Bainbridge Island: The Legend of Frog Rock

Bainbridge Island is ordinary. It's not bad by any means, just ordinary. It isn't a mecca for any particular industry, and most of the things to do on the island are all within a less than one-mile strip of shops on the water. If you're on Bainbridge, chances are it is only as a way to get to the center of everything in Washington, Seattle, as Bainbridge is home to one of the few ferries that tourist and locals can take to get to the big city.

On this ordinary little island, though, is a local landmark. A legend amongst the Bainbridge natives. Frog Rock isn't some weird island shoot-off of progressive rock music. It's just a couple of rocks on top of each other, giving it the slight resemblance of a frog, painted as, you guessed it, a frog. There is also a smaller rock to the right of Frog Rock that has been painted like a ladybug. Now, I know what you're thinking, what is so special about a rock painted as a frog? And, well, nothing really. Just like Bainbridge itself, Frog Rock is rather ordinary on its surface. Truthfully, if you aren't a Bainbridge native, Frog Rock will probably seem just as ordinary and uneventful as Bainbridge itself. But, lets dig deeper.

The beginning of Frog Rock starts in the 70s, but the rock itself goes even further back. The rock is a glacial erratic, or, it was a rock that was carried by glaciers thousands of years ago. It is said that the two rocks were once one. Reportedly, the rock was split by dynamite in the 1950s to remove it from a road. At this time, the rock was simply known as "split rock."

Fast forward to June of 1971. A Bainbridge high school tradition for graduating seniors is "Paint Night," where the seniors would go out and paint their names and the year they were graduating on the roads. Now, obviously this is highly illegal and will probably get you put in jail if caught. Presumably not wanting to risk hard time for a senior gag, a couple decided to paint "split rock" into a frog. Thus creating Frog Rock, a symbol of community and history for the small island of Bainbridge. Around 2008, someone decided Frog Rock could use a buddy, so a smaller rock next to Frog Rock was painted as a ladybug.

Ever since then, Frog Rock has been a landmark known only by Bainbridge locals, or Washingtonians who were a little bit more in the know. Over the years, Frog Rock has had many other things painted over it. Most of the time, it is just a fresh coat of paint for the frog design, but a heart has also been seen under the mouth part of the frog as well as various messages from locals (mostly the high schoolers).

In 2014, there was word going around that Frog Rock might be completely removed by the city, citing safety reason. This caused instant backla

sh and sadness in the community, prompting people to leave messages of goodbye on the roads that lay beside the rock. After thinking it over, the city decided that it would leave its quirky landmark alone.

Although to you, Frog Rock may seem like a big, dumb rock painted to look like a frog, it is clear that it is much more than that. Frog Rock clearly means a lot to the community of Bainbridge. It is a symbol of community, a symbol of its past, it's present and hopefully it's future. Most importantly, though, it is a good reminder that sometimes, even the most mundane thing to one person, can bring great joy to a whole community of people. So next time you happen to be heading to Seattle via the ferry, or just happen to be in the area, stop and give this ordinary landmark in this ordinary town a visit.