By Spencer Matthews
Collegian Staff Writer
While Toledo is known world-wide as the Glass City and the birthplace of Jeep, it used to have a different nickname.
In the 1830s, Toledo was just a small settlement in the northwest corner of Ohio, a portion of the state that consisted of a vast expanse of marshy wetlands. The yet-to-be-drained marshlands were the perfect habitat for some of our favorite slimy friends: frogs. Thus, Toledo’s first moniker: Frog Town.
Before Toledo’s glass industry took off in the late 1880s, the county was an environmentally diverse area with prairies, forests, and the aforementioned swamps, thanks to its poor drainage and proximity to the Maumee River.
While the Glass City was built over many of the wetlands that were once home to all of the frogs and toads that previously claimed the land, they were not completely driven from the area. Even with the industrialization and loss of wetlands, frogs continued to call Toledo home, remaining to sing their frog song and protect the people of Toledo from mosquitoes.
Their legacy was so lasting, that in 2001, a civic project by the Arts Commission to fill the streets of Toledo with massive, artful fiberglass frog sculptures was launched. Businesses all over the city commissioned local artists to create frog sculptures near their buildings to reflect the aesthetics and goals of the sponsors.
More than 100 artists were involved in the initial attempt to spread the frogs across the city, and as the effort gained traction, even more businesses and artists joined the initiative. This allowed lesser-known artists of Toledo to get their work out into the world, while also adding to the beauty of the city and helping to support local businesses.
In the 22 years since the initiative was launched, several frogs have migrated from their original building sites to different locations across the city and others have apparently hopped off into anonymity. Many frogs, however, are still prevalent landmarks around the city.
