CATOOSA, Okla. — Drive along Route 66 , and you can't miss the famous Blue Whale of Catoosa. The tourist destination has made a splash for decades and is about to get a boost.
2 News Oklahoma's Julie Chin met with the Oklahoma Route 66 Association President at the Blue Whale. He said, "Most people know it as this quirky roadside attraction and are like, what is this thing doing here in the middle of Oklahoma? But what I love about the Blue Whale is that it's a love story. Hugh Davis built this as an anniversary present for his wife Zelta in 1972."
Hugh Davis was a former director of the Tulsa Zoo and loved nature. So did his wife. "Zelta collected whale figurines, so I don't know what year of anniversary is the giant whale, but it was a nice kind of thing he did to tie into something that she was already passionate about, and it ties into his love of nature," said Martin.
Martin explained that Hugh built a nature park here before he built the whale. You can still see the snake pit and the Ark. "Ark stands for Animal Reptile Kingdom because it had snakes, alligators, scorpions, all of that kind of stuff when it was here," said Martin.
A sign on site explains Hugh spent two years building the Blue Whale. According to his notes, he worked nearly 3000 hours to apply cement bucket by bucket by hand. It was first a family swimming hole before becoming a popular stop on the Mother Road.
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Now, 52 years later, there are plans for new construction surrounding The Blue Whale. Catoosa City Manager John Blish explains, "We have received grants from the state of Oklahoma to expand the facilities here on site." He says up to $1.8 Million has been approved. Plans include a Welcome Center with a gift shop, a paved parking lot, a walking trail, and a water feature. "The waterfall feature will go in the northeast corner, so hopefully, it'll keep the water circulating and also be a good place for people to take photographs," said Blish.
The city of Catoosa had Tulsa's Hampton Creative make renderings for the grant process with an idea of what it's hoping for and is now in the process of identifying an architect.
"We want to maintain the history of the site and let people see the creativity that was done by Mr. Davis and also be able to expand it in the future for kids that are here now," said Blish.
The city wants it finished by the time people hit the road for the Route 66 Centennial in 2026, something Martin said people are already planning.
"What an amazing experience for them to stop here and not just take a picture with this great Blue guy but get to go in the gift shop and stay a little while," said Martin.
Adding an extra kick to Route 66.
If you're looking to plan a road trip along Route 66, you can check out theOklahoma Route 66 Association here.
You can see more of the Hampton Creative Designs here.
The Blue Whale's official Facebook page is here.
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