Blue Whale of Catoosa

Catoosa, Oklahoma, United States

Animals and creatures

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Current

Listed, not yet checked · Oct 2026

This Big Thing is recorded as still being here.

The Blue Whale of Catoosa is an 80-foot-long, 20-foot-high concrete whale beside a pond on Route 66 in Oklahoma, built in 1972 by zoologist Hugh Davis, reportedly as an anniversary present for his wife. The City of Catoosa owns it and opened a visitor centre in May 2026.

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Blue Whale of Catoosa

This pin marks the Big Thing itself. If stopping, choose a safe and legal place nearby.

Site-level location · 36.1868° N, 95.7469° W

FIELD GUIDE

The story

A smiling concrete whale, 80 feet long and 20 feet high, sits in a pond beside Route 66 in Catoosa, Oklahoma, and it reportedly began as a present from a husband to his wife.

According to News On 6 in March 2026, zoologist Hugh Davis presented it to his wife Zelta on their 34th wedding anniversary, 7 September 1972. TulsaPeople reports that he built it with a friend, Harold Thomas, over two years while the pond was still full of water, and that Zelta was drawn to blue whales. TravelOK, the state tourism site, tells a slightly different story, saying Davis envisioned a place where his grandchildren could play and swim; it describes the pair welding the metal frame and applying hand-mixed cement one five-gallon bucket at a time.

The whale was not blue at first. Davis's son Bill told News On 6 it stayed concrete-coloured for almost two years. It became a popular swimming spot, and Davis added sand, picnic tables and lifeguards. The family also ran Animal Reptile Kingdom nearby, a petting zoo styled like a boat, which closed by 1988. Hugh Davis died in 1990 and Zelta in 2001.

The City of Catoosa bought the property from the Davis family, in 2021 according to News On 6 and in 2020 according to TulsaPeople. A visitor centre built in part with a Route 66 Revitalization Grant held its grand opening on 30 May 2026. A city official told TulsaPeople before the opening that visitors could still walk onto the whale and that there would be no charge to enter the park or see it.

TravelOK adds that a small ladder inside leads to a compartment in the whale's head.

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PRACTICAL

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WHAT TO EXPECT

A city-run park around a pond, where a city official said before the 2026 opening that visitors can still walk onto the whale. TravelOK describes picnic spots, fishing and seasonal restrooms, and a small ladder to a compartment in its head. The new visitor centre, which held its grand opening on 30 May 2026, includes an expanded gift shop (Fox23).

ACCESS

On Route 66 (State Highway 66) in Catoosa, Oklahoma. A City of Catoosa official told TulsaPeople in 2026 there is no charge to enter the park.

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