case 109 00:06:58,360 --> 00:07:01,400 Speaker 1: ever since. But if if you look the history, uh, 110 00:07:01,600 --> 00:07:06,080 Speaker 1: they were not being necessarily alarmist. They weren't flying off 111 00:07:06,080 --> 00:07:10,360 Speaker 1: the handle. If you were someone living in Wyndham in 112 00:07:10,400 --> 00:07:13,000 Speaker 1: the decades leading up to this time, you would have 113 00:07:13,040 --> 00:07:15,480 Speaker 1: freaked out too, because you would have had some reasonable 114 00:07:15,520 --> 00:07:18,600 Speaker 1: assumptions that people were coming to kill you, right, absolutely, 115 00:07:18,800 --> 00:07:22,960 Speaker 1: not only people, but like just life, like the the 116 00:07:22,960 --> 00:07:26,240 Speaker 1: the elements, you know, the Nate, the gods. Perhaps it 117 00:07:26,360 --> 00:07:30,520 Speaker 1: seemed as though, um, this tiny, tiny town population of 118 00:07:30,560 --> 00:07:36,760 Speaker 1: only a thousand was really kind of in some ways cursed. 119 00:07:37,120 --> 00:07:41,120 Speaker 1: It would seem in the summer of seventeen fifty four. Uh, 120 00:07:41,160 --> 00:07:43,800 Speaker 1: this would have been considered a frontier town. But like 121 00:07:43,840 --> 00:07:46,520 Speaker 1: you said, been the French and Indian War um had 122 00:07:46,560 --> 00:07:49,200 Speaker 1: broken out in May of that year. Uh, and that 123 00:07:49,280 --> 00:07:53,760 Speaker 1: was really threatening these these homesteaders. And also a drought 124 00:07:54,600 --> 00:07:57,720 Speaker 1: was threatening the crops that they had worked so hard 125 00:07:57,760 --> 00:08:01,880 Speaker 1: to cultivate. And Connecticut resident in general, we're living in 126 00:08:01,920 --> 00:08:06,000 Speaker 1: a constant state of anxiety as this French and Indian 127 00:08:06,040 --> 00:08:09,400 Speaker 1: War kind of really stirred things up. You know, they 128 00:08:09,600 --> 00:08:12,760 Speaker 1: were constantly living in fear of attacks, you know, from 129 00:08:12,760 --> 00:08:16,440 Speaker 1: the tree line surrounding their homesteads, and really kind of 130 00:08:16,480 --> 00:08:20,640 Speaker 1: that paranoia was certainly part of everyday life. But Wyndom 131 00:08:20,680 --> 00:08:23,400 Speaker 1: had it even worse because they were threatened by a 132 00:08:23,440 --> 00:08:26,640 Speaker 1: lot of natural phenomena as well that kind of doubled 133 00:08:26,760 --> 00:08:33,560 Speaker 1: their anxiety and their sort of fear of absolute annihilation. Yes, 134 00:08:33,679 --> 00:08:39,079 Speaker 1: we're talking about the ever present threat of disease, drought. 135 00:08:39,400 --> 00:08:42,360 Speaker 1: You know, these are agricultural communities, so people are at 136 00:08:42,360 --> 00:08:46,280 Speaker 1: the mercy of the weather. And of course, uh, different 137 00:08:46,600 --> 00:08:49,640 Speaker 1: contingents of people fighting in the French and Indian War 138 00:08:50,360 --> 00:08:54,679 Speaker 1: could easily overwhelmed this small town. And there were so 139 00:08:54,720 --> 00:08:57,840 Speaker 1: many rumors that were circulating in the area. The game 140 00:08:57,920 --> 00:09:01,040 Speaker 1: of telephone was in full swing. You might not be 141 00:09:01,080 --> 00:09:05,600 Speaker 1: able to prove that there were atrocities just up the way, 142 00:09:05,640 --> 00:09:09,120 Speaker 1: but you couldn't prove that they weren't happening either. So 143 00:09:09,160 --> 00:09:12,160 Speaker 1: this is a really fearful time, kind of like the 144 00:09:12,200 --> 00:09:15,079 Speaker 1: residents of the Tune from our Mad gas Er episode. 145 00:09:15,280 --> 00:09:21,000 Speaker 1: We're also terrified about ongoing conflicts or the horrors of war, 146 00:09:22,200 --> 00:09:26,040 Speaker 1: and so all of this, all of this is happening. 147 00:09:26,120 --> 00:09:29,880 Speaker 1: If you're the average resident of Wyndham, you are at 148 00:09:29,920 --> 00:09:32,520 Speaker 1: least a couple of times a day thinking is this 149 00:09:32,640 --> 00:09:35,960 Speaker 1: going to be the day that someone attacks our our 150 00:09:36,080 --> 00:09:39,600 Speaker 1: little community. So it's not a surprise that in the 151 00:09:39,720 --> 00:09:44,000 Speaker 1: dark of night June seventeen fifty four, they start hearing 152 00:09:44,280 --> 00:09:48,800 Speaker 1: a ruckus and a rumble, louder and louder and louder. 153 00:09:49,040 --> 00:09:53,000 Speaker 1: Who is it? They're thinking, who is coming to kill us? 154 00:09:53,320 --> 00:09:56,600 Speaker 1: Because this happens like really late, shortly after midnight, and 155 00:09:56,640 --> 00:09:59,960 Speaker 1: at first people had no idea what it could be. 156 00:10:00,120 --> 00:10:02,320 Speaker 1: And I think a lot of people have different guests too. 157 00:10:07,559 --> 00:10:11,280 Speaker 1: So according to the reports that we've read, the first 158 00:10:11,400 --> 00:10:15,480 Speaker 1: person to hear the noise was a servant of a 159 00:10:15,559 --> 00:10:18,439 Speaker 1: local parson, which I believe just means like a preacher, 160 00:10:18,559 --> 00:10:22,200 Speaker 1: right like in Frosty the Snowman, And pretend isn't that 161 00:10:22,240 --> 00:10:25,400 Speaker 1: he is Parson Brown? Remember that I think that means 162 00:10:25,400 --> 00:10:28,719 Speaker 1: the preacher anyway. Um. This guy's name was pomp and 163 00:10:28,840 --> 00:10:31,800 Speaker 1: he was the first to hear the noise when he 164 00:10:31,880 --> 00:10:35,240 Speaker 1: was coming home around midnight after hanging out with a 165 00:10:35,320 --> 00:10:38,320 Speaker 1: with a lady lady friend of his at a nearby farmhouse, 166 00:10:38,360 --> 00:10:41,240 Speaker 1: and he walked down the street when he neared the 167 00:10:41,520 --> 00:10:45,760 Speaker 1: part of the town called Wyndham Green. Um, he began 168 00:10:45,800 --> 00:10:49,240 Speaker 1: to hear this really bizarre noise that absolutely terrified him, 169 00:10:49,280 --> 00:10:54,120 Speaker 1: and it was echoing no, not cool, not cool. Well, 170 00:10:54,520 --> 00:10:56,600 Speaker 1: I would be freaked out too. The bull frogs make 171 00:10:56,679 --> 00:10:59,320 Speaker 1: really scary sounds. Um. But it seemed to come from 172 00:10:59,360 --> 00:11:02,120 Speaker 1: everywhere all at once, so this almost could have had 173 00:11:02,160 --> 00:11:04,920 Speaker 1: the feeling of some sort of like supernatural event too, 174 00:11:05,000 --> 00:11:08,400 Speaker 1: especially in the dark of night. Um. He ran home 175 00:11:09,080 --> 00:11:13,360 Speaker 1: and awakened his master, Parson White, who then you know, 176 00:11:13,840 --> 00:11:16,760 Speaker 1: doubled down on what he heard as well and sounded 177 00:11:16,840 --> 00:11:20,000 Speaker 1: the alarm, waking up everybody nearby who hadn't already been 178 00:11:20,040 --> 00:11:24,040 Speaker 1: awakened by the sound and the screaming of of the servant, 179 00:11:24,360 --> 00:11:27,160 Speaker 1: and the noise continued to, you