A story was written by Mark Twain during his 88-day stay in Calaveras in 1865. It launched his international career. In short, Twin overheard a bartender Ross Coon at the Angels Hotel tell the whopping tale of a jumping frog contest. According to the yarn, a hustler named Jim Smiley claimed he trained a frog to make long leaps on command. Smiley bet a stranger that his frog could out jump any other. The stranger took the bet but secretly fed Smiley’s frog a handful of buckshot. Smiley in return could not make his frog leave his spot, and the bet was lost.
Calaveras County has kept the spirit of Smiley and his frog Daniel Webster alive by celebrating the Jumping Frog Jubilee on the third weekend in May, ever since 1928.
As the story goes… “In the fall of 1865, Mark Twain spent time with the Gillis boys in their cabin on Jackass Hill near Angels Camp. He made regular visits to Angels Camp and Calaveras County and spent idle hours in the Angels Hotel where the proprietor, Ross Coons, related to him the story of the famed jumping frog contest which had taken place that summer. Because the miners had little to do in their ‘off’ hours, gambling became a common past-time and frog racing became most popular. Small fortunes were won and lost by the jump of a frog. Jim Smiley, made famous by Mark Twain, had boasted to own the “best jumper in Calaveras County,” and would parade town with his frog Daniel Webster, in a basket under his arm. About this time two slickers from New York had arrived in town and upon hearing Jim’s boasting began to make light of his frog, saying “they didn’t see he was any different from any other ol’ frog that could be caught in a cistern.” Jim could stand no more and the bet was on. Jim agreed to catch a frog for the city slickers and left Daniel in their keeping. While he was gone, they went across to Scribner’s store, purchased some buckshot and proceeded to fill Daniel full. Smiley soon returned and the race was on, but his frog would not budge, the race was called. The Bowery Boys collected their money and headed for parts unknown before it was discovered that Daniel was more than half shot. Mark Twain’s story was printed that same year and Angels Camp became known as the home of the “Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras.” A statue of Mark Twain was donated to Angels Camp in 1945 by a motion picture company making a film, starring Frederick March, on the life of Mark Twain. It was located in Utica Park.
