What is the Blue Whale of Catoosa and how did it come to be? This unusual tourist stop on historic Route 66 has been a fixture but it may not be as old as you think.

History of the Blue Whale of Catoosa

The Blue Whale was built by Hugh Davis who retired from the Tulsa Zoo. The Blue Whale was unveiled in 1972. The final project is some 80 feet long and about 20 feet tall, although I don’t know if that includes the nifty baseball cap on the whale’s head.

The idea came to Davis partially because his wife, Zelta, was a fan of whales. The whale was actually a surprise gift to Zelta and was built on the family’s land where a spring-fed pond had already been a popular spot for the children to fish, swim and paddle around in what they called African canoes.

According to Davis’ daughter, Dee Dee, “The pond on the Davis property was always a fun place. Before the Whale was built, the kids who were friends of the Davis' son Blaine and daughter Dee Dee swam, canoed in dug-out African canoes, played King-of-the-Hill by throwing each other off the large floating rafts, and fished for perch and bass.

They picnicked in the summer and skated on the ice in the winter. Then, Hugh's children grew up and the pond was quiet...but not for long. When Blaine had sons, John and Paul, their favorite place was across the road building and exploring with their Papa.”

A popular swimming platform

The Blue Whale has a number of aspects that make it more than just an unusual sculpture. There are water slides on either side that come out of the whale’s gills plus the tail is actually a diving platform with a ladder to get back onto the whale’s deck from the water.

There’s a second deck with port holes to observe the goings on. Overall it’s a pretty nifty sculpture and it’s no wonder that, almost as soon as it opened, locals were eager to try out the various features of the whale.

And that’s how it became a tourist attraction rather than just something for the family.

Pretty soon the family was taking turns officially opening the Blue Whale of Catoosa to the public from 11am until dark every day it didn’t rain, and with the exception of Mondays. There was no charge to play on the whale.

It was in response to the popularity of the attraction that the Davis family brought in picnic tables with cute whale legs that stand to this day. There were also changes made to the pond and, to stay on the safe side, there were lifeguards while the attraction was open.

The entrance to the Blue Whale of Catoosa site.jpg

Tony and Peggy visit the Blue Whale of Catoosa.jpg

Thatched hut bathrooms outside the Blue Whale of Catoosa.jpg

The famous Blue Whale of Catoosa along Route 66.jpg

You used to be able to get up to a club house in the Blue Whale of Catoosa.jpg

Another shot of the upper deck of the clubhouse at the Blue Whale of Catoosa.jpg

The Blue Whale of Catoosa was started as a swim platform.jpg

The upper deck of the tail is a swim platform where you could jump into the pond.jpg

The gills on the Blue Whale of Catoosa are actually water slides.jpg

There's a secret club house in the upper floor of the Blue Whale of Catoosa which is now sealed-off.jpg

Clever picnic tables with fish supports at the Blue Whale of Catoosa.jpg

The ARK at the Blue Whale of Catoosa used to be an exhibit itself.jpg

The ARK at the Blue Whale of Catoosa from the front.jpg

The letters A-R-K were still present in 2021 when we first visited on the ARK at the Blue Whale of Catoosa.jpg

More than just the Blue Whale

Other attractions also drew people in. There’s a big wooden ark on the property that reportedly has carved reliefs of various reptiles and the name ARK is actually an acronym for Animal Reptile Kingdom. The ARK actually pre-dates the whale and offered gift items for sale when it was active.

In fact the property was originally called Natures Acres and the whale was dubbed the Fun and Swim Blue Whale.

The attraction also featured Hugh Davis brother-in-law, Chief Wolf-Robe Hunt, a full blooded member of the Acoma Tribe, who was famous in his own right for his Native American paintings and as a highly skilled silversmith. Chief Wolf-Robe Hunt once ran the Arrowood Trading post across the highway from the Blue Whale attraction.

Purportedly there was a functioning mini zoo on the property with a number of attractions. A few of the pieces are still intact including what’s left of an enclosure and a ring of mushroom sculptures.

Present situation

We first visited the Blue Whale of Catoosa in June of 2021 at which point I wasn’t sure if it were abandoned, despite the popularity. There didn’t appear to be anyone of an official status around supervising the property which is always concerning because not everybody remains on their best behavior when there isn’t a perceived adult in the room.

At that point you could still climb onto the whale’s swim platform tail and up into the second-story room. It was pretty much a free-for-all and I’m sure you could even go swimming in the watering hole if you chose to. But the whale was getting a bit tired with the paint showing the ravages of time.

We were just back there in June of 2024 and I can report that the whale is looking quite spiffy with a fresh paint job. There is no more accessing the swim platform and the second-story room has also been blocked off.

Between our visits the whale also celebrated her 50th birthday which the City of Catoosa used as the occasion to spiff her up.

This makes sense as I learned that the City of Catoosa now owns the property. The gift shop was staffed and there was a new sign on the wall that told some of the story of the project.

The odd thatched hut-themed bathrooms that didn’t have stalls between various seats were now closed and blue rooms had come to take their place. I can see those bathrooms being a liability for a government agency who would also have to deal with ADA requirements.

It’s nice to see these historic pieces being preserved and it’s clear the value they bring to a community when the local government steps-up to make sure they have a place in our future.

Building the Blue Whale of Catoosa

One of the things that’s new since I was there last is a sign and on that sign are some words from the Davis’ children Dee Dee and Blaine. Apparently Hugh Davis left behind notes on the building of the Blue Whale and this is what it entailed to accomplish that:

Metal Lath - 180 sq, ft. per bundle; 14 bundles would go 2,520 sq. ft. at a cost of $215.70
2" pipe - will need 1,179 feet for $451.00
3/4" & 7/8" rods - 2,650 feet for $77.50
1" pipe - 100 feet
Dry concrete - 126 sacks for $228.79
Ready-mix concrete - 19 1/2 yards for $296,08
Rock - 19,400 pounds
Sand - 15 tons
20" nails, copper tubing, and screening for $40.75
Wood - 2,454 linear feet for $473.93

To accomplish his plan, Hugh Davis needed help fashioning the iron framework the skeleton of the Whale. For this task he called on his friend, Harold Thomas, a welder, to weld the 20-foot-tall, 80-foot-long structure. Harold worked 100 hours and charged nothing...he enjoyed helping out a neighbor and friend. It took two years, 1970-1972, to build the Whale.

According to Hugh's notes, he worked 2,920 hours applying the cement, which he hand-mixed and applied one five-gallon bucket at a time.