know, just kind of 180 00:11:27,480 --> 00:11:32,160 Speaker 1: increase at this fever pitch, and many folks thought that 181 00:11:32,240 --> 00:11:35,200 Speaker 1: it was some sort of Native American chant, of some 182 00:11:35,320 --> 00:11:38,880 Speaker 1: sort a war cry perhaps, and that they were coming 183 00:11:38,920 --> 00:11:43,440 Speaker 1: to descend upon them. They would all be dead by dawn. Yeah, 184 00:11:43,480 --> 00:11:48,920 Speaker 1: this pomp and circumstance quickly got out of control. Other 185 00:11:49,000 --> 00:11:53,720 Speaker 1: people said, no, this isn't a spell. Uh, these are 186 00:11:54,360 --> 00:11:59,080 Speaker 1: the war whoops. These are actually the war cries of 187 00:11:59,240 --> 00:12:04,600 Speaker 1: all called me Native American forces. And then other people said, no, no, 188 00:12:05,480 --> 00:12:08,679 Speaker 1: I know a little bit about the native populations. They're 189 00:12:08,720 --> 00:12:12,200 Speaker 1: actually just yelling gin and rum. It's still bad because 190 00:12:12,200 --> 00:12:15,439 Speaker 1: they're coming for us. And then some maybe more religious 191 00:12:15,480 --> 00:12:18,680 Speaker 1: folks thought that what they were hearing what appeared to 192 00:12:18,920 --> 00:12:23,160 Speaker 1: sound like this cacophonous roars, were instead trumpets of the 193 00:12:23,200 --> 00:12:27,800 Speaker 1: biblical judgment day. But one guy stepped in and said, hey, 194 00:12:27,880 --> 00:12:30,640 Speaker 1: it can't really be the day of Judgment because you know, 195 00:12:30,679 --> 00:12:34,000 Speaker 1: it's like just after midnight, it's not even dawn. Uh. 196 00:12:34,120 --> 00:12:38,079 Speaker 1: Some people thought that they could hear noises being called 197 00:12:38,120 --> 00:12:43,400 Speaker 1: out in this pandemonium, especially two of the town's military leaders, 198 00:12:43,480 --> 00:12:48,520 Speaker 1: Colonel Dyer and elder Kin, And luckily, unluckily for the town, 199 00:12:48,720 --> 00:12:52,199 Speaker 1: Dire and Elderkin were actually you know, they were they 200 00:12:52,200 --> 00:12:56,040 Speaker 1: were in the community at the time. So their children 201 00:12:56,120 --> 00:12:58,679 Speaker 1: just crying, you know, where are my parents. Their men 202 00:12:58,720 --> 00:13:01,120 Speaker 1: who are like grabbing all the weapons they can. There 203 00:13:01,120 --> 00:13:04,360 Speaker 1: are women who are shrieking all the while this mournful 204 00:13:04,440 --> 00:13:09,080 Speaker 1: sound is creating a end of Days kind of soundtrack. 205 00:13:09,480 --> 00:13:12,440 Speaker 1: And then you know, this army kind of gets together 206 00:13:12,520 --> 00:13:16,560 Speaker 1: on the green and people have whatever they could grab, pitchforks, knives, 207 00:13:16,800 --> 00:13:20,320 Speaker 1: old swords, a few had guns. Uh. And then this 208 00:13:20,440 --> 00:13:24,680 Speaker 1: is when people started calling for Colonel Dyer and elder 209 00:13:24,760 --> 00:13:29,000 Speaker 1: Kin to take charge. Basically, right, that's exactly right. And 210 00:13:29,200 --> 00:13:32,160 Speaker 1: John Adams had some things to say about one of 211 00:13:32,160 --> 00:13:35,160 Speaker 1: these folks, this lawyer by the name of Elaphilett Dire, 212 00:13:35,720 --> 00:13:39,959 Speaker 1: who referred to as long winded and tedious but an honest, 213 00:13:40,040 --> 00:13:43,120 Speaker 1: worthy man. Uh. And he was the leader of the 214 00:13:43,120 --> 00:13:47,760 Speaker 1: town's militia. Then the militia sprung into action. Um. Then 215 00:13:47,800 --> 00:13:51,560 Speaker 1: you had this guy, Jedediah Elderkin, who was another lawyer, 216 00:13:51,640 --> 00:13:56,000 Speaker 1: presumably also long winded and tedious but also hopefully honest 217 00:13:56,040 --> 00:13:57,839 Speaker 1: and we're worthy. But we don't know that for a fact, 218 00:13:57,880 --> 00:14:02,000 Speaker 1: as John Adams did not opine on Jedediah Elderkin. I 219 00:14:02,080 --> 00:14:04,000 Speaker 1: love that name, by the way, Jedediah. It's hard to 220 00:14:04,000 --> 00:14:06,240 Speaker 1: say a lot of d sounds in this dude's name. 221 00:14:06,559 --> 00:14:11,199 Speaker 1: So he, along with Dire, were apparently planning to colonize 222 00:14:11,520 --> 00:14:18,160 Speaker 1: the Susquehanna Valley. By the way, Jedediah Elderkin and Dire 223 00:14:18,520 --> 00:14:23,560 Speaker 1: had actually planned to extend their colony into the Susquehanna Valley, 224 00:14:23,800 --> 00:14:26,280 Speaker 1: but the residents of Wyndham, who referred to themselves as 225 00:14:26,360 --> 00:14:28,880 Speaker 1: window mites, which I love, decided this was a bad 226 00:14:28,920 --> 00:14:32,320 Speaker 1: idea because they thought it would anger in their minds. 227 00:14:32,360 --> 00:14:36,920 Speaker 1: The Native Americans that lived around this area missed opportunity 228 00:14:37,040 --> 00:14:41,000 Speaker 1: to call themselves the windhammer or the wind jammers. Perhaps 229 00:14:42,200 --> 00:14:44,560 Speaker 1: we'll work on that, um, But it makes sense they 230 00:14:44,560 --> 00:14:46,720 Speaker 1: were already living in fear of these attacks. They didn't 231 00:14:46,720 --> 00:14:50,200 Speaker 1: want to a further upset the apple cart. So we're 232 00:14:50,240 --> 00:14:53,400 Speaker 1: back to, you know, the night of the quote unquote attack, UM, 233 00:14:53,440 --> 00:14:56,960 Speaker 1: and these folks are understandably freaked out there hearing things 234 00:14:57,040 --> 00:14:59,880 Speaker 1: they're they're you know, playing into the sounds that they're hearing. 235 00:15:00,120 --> 00:15:02,120 Speaker 1: I mean, your ears can absolutely play tricks on you, 236 00:15:02,200 --> 00:15:05,400 Speaker 1: especially when your mind is unsettled in such a way. 237 00:15:05,640 --> 00:15:08,400 Speaker 1: So they're waiting around, hiding, you know, like you said, Ben, 238 00:15:08,520 --> 00:15:13,560 Speaker 1: presumably arming themselves with whatever they had around um and waiting, 239 00:15:13,840 --> 00:15:17,360 Speaker 1: you know, for what they believed was going to be 240 00:15:17,480 --> 00:15:22,119 Speaker 1: a painful death. And they were firing into the darkness 241 00:15:22,160 --> 00:15:25,720 Speaker 1: throughout most of the night, those who had muskets, and 242 00:15:25,760 --> 00:15:30,600 Speaker 1: they noticed that as dawn approached, the sounds began to 243 00:15:30,800 --> 00:15:34,080 Speaker 1: die and they began to fade out. Uh. And then 244 00:15:34,480 --> 00:15:39,840 Speaker 1: eventually a group of brave, courageous men formed a scouting 245 00:15:39,880 --> 00:15:43,560 Speaker 1: party and they ventured out to the place where the 246 00:15:43,600 --> 00:15:45,840 Speaker 1: sound came from, as near as they could tell. And 247 00:15:45,920 --> 00:15:48,440 Speaker 1: that's when they saw, not very far away at all, 248 00:15:48,480 --> 00:15:52,880 Speaker 1: about a hundred yards into the woods, local pond that 249 00:15:52,920 --> 00:15:55,960 