The Miracle Toad of Tacoma
A small toad discovered buried beneath seventeen feet of hardpan sparks curiosity and scientific wonder.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Dozen of letters have been received from all corners of the United States for more information about the little gray toad that was dug up under seventeen feet of hardpan on the premises of Henry and Eliza Henderson, in the southern part of Tacoma. Managers of museums and owners of aquariums covet the little hopper. This toad is now over a month old, dating from the day he was unearthed. What surprises the scientists most is the fact that he does not turn up his catlike claws and die. Heretofore toads taken from stones or dug out of the earth at a great depth have died in a few days. But this particular toad is growing fat on flies and can hop eighteen inches any day. He loses his appetite after eating six or seven plump house flies. Since he went into a trance and came out of it as chipper as ever, after he was pronounced dead, this toad has developed into quite a social lion. In a few days, the toad will be forwarded to Harry Henderson of Pittsburg, Pa., a nephew of the Hendersons. Miss Henderson is afraid to trust this ancient treasure to the care of a friend, an express company or the mails, and she will probably make a trip East in the capacity of fly-catcher and chaperone for his toadlets.
“It can give cards and spades to the India fakirs and beat them all hollow on suspending animation.”
Local news items about 'miraculous' discoveries, like this prehistoric-seeming toad, were a staple of 19th-century Pacific Northwest journalism, blending genuine wonder with a bit of regional boosterism. While the toad's actual age remained a matter of speculation, the story captures the era's fascination with the untamed and mysterious geology of the Washington landscape.
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