Friday, May. 16, 2008

Ask Us: Can you tell us anything about the Frog Pond restaurant?

The Frog Pond was a popular restaurant located on the corner of Highway 152 and Volta road. It was a great pit-stop on the way over or coming back from "over the hill." In its boom years, people from Volta as well as Los Banos would stop there. Customers would sit in the café and chat about their farms or other such topics.

According to local historian Charles Sawyer, people that were around at the time have fond memories of the Frog Pond and the events and conversations that took place there.

The original Frog Pond was started by a man named Ed Watkins in the mid-1930s. Watkins raised French frogs in the nearby ditch that lead into a canal to the north. He would sell those frogs to local restaurants for profit. Frog legs were and still are a popular dish in Los Banos.

Watkins kept the business for a few years, but sold it in 1939 and moved to the Merced area.

Some celebrities reportedly dined at the Frog Pond. Among them was legendary country singer Hank Williams in the 1950s.

The Frog Pond, as it came to be affectionately known by locals, had several owners for about the next 20 years. Knight was the last possessor of the restaurant (that we were able to find) until he let the business die out in the mid-1960s.

The Frog Pond was never bought again and which speeded up its demise. Nevertheless, the Frog Pond will always be remembered by locals who stopped there to visit with neighbors and have a nice cold Coca-Cola.

If you have a story about the Frog Pond please let us know. We would love to talk to you to get more folklore about this delightful place.

Many thanks to historian Charles Sawyer and the Milliken Museum for helping with the article.

Do you have a question about the history of Los Baños? Submit it to Mr. McNally's Advanced Placement civics class by e-mail at tmcnally@losbanosusd.k12.ca.us or by mail to Los Baños High School, 1966 S. 11th St., Los Baños 93635. Students will do their best to research and answer questions.

Just a quick note to let you know that soon we will be graduating; however, we still have some questions to answer and they will continue in the weeks after we leave. They include: "Are there famous vaqueros from Los Baños?" and "What ever happened to the Oberon Hotel?"

Just a quick note to let you know that soon we will be graduating; however, we still have some questions to answer and they will continue in the weeks after we leave. They include: “Are there famous vaqueros from Los Baños?” and