Speaker 1: had almost dried up. And this is this is kind 250 00:15:56,000 --> 00:15:59,760 Speaker 1: of a sad part. Across the bed of the dry pond, 251 00:16:00,200 --> 00:16:05,080 Speaker 1: they found dozens and dozens of dead bullfrogs. The story grew. 252 00:16:05,280 --> 00:16:08,000 Speaker 1: You'll hear some accounts say hundreds of dead bull frogs, 253 00:16:08,000 --> 00:16:12,080 Speaker 1: and then swore people say thousands. Uh. But anyway, it 254 00:16:12,160 --> 00:16:15,080 Speaker 1: was a lot of frogs, and the scouting party realized 255 00:16:15,560 --> 00:16:19,520 Speaker 1: it was these frogs fighting, you know, for the last 256 00:16:19,640 --> 00:16:22,800 Speaker 1: bits of water in the pond that had generated this 257 00:16:22,960 --> 00:16:27,680 Speaker 1: noise that scared everyone so and interesting fun fact, the 258 00:16:27,760 --> 00:16:32,720 Speaker 1: pond belonged to dire And so what they realized was 259 00:16:32,800 --> 00:16:35,520 Speaker 1: what the I'm sticking with wind hammers. What the wind 260 00:16:35,600 --> 00:16:40,240 Speaker 1: hammers had heard were the first the battle cries and 261 00:16:40,240 --> 00:16:46,000 Speaker 1: then later the death knells of these poor thirsty bull frogs. 262 00:16:47,000 --> 00:16:49,960 Speaker 1: That was the whole, the whole thing. And oh, the 263 00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:53,880 Speaker 1: scouting party was just three guys. How did the townspeople 264 00:16:53,920 --> 00:16:57,760 Speaker 1: take it when they heard about this, Well, let's just 265 00:16:57,880 --> 00:17:01,120 Speaker 1: say they felt a little little bit silly. I don't 266 00:17:01,160 --> 00:17:04,800 Speaker 1: want to impart my own interpretations too much on them, 267 00:17:04,800 --> 00:17:08,520 Speaker 1: but there there is a sense of kind of humiliation, 268 00:17:08,960 --> 00:17:12,240 Speaker 1: of of feeling as though they overreacted. Again, this is 269 00:17:12,280 --> 00:17:15,800 Speaker 1: from from various reports. We've got some journal entries. Actually 270 00:17:15,840 --> 00:17:17,600 Speaker 1: we're gonna read in just a second. They'll give you 271 00:17:17,680 --> 00:17:19,080 Speaker 1: a little bit more of a sense of how this 272 00:17:19,200 --> 00:17:24,280 Speaker 1: was received. Uh. But um, they they weren't had somewhere angry. 273 00:17:24,920 --> 00:17:28,359 Speaker 1: Some decided to make light of the situation. That's probably 274 00:17:28,400 --> 00:17:30,439 Speaker 1: what I would have done. And that's ultimately it seems 275 00:17:30,440 --> 00:17:33,200 Speaker 1: like the direction they chose to go as a as 276 00:17:33,640 --> 00:17:37,280 Speaker 1: a town. Yeah, some you know, just we're like, we're 277 00:17:37,320 --> 00:17:39,800 Speaker 1: never gonna talk about this again. Uh. And it didn't. 278 00:17:39,880 --> 00:17:41,480 Speaker 1: You know, this town was so small again, only a 279 00:17:41,520 --> 00:17:44,800 Speaker 1: thousand residents. They didn't even have their own newspaper. But 280 00:17:45,040 --> 00:17:47,800 Speaker 1: word of mouth is a thing in and of itself, 281 00:17:48,440 --> 00:17:50,600 Speaker 1: especially around this time, you know, when that was one 282 00:17:50,640 --> 00:17:52,600 Speaker 1: of the only ways for stories like this to spread 283 00:17:52,640 --> 00:17:55,639 Speaker 1: and kind of a frontier situation. Um. And the story 284 00:17:55,720 --> 00:17:59,399 Speaker 1: did spread, and the wind Hammy's became kind of a 285 00:17:59,480 --> 00:18:04,359 Speaker 1: laughing stuff. Yeah, it's something that people joked a lot about. 286 00:18:04,359 --> 00:18:08,879 Speaker 1: And remember, as we said, Elderkin and I are both lawyers, 287 00:18:08,960 --> 00:18:12,679 Speaker 1: So lawyers in particular in this region of the Northeast 288 00:18:13,800 --> 00:18:17,760 Speaker 1: start to harass their colleagues with this story. You know, like, hey, 289 00:18:17,800 --> 00:18:20,960 Speaker 1: watch out, dire door. I checked. There aren't new frogs 290 00:18:21,320 --> 00:18:24,320 Speaker 1: in there. Um. And people have more healthy approach to 291 00:18:24,520 --> 00:18:26,960 Speaker 1: like some folks just threw up their hands and laughed 292 00:18:27,000 --> 00:18:32,160 Speaker 1: at it. We know that Reverend Styles of Woodstock wrote 293 00:18:32,160 --> 00:18:34,920 Speaker 1: about this to his nephew who was a law student, 294 00:18:35,520 --> 00:18:39,399 Speaker 1: and just an excerpt of the letter Here he says, 295 00:18:40,200 --> 00:18:43,240 Speaker 1: if the late tragical tidings of Windham deserve credit as 296 00:18:43,240 --> 00:18:46,119 Speaker 1: doubtless they do, it would then concern the gentlemen of 297 00:18:46,160 --> 00:18:48,879 Speaker 1: your Jurisprutian, which is a word I didn't know as 298 00:18:48,920 --> 00:18:52,320 Speaker 1: a thing, order to be fortified against the dreadful crooks 299 00:18:52,440 --> 00:18:56,040 Speaker 1: Torrian legiance, allegiance terrible is the very wreck of matter 300 00:18:56,320 --> 00:18:59,760 Speaker 1: and the crash of worlds. Antiquity relates that the elephant 301 00:18:59,800 --> 00:19:02,320 Speaker 1: fee is the mouse. A Hebrew trembles at the prowing 302 00:19:02,400 --> 00:19:04,840 Speaker 1: of the cock, but pre WinCE is it that the 303 00:19:04,920 --> 00:19:08,240 Speaker 1: croaking of a buffalo should so sad rise a lawyer, 304 00:19:09,200 --> 00:19:13,800 Speaker 1: bell shadow rise, Holy cow. I'm sorry, Ben, I'm gonna 305 00:19:13,800 --> 00:19:16,080 Speaker 1: need to unpack this. We've got some new words. There's 306 00:19:16,119 --> 00:19:20,400 Speaker 1: some new terms. So if the late tragical tidings from 307 00:19:20,440 --> 00:19:23,159 Speaker 1: Wyndom deserve credit as doubt as they do, it will 308 00:19:23,200 --> 00:19:27,600 Speaker 1: then concern the gentleman of your juris Prussian, order to 309 00:19:27,720 --> 00:19:31,960 Speaker 1: be fortified against the dreadful crooks of tarian legions. Okay, 310 00:19:32,040 --> 00:19:35,639 Speaker 1: so they're basically just mocking them and and sort of 311 00:19:35,680 --> 00:19:38,600 Speaker 1: acting as though frogs are some sort of terrifying force. 