Rocky the Frog


When you travel up Arizona's Highway 89 from the town of Wickenburg to the back roads of Prescott, you will see a bizarre site on the mountains along the way.  Not far from Congress sits a rather noticeable green frog-like structure perched high on the mountains.  It appears to be looking off into the distance perhaps waiting for a giant fly to buzz by so it can zap it and have a meal.

The story is told that it has sat there since the 1920's when an artist, Sara Perkins, and her two boys hiked up the side of the mountain to paint one of the boulders.  Apparently the threesome saw the rock as a giant amphibian and painted it green.  They added other colors to give the frog its life-like form so that all can see what they envisioned.  During this era when the boulder was painted, Highway 89 was the main route between Phoenix and Prescott.  Many people saw and enjoyed the Perkins sculpture.  It became a popular roadside attraction and brought many to the nearby town.  This was great for the Perkins family who owned a nearby service station known as the Arrowhead.

Today, some of the towns individuals are still maintaining the frogs appearance.  They hike up the mountain with their green paint and give the old boy a new look.  Somewhere along the way, the frog was bestowed the name, Rocky and still sits proudly on top of the mountain along Highway 89.


Comments

  1. That's very cool, not just that it was made, but that it's maintained. I love quirky landmarks like this.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I enjoy cruising around the state looking for abandoned places and running across interesting things like this....Bonus!

    ReplyDelete
  3. on HW93 near kingmen AZ there on the hill is a rock painted to look like a polar bear.

    ReplyDelete

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