The New Year is almost here. Have a happy and safe New Year’s Eve!
Just before Christmas SuperPizzaBoy took a one day road trip. As previously reported we went to see the World’s Tallest Totem Pole. On the way back we stopped at the Blue Whale on Route 66 in the city of Catoosa.
The Blue Whale was built by Hugh S. Davis, a former Tulsa Zoo employee, starting in late 1960’s and finished in 1972 as a gift to his wife.
(SuperPizzaBoy Photo)
A welder friend of his welded the pipe framework and Mr. Davis applied the concrete one five gallon bucket at a time.
He built slides off the whale into the pond and a diving platform off the tail. He opened up the whale and pond up to the public for swimming, picnicking, and fishing. Mr. Davis is gone now and the property is owned by his children.
(SuperPizzaBoy Photo) – Notice the potbellied, bald headed, old man that looks like he is getting swallowed by the whale? That is SPB’s father.
It is now maintained by the Catoosa Arts and Tourism Society. It is free of charge and they allow catch and release fishing but they don’t really want you swimming there.
Mr. Davis also built other attractions on the property that are in disrepair and off limits but the remains can be seen from the parking lot.
This is the Ark that he built, he also had an alligator ranch and a praire dog village. Stuff like this intrigues me.
So if you are ever in the Tulsa area check out the Blue Whale in nearby Catoosa, right on Route 66.
Swimming Hole
I could have sworn that this was in place prior to 1960. Once the Will Rogers turnpike was in place you could see this attraction from the turnpike. It was always my cue that we were almost home. Thanks for sharing this local icon.
Fun look at your world today! My kids would have loved it when they were little!! Have a great, Happy New Year and may it last ALL year!!
What an amazing whale – bet the kids had a whale of a time on that!
Happy New Year from Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.
Cool whale! Happy New Year!
What a wonderul post and great photos ~ Blue Whale is quite the creation ~ ^_^
Happy New Year to you and your family.
(A Creative Harbor aka ArtMuseDog and Carol ^_^)
What a fun place to visit. Too bad some is in disrepair. Does anybody build cool stuff like this today?
I’m ending 2012 with visions of a Blue Whale swimming in my head. Happy 2013 to you and your family Yogi. I look forward to more chuckles in the coming year.
Hope Mrs Davis appreciated her birthday gift – think I might have been underwhelmed!
However, thank you for a fun 2012 and I look forward to your musings in 2013. A very happy New Year to you and your family from wet and chilly Leeds, Yorkshire, England.
You come up with the greatest posts….Nothing clever and unusual skips your eyes. This is a fine one. I would be inside in a New York Minute. Like the blue…but those 5 gallon buckets of concrete…UGH! genie
intrigues me too … love the photos