312 00:19:38,760 --> 00:19:42,560 Speaker 1: Was that kind of the idea Yeah, they're they're saying, Um, 313 00:19:44,280 --> 00:19:48,879 Speaker 1: it's funny because it's it's like a fake warning to 314 00:19:49,040 --> 00:19:52,359 Speaker 1: his nephew, like, Hey, you know you're going to be 315 00:19:52,440 --> 00:19:56,920 Speaker 1: a lawyer now, so get ready for frogs watch out 316 00:19:56,960 --> 00:20:00,200 Speaker 1: for that. Yeah, I gotta Ben, I'm going to aren't 317 00:20:00,200 --> 00:20:03,760 Speaker 1: trying to figure out how to incorporate belshaz eyes into 318 00:20:04,160 --> 00:20:06,879 Speaker 1: the regular conversation. And there's one more little snippet here 319 00:20:06,880 --> 00:20:10,520 Speaker 1: at the bottom, dire fuli Allah made of these audacious, 320 00:20:10,560 --> 00:20:15,919 Speaker 1: long winded croakers things unattempted yet in prosal rhyme. What 321 00:20:15,960 --> 00:20:19,720 Speaker 1: does the word Torrian mean here? Ben Torrian terrors in 322 00:20:19,880 --> 00:20:23,479 Speaker 1: chimeras dire Obviously that's referenced to die or the lawyer 323 00:20:23,520 --> 00:20:26,720 Speaker 1: and the militia leader. But what we've we've heard Torannian 324 00:20:27,280 --> 00:20:30,240 Speaker 1: is that the reference to the frogs genus or something 325 00:20:30,280 --> 00:20:34,280 Speaker 1: like that. It's an interesting question because it's weird because 326 00:20:34,320 --> 00:20:37,680 Speaker 1: he spells it Torreon and the first paragraph, and then 327 00:20:38,160 --> 00:20:42,560 Speaker 1: Rannion in the second, So maybe some of that is 328 00:20:42,640 --> 00:20:47,160 Speaker 1: just his handwriting. I was always under the impression that 329 00:20:47,440 --> 00:20:52,520 Speaker 1: Torrian meant things relating to the sign of right. Yeah, 330 00:20:52,560 --> 00:20:54,960 Speaker 1: I just googled it and got the same don't see 331 00:20:54,960 --> 00:20:59,360 Speaker 1: any froggy connections there at all. Um, well, any etymological 332 00:20:59,480 --> 00:21:02,560 Speaker 1: experts out there, let us know what you think or 333 00:21:02,600 --> 00:21:05,159 Speaker 1: if this is something that's come up before. Obviously, one 334 00:21:05,240 --> 00:21:09,960 Speaker 1: last sentence here, second time Trannian terrors and chimeras dire 335 00:21:10,480 --> 00:21:13,399 Speaker 1: I hope, sir, from the Dire Full now that's the 336 00:21:13,920 --> 00:21:16,120 Speaker 1: Now they're making fun of dire and making his name 337 00:21:16,160 --> 00:21:19,560 Speaker 1: into an adjective, right, and the from the dire Full 338 00:21:19,600 --> 00:21:23,680 Speaker 1: reports from the frog Pond you'll gain some instruction as 339 00:21:23,720 --> 00:21:27,600 Speaker 1: well as from the report of my Lord Cook. So 340 00:21:27,680 --> 00:21:30,520 Speaker 1: he's like the fun uncle. That's the That's what this 341 00:21:30,600 --> 00:21:33,399 Speaker 1: letter is is meant to convey to his nephews, like 342 00:21:34,240 --> 00:21:37,680 Speaker 1: frogs lawyers, you're gonna be one of those, watch out, bro. 343 00:21:38,520 --> 00:21:42,280 Speaker 1: But instead he used Belle shazarries, which I think we 344 00:21:42,400 --> 00:21:45,720 Speaker 1: both love. I hope you love it too. And so 345 00:21:45,840 --> 00:21:49,040 Speaker 1: as this, as this continues, we should mention the only 346 00:21:49,080 --> 00:21:53,080 Speaker 1: fatalities that night were frogs, which is regrettable, but still 347 00:21:53,240 --> 00:21:56,240 Speaker 1: nobody in the town was even injured, I believe, but 348 00:21:56,320 --> 00:21:59,359 Speaker 1: but not like due to stomping from townspeople. It was 349 00:21:59,400 --> 00:22:02,399 Speaker 1: literally because they were thirsty, right, and they're malnourished in 350 00:22:02,440 --> 00:22:05,760 Speaker 1: some way right, Yeah, exactly, it's because they couldn't survive 351 00:22:06,000 --> 00:22:09,919 Speaker 1: the drought. Uh So, as the years go on, and 352 00:22:10,000 --> 00:22:14,840 Speaker 1: I think partially because nobody was seriously injured, future generations 353 00:22:15,400 --> 00:22:19,320 Speaker 1: talk about these jokes. They circulate in the area, and 354 00:22:19,400 --> 00:22:24,240 Speaker 1: eventually the wind to Mikes, the winds Hammers get kind 355 00:22:24,280 --> 00:22:28,639 Speaker 1: of proud of this. You know, this is before HP Lovecraft, 356 00:22:28,760 --> 00:22:32,920 Speaker 1: so the association of small New England towns with amphibians 357 00:22:33,000 --> 00:22:37,119 Speaker 1: is still not seen as a sinister thing. Uh And 358 00:22:37,200 --> 00:22:40,600 Speaker 1: now it's like it's immortalized and not just letters but 359 00:22:40,680 --> 00:22:44,360 Speaker 1: a lot of poems and songs from the times. Uh 360 00:22:44,400 --> 00:22:47,080 Speaker 1: and we we have a few here. We know that 361 00:22:47,119 --> 00:22:49,600 Speaker 1: the story even went all the way across the pond 362 00:22:49,640 --> 00:22:52,960 Speaker 1: to Europe and people were talking about that's right. It 363 00:22:53,040 --> 00:22:57,439 Speaker 1: really became Yeah, I don't know, like good natured ribbing, 364 00:22:58,800 --> 00:23:02,800 Speaker 1: good natured ribbety that for sure. I'm sorry, But bull 365 00:23:02,800 --> 00:23:05,480 Speaker 1: frogs crow bull frogs do croak and ribboning would have 366 00:23:05,480 --> 00:23:07,359 Speaker 1: been an easier sound to pick out, I think in 367 00:23:07,400 --> 00:23:10,840 Speaker 1: the night, whereas you know, croak and a chorus, like 368 00:23:10,880 --> 00:23:13,920 Speaker 1: a comphony of croaks that kind of coalesced together into 369 00:23:13,960 --> 00:23:18,240 Speaker 1: this like huge drone. A lot less a lot more 370 00:23:18,280 --> 00:23:21,199 Speaker 1: sinister rather than just a few errant ribbts, Right, But 371 00:23:21,840 --> 00:23:25,120 Speaker 1: it did kind of become sort of a pop cultural phenomenon. Right. 372 00:23:25,600 --> 00:23:28,720 Speaker 1: There were songs and poems that were, you know, committed 373 00:23:28,760 --> 00:23:32,120 Speaker 1: to print and circulated in the nineteenth century. One example, 374 00:23:32,160 --> 00:23:36,080 Speaker 1: in eighteen fifty one, UM was the Ballad of the 375 00:23:36,119 --> 00:23:39,680 Speaker 1: Bull Frog Fight, A ballad of the olden time, um, 376 00:23:39,720 --> 00:23:42,240 Speaker 1: And it starts off with a dire, full story, Must 377 00:23:42,280 --> 00:23:45,840 Speaker 1: I tell should I at length relate at once a 378 00:23:45,920 --> 00:23:51,280 Speaker 1: luckless town? Befell in wooden nutmeg state? I guess that's 379 00:23:51,280 --> 00:23:53,960 Speaker 1: the reference to Connecticut, ben, I guess, so yeah. I 380 00:23:53,960 --> 00:23:57,760 Speaker 1: always thought it was the Constitution. Maybe maybe it's the 381 00:23:57,760 --> 00:24:01,760 Speaker 1: wooden nutmegs. They so, yeah, you're you're right. There were 382 00:24:01,800 --> 00:24:04,199 Speaker 1: we know there were at least two other ballads that 383 00:24:04,280 --> 00:24:06,520 Speaker 1: were written about what came to be called the Great 384 00:24:06,520 --> 00:24:10,840 Speaker 1: Windham Frog Fight. There was an operetta, which I thought 385 00:24:10,960 --> 00:24:14,359 Speaker 1: was awesome, called the Frogs of Old Windham from a 386 00:24:14,480 --> 00:24:19,680 Speaker 1: tight uh. And then after the American Revolution occurred, the 387 00:24:19,760 --> 00:24:23,560 Speaker 1: Windham Bank even started issuing bank notes with an image 388 00:24:23,560 --> 00:24:26,359 Speaker 1: of a frog standing over the body of another frog. 389 00:24:26,960 --> 00:24:30,960 Speaker 1: Of course, long time listeners you'll recall that during this 390 00:24:31,040 --> 00:24:33,800 Speaker 1: period in history, it was a lot easier for banks 391 00:24:33,840 --> 00:24:35,600 Speaker 1: to just decide they were going to make their own 392 00:24:35,600 --> 00:24:40,760 Speaker 1: bank notes essentially coupons, right, exactly right, But no, what 393 00:24:40,840 --> 00:24:43,280 Speaker 1: about Windham to date? Yeah, we sort of set the 394 00:24:43,280 --> 00:24:45,760 Speaker 1: stage without a little bit with their you know, froggy 395 00:24:46,000 --> 00:24:50,520 Speaker 1: regalia and these giant sculptures on top of those pillars, 396 00:24:51,080 --> 00:24:53,919 Speaker 1: you know, on either side of that bridge. But the 397 00:24:54,800 --> 00:24:57,800 Speaker 1: what we would refer to as the Willamantic section of 398 00:24:57,880 --> 00:25:01,480 Speaker 1: Windham um became ultimate a ly a factory town that 399 00:25:01,640 --> 00:25:05,600 Speaker 1: made goods, you know, like silk and cotton thread, and 400 00:25:06,160 --> 00:25:09,400 Speaker 1: it became quite a boomtown as the American Thread Company 401 00:25:09,440 --> 00:25:12,880 Speaker 1: located its headquarters on the banks of the Willimantic River, 402 00:25:13,480 --> 00:25:17,920 Speaker 1: and that became Connecticut's largest employer. Connecticut being a relatively 403 00:25:17,960 --> 00:25:21,160 Speaker 1: small state and and this being a really incredibly small town. 404 00:25:21,400 --> 00:25:24,880 Speaker 1: That's pretty cool. Um. So today you do have those 405 00:25:24,920 --> 00:25:29,600 Speaker 1: eleven foot frogs on these giant spools of thread that 406 00:25:29,720 --> 00:25:32,440 Speaker 1: kind of combine the two things the town is most 407 00:25:32,480 --> 00:25:35,119 Speaker 1: known for. And they actually you know, are set up 408 00:25:35,160 --> 00:25:38,919 Speaker 1: almost to look like you know, froggy centurions guarding the 409 00:25:39,160 --> 00:25:45,520 Speaker 1: thread City crossing or this frog bridge. Yeah, and you 410 00:25:45,560 --> 00:25:49,760 Speaker 1: can see pictures of these frog sculptures pretty easily online. 411 00:25:50,320 --> 00:25:53,280 Speaker 1: I'm not gonna lie. They weird me out just a 412 00:25:53,320 --> 00:25:58,680 Speaker 1: little bit because the frog's eyes are these large, almost 413 00:25:58,720 --> 00:26:02,880 Speaker 1: copperesque looking spheres that are blank, and they've got some 414 00:26:02,960 --> 00:26:07,080 Speaker 1: curly cue stylization on them. Uh, it looks like it 415 00:26:07,080 --> 00:26:09,960 Speaker 1: looks kind of sci fi, like from an alien civilization. 416 00:26:10,520 --> 00:26:14,439 Speaker 1: But you can definitely go see these. And if you 417 00:26:14,520 --> 00:26:19,560 Speaker 1: want to see the site of the bloody bullfrog battle itself, 418 00:26:19,560 --> 00:26:23,080 Speaker 1: you'll need to be a little bit careful because it's 419 00:26:23,119 --> 00:26:28,440 Speaker 1: now privately owned. It's along a state highway. The town 420 00:26:28,560 --> 00:26:32,080 Speaker 1: made a marker indicating where the pond existed in the 421 00:26:32,119 --> 00:26:36,760 Speaker 1: nineteen twenties, but they moved it because underbrush was growing 422 00:26:36,920 --> 00:26:39,560 Speaker 1: over it. Because now that sign is on the spot 423 00:26:39,600 --> 00:26:43,720 Speaker 1: where all the village people gathered back in seventeen fifty 424 00:26:43,760 --> 00:26:47,800 Speaker 1: four convinced it was the end of the world. Oh 425 00:26:47,920 --> 00:26:51,719 Speaker 1: and no, some of those frogs there are sculptures around 426 00:26:51,720 --> 00:26:58,400 Speaker 1: the town even have names. There's Willie and Manny after Willimantic. Correct, 427 00:26:58,480 --> 00:27:01,159 Speaker 1: we've got Swift Deep, presently named after the fans of 428 00:27:01,160 --> 00:27:05,520 Speaker 1: Taylor Swift. No, I'm kidding. It's actually reportedly named after 429 00:27:05,760 --> 00:27:11,679 Speaker 1: the Algonquin meaning of william Antic itself, which is land 430 00:27:11,720 --> 00:27:16,000 Speaker 1: of the swift running water, which immediately makes me think 431 00:27:16,000 --> 00:27:18,760 Speaker 1: of the scene in Wayne's World where Alice Cooper explains 432 00:27:19,080 --> 00:27:23,320 Speaker 1: that Milwaukee comes from the Algonquin word Milliwoauke, which means 433 00:27:23,600 --> 00:27:28,119 Speaker 1: the good land. M hm hm. There was a frog 434 00:27:28,240 --> 00:27:34,399 Speaker 1: parade in two thousand five and Windham wait with actual frogs, well, 435 00:27:34,440 --> 00:27:39,320 Speaker 1: actual fiberglass frogs, so actual frogs asterix. They were painted. 436 00:27:39,600 --> 00:27:42,440 Speaker 1: It's similar to that thing we have in Atlanta where 437 00:27:42,800 --> 00:27:47,680 Speaker 1: different artists had painted these cow sculptures to remember that. Yes, 438 00:27:47,760 --> 00:27:51,520 Speaker 1: so they painted these frogs and they paraded them through 439 00:27:51,560 --> 00:27:53,840 Speaker 1: the town and then they were displayed for a while 440 00:27:53,880 --> 00:27:57,840 Speaker 1: before they were auctioned off for charity. So if you 441 00:27:57,920 --> 00:28:01,119 Speaker 1: go to Windom today, which uh seems to be a 442 00:28:01,160 --> 00:28:04,480 Speaker 1: lovely place to visit, then you will see these various 443 00:28:04,520 --> 00:28:13,800 Speaker 1: frogs laying around. But no, Andrew, fellow, ridiculous historians. If 444 00:28:13,800 --> 00:28:17,760 Speaker 1: you spend some time in Wyndom and you make friends 445 00:28:17,800 --> 00:28:20,160 Speaker 1: with the locals and you chat them up, you might 446 00:28:20,240 --> 00:28:23,600 Speaker 1: meet some history buffs who have a different theory about 447 00:28:23,760 --> 00:28:32,760 Speaker 1: why those bullfrogs were screaming in the first place. Ha ha, 448 00:28:32,920 --> 00:28:37,680 Speaker 1: Ben the twists in the story, Why were the frogs 449 00:28:37,720 --> 00:28:40,000 Speaker 1: making so much noise? We know they were a little 450 00:28:40,000 --> 00:28:42,680 Speaker 1: bit thirsty and they were trying to get to that 451 00:28:42,800 --> 00:28:45,719 Speaker 1: last little bit of water in the pond and that 452 00:28:45,800 --> 00:28:48,600 Speaker 1: lowered pond. But what was going on that led to that. 453 00:28:48,720 --> 00:28:52,040 Speaker 1: Susan Z. Harrick, an assistant professor in residence at the 454 00:28:52,080 --> 00:28:56,840 Speaker 1: University of Connecticut's Biology Department, actually grew up in Wyndom, 455 00:28:56,880 --> 00:29:00,719 Speaker 1: and she has a theory about what insided the original 456 00:29:01,080 --> 00:29:05,000 Speaker 1: incident with the frogs that caused all of that chaos. 457 00:29:05,000 --> 00:29:07,800 Speaker 1: So the story or the legend, I guess, I don't know. 458 00:29:07,800 --> 00:29:09,720 Speaker 1: It's it's it's a little more than a legend. But 459 00:29:09,800 --> 00:29:13,000 Speaker 1: initially it claims that the frogs were fighting for this 460 00:29:13,120 --> 00:29:16,640 Speaker 1: little bit of water remaining in that pond. But Herrick, 461 00:29:16,800 --> 00:29:21,560 Speaker 1: who herself is an expert in frog behavior, thinks that 462 00:29:22,520 --> 00:29:26,560 Speaker 1: the frogs were actually getting it on. They were they 463 00:29:26,560 --> 00:29:31,280 Speaker 1: were making sweet love, presumably in the last remaining splashes 464 00:29:31,360 --> 00:29:37,360 Speaker 1: of that that lowered pond. M h. Yeah. The noises 465 00:29:37,840 --> 00:29:43,920 Speaker 1: are what Herrick calls advertisement calls that tells other males 466 00:29:44,080 --> 00:29:46,880 Speaker 1: about the male making the call. So it's kind of 467 00:29:46,920 --> 00:29:50,280 Speaker 1: like it's kind of like if you had a song 468 00:29:50,360 --> 00:29:53,560 Speaker 1: and you were like, I'm in great shape, I'm young, 469 00:29:54,360 --> 00:29:59,280 Speaker 1: this is my spot of the pond. Also, if you're listening, 470 00:29:59,640 --> 00:30:04,160 Speaker 1: I'm single, ladies, so be more like I've got a 471 00:30:04,280 --> 00:30:07,400 Speaker 1: dad body, I've got an okay job, I'm kind of 472 00:30:07,440 --> 00:30:10,880 Speaker 1: a professional nerd, and I've got a little bit of water. 473 00:30:11,280 --> 00:30:15,640 Speaker 1: Come on, ladies, let's go so the So imagine then 474 00:30:15,960 --> 00:30:19,640 Speaker 1: these kinds of songs, they're being dozens and dozens of 475 00:30:19,720 --> 00:30:26,200 Speaker 1: them at minimum right shouted over each other. And this 476 00:30:26,280 --> 00:30:30,080 Speaker 1: could easily explain the situation. But Herrick has found that 477 00:30:30,440 --> 00:30:33,920 Speaker 1: oddly enough, it looks like usually instead of shouting over 478 00:30:33,960 --> 00:30:37,920 Speaker 1: each other, neighboring frogs would take turns. One person would 479 00:30:37,960 --> 00:30:40,720 Speaker 1: say their song, which I won't reveal on air, but 480 00:30:40,800 --> 00:30:45,240 Speaker 1: you know, right to me, other species of frogs will 481 00:30:45,800 --> 00:30:49,120 Speaker 1: just crowd together with a little less strategy. They'll figure 482 00:30:49,120 --> 00:30:52,200 Speaker 1: out where females of their species may be, and they'll 483 00:30:52,240 --> 00:30:57,560 Speaker 1: just all run up there shouting. Eric has this awesome line, Um, 484 00:30:57,600 --> 00:31:00,320 Speaker 1: I really appreciated this. If you're listening to Susan Eric, 485 00:31:00,720 --> 00:31:06,160 Speaker 1: she said, it's like a singles bar scene in human society, 486 00:31:06,200 --> 00:31:09,080 Speaker 1: but for frog Yeah, and I don't know. I feel 487 00:31:09,080 --> 00:31:13,280 Speaker 1: like we all know how that usually turns out. It 488 00:31:13,320 --> 00:31:15,760 Speaker 1: makes me think of like the two dudes from Night 489 00:31:15,800 --> 00:31:18,600 Speaker 1: at the Roxbury who are like both simultaneously trying to 490 00:31:18,680 --> 00:31:21,080 Speaker 1: hit on one woman and they end up just kind 491 00:31:21,080 --> 00:31:24,280 Speaker 1: of banging against her repeatedly until she just freaks out 492 00:31:24,320 --> 00:31:26,600 Speaker 1: and runs away. You know that that seems like if 493 00:31:26,600 --> 00:31:29,160 Speaker 1: I was inundated, You know, if I was a female 494 00:31:29,200 --> 00:31:31,680 Speaker 1: frog and I was being inundated by all these calls, 495 00:31:31,720 --> 00:31:33,920 Speaker 1: I might just be like, yo, I don't think I 496 00:31:33,960 --> 00:31:36,200 Speaker 1: wanted anything to do with any of y'all because you 497 00:31:36,280 --> 00:31:39,719 Speaker 1: clearly have no restraint and um, it's kind of gross. 498 00:31:40,200 --> 00:31:44,280 Speaker 1: So that's just my two cents there, and there's Herrick 499 00:31:44,360 --> 00:31:48,440 Speaker 1: follows this a little bit further because as she was researching, 500 00:31:48,960 --> 00:31:54,600 Speaker 1: she learned that if things get particularly bad, some frogs 501 00:31:54,680 --> 00:31:58,840 Speaker 1: will switch mating strategies that they, you know, they're species, 502 00:31:58,960 --> 00:32:03,920 Speaker 1: ordinarily wouldn't use. So she believes that as the shoreline 503 00:32:03,920 --> 00:32:07,720 Speaker 1: of this pond shrink and the males became increasingly desperate, 504 00:32:07,720 --> 00:32:11,680 Speaker 1: they were losing their territory, uh their yards. Essentially, we're 505 00:32:11,680 --> 00:32:14,600 Speaker 1: getting smaller and smaller. And then it was just too 506 00:32:14,600 --> 00:32:17,360 Speaker 1: many dudes on the dance floor, too many males and 507 00:32:17,440 --> 00:32:20,600 Speaker 1: too small a pond. They gave up on having any 508 00:32:20,720 --> 00:32:23,200 Speaker 1: territory at all. They were just trying to find love. 509 00:32:23,520 --> 00:32:27,000 Speaker 1: They weren't coordinating their calls, all of which leads Herrick 510 00:32:27,160 --> 00:32:31,840 Speaker 1: to believe that's how this pandemonium occurred. They just started 511 00:32:31,880 --> 00:32:37,600 Speaker 1: screaming desperately, and then the noise became so loud that 512 00:32:37,680 --> 00:32:39,640 Speaker 1: it woke the members of the village. I do have 513 00:32:39,680 --> 00:32:42,400 Speaker 1: a theory about the noise though, because when you think 514 00:32:42,440 --> 00:32:46,560 Speaker 1: about it, in modern society, we're always surrounded with some 515 00:32:46,680 --> 00:32:50,920 Speaker 1: kind of noise, especially if you live anywhere near other people, 516 00:32:51,400 --> 00:32:54,760 Speaker 1: and the natural world is pretty loud too, But if 517 00:32:54,800 --> 00:32:56,440 Speaker 1: you live in the forest for a while, you learn 518 00:32:56,520 --> 00:33:01,600 Speaker 1: to recognize those sounds. So I'm wondering how loud this 519 00:33:01,720 --> 00:33:04,160 Speaker 1: actually was, you know what I mean, like, how loud 520 00:33:04,200 --> 00:33:06,520 Speaker 1: it would be a modern church. Was it just the 521 00:33:06,560 --> 00:33:09,520 Speaker 1: fact that they didn't have TVs on at night or podcast? 522 00:33:09,760 --> 00:33:11,160 Speaker 1: You know? But I've got to say that, and I 523 00:33:11,160 --> 00:33:13,480 Speaker 1: think you've probably been in the situation to taking a 524 00:33:13,600 --> 00:33:16,560 Speaker 1: nice stroll in the woods and you pass by like 525 00:33:16,720 --> 00:33:20,560 Speaker 1: a patch where there are clearly some frogs going nuts 526 00:33:20,960 --> 00:33:24,360 Speaker 1: and just a handful of them can raise quite a ruckist. 527 00:33:24,480 --> 00:33:27,600 Speaker 1: So I would imagine, you know, under these conditions where 528 00:33:27,600 --> 00:33:31,160 Speaker 1: they're really trying to compete for a lady's attention, could 529 00:33:31,200 --> 00:33:35,960 Speaker 1: get really out of hand volume wise, especially reverberating through 530 00:33:36,000 --> 00:33:38,720 Speaker 1: like a town square, you know, whether where there's the 531 00:33:38,760 --> 00:33:42,440 Speaker 1: po presumably some sort of stone to reinforce the pond. 532 00:33:42,480 --> 00:33:45,600 Speaker 1: I'm I'm guessing maybe not might have been more rudimentary 533 00:33:45,600 --> 00:33:47,640 Speaker 1: than that, but yeah, I could imagine it would get 534 00:33:47,720 --> 00:33:51,400 Speaker 1: pretty out of hand pretty quickly. Yeah, you know, I 535 00:33:51,720 --> 00:33:53,959 Speaker 1: think there's also a good point to be made about 536 00:33:54,080 --> 00:33:58,160 Speaker 1: the the weather at the time. Apparently the muggy air 537 00:33:58,240 --> 00:34:02,440 Speaker 1: also helped the rokes spread. But you're right, you make 538 00:34:02,440 --> 00:34:06,200 Speaker 1: a good point. Desperation can drive these frogs to some 539 00:34:06,240 --> 00:34:09,279 Speaker 1: pretty uh superhuman croaks, you know what I mean, Like 540 00:34:09,360 --> 00:34:12,279 Speaker 1: someone who is panicking when their kid is under a 541 00:34:12,320 --> 00:34:14,080 Speaker 1: car and they're able to use that what do you 542 00:34:14,120 --> 00:34:17,760 Speaker 1: call it, hysterical strength to lift the car. Maybe these croaks, 543 00:34:17,840 --> 00:34:21,200 Speaker 1: maybe these frogs were croaking as a life and death matter, 544 00:34:21,400 --> 00:34:24,879 Speaker 1: which as we learned it was, it was very much 545 00:34:24,920 --> 00:34:28,960 Speaker 1: so uh And I don't know what that being said, 546 00:34:30,200 --> 00:34:32,920 Speaker 1: this is cool. I love it when towns have something 547 00:34:32,960 --> 00:34:34,719 Speaker 1: like this. Don't you don't you feel like if you 548 00:34:34,800 --> 00:34:37,160 Speaker 1: go through a place like Hell in Georgia, don't you 549 00:34:37,440 --> 00:34:41,160 Speaker 1: like that idea like, oh, we're back in a copy 550 00:34:41,200 --> 00:34:44,200 Speaker 1: of Bavaria. I do like it, and I want to 551 00:34:44,239 --> 00:34:49,320 Speaker 1: know why. I assume initially there's some real German heritage 552 00:34:49,320 --> 00:34:50,960 Speaker 1: in a in a town like that. It turns out 553 00:34:51,000 --> 00:34:53,560 Speaker 1: that in Helen that's not the case at all. They 554 00:34:53,560 --> 00:34:58,279 Speaker 1: did it almost exclusively for tourists attraction purposes. It's not 555 00:34:58,320 --> 00:35:00,720 Speaker 1: like it has some sort of history of like German immigrants. 556 00:35:00,800 --> 00:35:03,759 Speaker 1: Unless I'm completely mistaken, but I could swear that I've 557 00:35:03,880 --> 00:35:05,880 Speaker 1: that I looked this up thinking that that was what 558 00:35:05,960 --> 00:35:08,080 Speaker 1: was up, and then realized, oh no, this is actually 559 00:35:08,120 --> 00:35:11,359 Speaker 1: just like some developers that decided they wanted to, you know, 560 00:35:11,640 --> 00:35:13,600 Speaker 1: make something a trap, sort of like south of the Border, 561 00:35:13,680 --> 00:35:15,680 Speaker 1: you know what I mean. That's literally what it is. 562 00:35:16,080 --> 00:35:19,719 Speaker 1: But despite this actually being a real part of the 563 00:35:19,760 --> 00:35:23,120 Speaker 1: town's legacy, one of the people behind that frog bridge 564 00:35:23,120 --> 00:35:26,879 Speaker 1: that we talked about really did hope that these statues 565 00:35:27,000 --> 00:35:31,360 Speaker 1: would stir up some kind of almost folkloric urban legends 566 00:35:31,400 --> 00:35:34,960 Speaker 1: surrounding the town. Right. A woman named Margaret p Reich, 567 00:35:35,320 --> 00:35:38,960 Speaker 1: who's the executive director of the Windham Regional Planning Agency 568 00:35:39,000 --> 00:35:42,680 Speaker 1: and one of the uh, the chief like boosters behind 569 00:35:42,760 --> 00:35:47,680 Speaker 1: this frog bridge idea. She said that someone came back 570 00:35:47,760 --> 00:35:51,520 Speaker 1: from Serbia with a travel guide that talked about these 571 00:35:51,520 --> 00:35:55,680 Speaker 1: bridges featuring images of dragons and sculptures of dragons that 572 00:35:55,800 --> 00:35:59,879 Speaker 1: are supposed to wag their tails when a virgin walks by. 573 00:36:00,400 --> 00:36:03,080 Speaker 1: Uh she said, and quiz quoted in the New York 574 00:36:03,120 --> 00:36:06,120 Speaker 1: Times article, We'd like to create a similar urban legend, 575 00:36:06,400 --> 00:36:10,799 Speaker 1: but with frogs and probably not involving virgins. Okay, but 576 00:36:10,880 --> 00:36:13,320 Speaker 1: that's not how that's not how urban legends work. Not 577 00:36:14,760 --> 00:36:17,640 Speaker 1: quite so much. But I I applaud the idea. Who 578 00:36:17,680 --> 00:36:22,279 Speaker 1: doesn't love a good urban legend. So let's let's make 579 00:36:22,320 --> 00:36:24,560 Speaker 1: a let's make our own urban legend. Right now, Let's 580 00:36:24,560 --> 00:36:29,120 Speaker 1: say that if you are looking for love, just like 581 00:36:29,160 --> 00:36:31,319 Speaker 1: those frogs of old, then which you want to do 582 00:36:31,440 --> 00:36:35,960 Speaker 1: is go to Wyndham Green on night in in summer. 583 00:36:36,160 --> 00:36:38,040 Speaker 1: Will make it very It can be summer, it can 584 00:36:38,080 --> 00:36:41,000 Speaker 1: be either June or July. Right, and then let's see, 585 00:36:41,040 --> 00:36:44,799 Speaker 1: you know, let's say you you have to ask one 586 00:36:44,800 --> 00:36:47,960 Speaker 1: of the frogs for help. Right, it could be manny 587 00:36:48,080 --> 00:36:51,680 Speaker 1: windy whomever. And then you mentioned this off air, maybe 588 00:36:51,760 --> 00:36:55,160 Speaker 1: maybe there's a certain way you walk. Yeah, like what 589 00:36:55,440 --> 00:36:58,000 Speaker 1: is it? What do you call win winter winter? Sian? 590 00:36:58,120 --> 00:37:00,160 Speaker 1: That's so, what is that backwards? Doesn't that just like 591 00:37:00,280 --> 00:37:05,359 Speaker 1: walking backwards? It's walking counter counter exactly, that's right. Uh. 592 00:37:05,400 --> 00:37:09,160 Speaker 1: And then what happens you you'll be blessed with your 593 00:37:09,200 --> 00:37:13,279 Speaker 1: your true love's desire. Yes, if you hear the crow, 594 00:37:13,440 --> 00:37:16,279 Speaker 1: if you hear the croak, you gotta hear the croak. Um. 595 00:37:16,280 --> 00:37:19,000 Speaker 1: But Ben, I love that, and I think let's enter 596 00:37:19,000 --> 00:37:22,400 Speaker 1: that into the lexicon of urban legends. And so so 597 00:37:22,600 --> 00:37:25,400 Speaker 1: that's how these things start. Um. But one thing that's interesting, 598 00:37:25,440 --> 00:37:27,680 Speaker 1: and it ties back into another recent episode we did 599 00:37:28,280 --> 00:37:32,480 Speaker 1: is the Windham Bank. It was chartered in eighteen thirty two, 600 00:37:32,920 --> 00:37:35,440 Speaker 1: uh and was built in what is now known as 601 00:37:35,520 --> 00:37:40,040 Speaker 1: Windham Center. Um. It was a little slow to develop, 602 00:37:40,120 --> 00:37:42,440 Speaker 1: and as we know, a lot of these frontier banks 603 00:37:42,840 --> 00:37:46,080 Speaker 1: did issue their own currency. We did episode recently on 604 00:37:46,120 --> 00:37:48,799 Speaker 1: the Leopard colonies that had their own currency, and then 605 00:37:48,800 --> 00:37:52,440 Speaker 1: in the past we had done episodes on different kind 606 00:37:52,520 --> 00:37:55,280 Speaker 1: of scripts that were issued that would lose their value 607 00:37:55,280 --> 00:37:58,160 Speaker 1: completely if they were taken too far outside of their 608 00:37:58,239 --> 00:38:01,239 Speaker 1: you know, place of issue. So the bank notes that 609 00:38:01,320 --> 00:38:04,879 Speaker 1: the Windham Bank issued, which are very rare and are 610 00:38:04,920 --> 00:38:09,600 Speaker 1: actually unlisted. And you'll recall Ben mentioned earlier, the Windham 611 00:38:09,640 --> 00:38:12,600 Speaker 1: Bank and those bank notes, the script that they issued 612 00:38:12,760 --> 00:38:16,759 Speaker 1: um featuring a frog kind of lording over the dead 613 00:38:16,760 --> 00:38:19,359 Speaker 1: body of another frog. Why why that imagery band that's 614 00:38:19,440 --> 00:38:22,240 Speaker 1: very Uh, that didn't quite that's not quite the spirit 615 00:38:22,320 --> 00:38:26,279 Speaker 1: of the frog fight post Revolutionary War. Yeah, I guess 616 00:38:26,280 --> 00:38:29,760 Speaker 1: that's true. But there's actually a poem by the great 617 00:38:29,880 --> 00:38:36,000 Speaker 1: Wyndham poet, Reverend Theron Brown, that kind of exemplifies this 618 00:38:36,080 --> 00:38:40,560 Speaker 1: whole frog you know, phenomenon um, and it goes like this, 619 00:38:42,320 --> 00:38:46,040 Speaker 1: I pause to nurse the quaint remembrance. Here the bank 620 00:38:46,120 --> 00:38:49,840 Speaker 1: and I were born the self same year. The mind. 621 00:38:49,920 --> 00:38:54,920 Speaker 1: It's notes between whose figures poked two frogs so lifelike 622 00:38:55,320 --> 00:38:59,440 Speaker 1: that they almost quote the original green backs of the 623 00:38:59,520 --> 00:39:05,640 Speaker 1: native race that long anticipated salmon chase. They blossomed like 624 00:39:05,800 --> 00:39:10,000 Speaker 1: pond lilies from the mud, memento of a war that 625 00:39:10,200 --> 00:39:13,359 Speaker 1: shed no blood. And then everybody's like stepping there, Oh 626 00:39:13,440 --> 00:39:15,560 Speaker 1: my god. I love that though, because at the end 627 00:39:15,600 --> 00:39:18,520 Speaker 1: of the day, you know this, there's a lot more, 628 00:39:18,640 --> 00:39:21,320 Speaker 1: a lot worse ways this could have gone. Uh, nobody 629 00:39:21,360 --> 00:39:24,520 Speaker 1: lost their lives and ultimately the town of Wyndham went 630 00:39:24,560 --> 00:39:28,480 Speaker 1: on to prosper So there you go, happy ending. Yes, yes, 631 00:39:28,480 --> 00:39:32,200 Speaker 1: this also marks one more step in our journey to 632 00:39:32,440 --> 00:39:36,840 Speaker 1: have an episode about every state in the United States. 633 00:39:37,080 --> 00:39:42,200 Speaker 1: So thanks as always to our super producers Casey and 634 00:39:42,200 --> 00:39:47,839 Speaker 1: Andrew Thinks. Also especially to our research associate Gabelusier who 635 00:39:47,880 --> 00:39:50,640 Speaker 1: helped us hunt these frogs in Connecticut. Yes, indeed, and 636 00:39:50,719 --> 00:39:53,040 Speaker 1: huge thanks to Alex Williams who composed this very theme 637 00:39:53,080 --> 00:39:56,040 Speaker 1: that you're hearing right now. Super muster, Casey Pegrum, guest 638 00:39:56,080 --> 00:40:02,200 Speaker 1: producer Andrew A how call me Ishmael Poward, and Christopher 639 00:40:02,200 --> 00:40:04,799 Speaker 1: Haciotes here in spirit do to be here corporeally in 640 00:40:04,840 --> 00:40:08,920 Speaker 1: the very near future? That's right, that's right, No spoilers, 641 00:40:09,000 --> 00:40:13,200 Speaker 1: but everyone acts surprised. Also big thanks to our own 642 00:40:13,560 --> 00:40:17,440 Speaker 1: croaker in the dark, Jonathan Strickland, a k. The quizter. 643 00:40:17,640 --> 00:40:19,600 Speaker 1: I always wonder if he listens to the end of 644 00:40:19,640 --> 00:40:25,200 Speaker 1: these to know the nicknames him at the end. We 645 00:40:25,239 --> 00:40:27,680 Speaker 1: should wrap it up before he shows up though for real. Indeed, 646 00:40:28,000 --> 00:40:30,120 Speaker 1: if you want to check us out other places on 647 00:40:30,120 --> 00:40:32,320 Speaker 1: the Internet, you can find us. We are on Facebook. 648 00:40:32,480 --> 00:40:35,400 Speaker 1: We're on Instagram at Ridiculous History. You can find you know, 649 00:40:35,440 --> 00:40:37,239 Speaker 1: just google that and all the things will come up. 650 00:40:37,400 --> 00:40:40,320 Speaker 1: We do recommend that you join our Facebook group Ridiculous Historians, 651 00:40:40,360 --> 00:40:42,799 Speaker 1: where you can get in on the conversation around each 652 00:40:42,840 --> 00:40:45,440 Speaker 1: new episode and you know, make some friends along the way, 653 00:40:45,440 --> 00:40:47,600 Speaker 1: because after all, it's about the friends we made along 654 00:40:47,600 --> 00:40:50,480 Speaker 1: the way. We're working on getting an email. I don't 655 00:40:50,480 --> 00:40:53,480 Speaker 1: know why that's what's going on with that, but apparently 656 00:40:53,480 --> 00:40:56,520 Speaker 1: our old email when we switched to a new provider 657 00:40:56,920 --> 00:40:59,640 Speaker 1: somehow bit the dust. So more on that soon, but 658 00:40:59,680 --> 00:41:02,680 Speaker 1: in the time that Facebook group is the best place 659 00:41:02,719 --> 00:41:04,279 Speaker 1: to get in touch with us. You can also find 660 00:41:04,360 --> 00:41:07,200 Speaker 1: us individually on social media's I am at how Now 661 00:41:07,280 --> 00:41:11,160 Speaker 1: Noel Brown pretty much exclusively on Instagram, I am at 662 00:41:11,239 --> 00:41:15,040 Speaker 1: the Frog King dot blogspot dot org. Um. If that 663 00:41:15,120 --> 00:41:17,720 Speaker 1: doesn't work out for you, please find me at ben 664 00:41:17,719 --> 00:41:21,239 Speaker 1: Bullan bo w l i N on Instagram where you 665 00:41:21,239 --> 00:41:24,040 Speaker 1: can see any number of strange adventures I get into 666 00:41:24,560 --> 00:41:27,319 Speaker 1: or come hang out with me on Twitter where I'm 667 00:41:27,440 --> 00:41:30,719 Speaker 1: at ben Bulan hs W and always looking forward to 668 00:41:30,800 --> 00:41:35,319 Speaker 1: hearing suggestions for new topics from you. Well that's that's 669 00:41:35,320 --> 00:41:39,720 Speaker 1: a ride, Nola. I've got you know, my cacophonous noise 670 00:41:39,800 --> 00:41:43,480 Speaker 1: for today as a leafblow as we record mid pandemic. 671 00:41:43,600 --> 00:41:45,879 Speaker 1: So I think it's I think it's time to call 672 00:41:45,960 --> 00:42:00,360 Speaker 1: this one. I think so, buddy. We'll see you next time. Books. Yeah. 673 00:42:04,880 --> 00:42:06,960 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from My Heart Radio, visit the I 674 00:42:07,000 --> 00:42:09,880 Speaker 1: Heart Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to 675 00:42:10,000 --> 00:42:10,880 Speaker 1: your favorite shows.