Visitors at the iconic Blue Whale site off Route 66 in Catoosa, Oklahoma, will be unable to climb into the whale’s interior after someone vandalized that space with spraypaint last week.
According to Channel 2 in nearby Tulsa:
“Yesterday morning, a sweet family who had climbed up the blue whale’s head for the great photo op, came in here and said, you may want to come here and look,” Liz Huckleby said.
When Park Director, Liz Huckleby, went to go look, she found what she describes as crude vandalism.
“It was spray painted, dark purple spray paint and very, very thick and very crude,” Huckleby said. […]
“We temporarily have it closed, while we figure that out, but most likely, in the future it will only be open during gift shop hours,” Huckleby said.
Here is Tulsa News on 6‘s report on the vandalism:
The station reported it took two days for city workers to cover the graffiti.
The first few steps into the whale, visitors would normally discover a hole in the top of the whale’s head, but it’s boarded up for now.
“Usually you can climb up in there. And it’s a great photo op, kids usually will stick their head out the holes and then their parents kinda stand out here and take pictures,” Huckleby said. “So it’s a fantastic photo op that I hate people have to miss out on right now.”
I suspect security cameras might be a future addition to the whale. Or the city simply will add a door to the upper chamber inside the whale and lock it when the site is closed.
The City of Catoosa purchased the Blue Whale site and its land in 2020 from its longtime owners, the Davis family. Rogers County property records stated it was sold for $1.5 million.
Hugh Davis hand-made the Blue Whale out of concrete and shaped rebar about 1970 as an anniversary gift to his wife. The Blue Whale and its spring-fed pond became a popular swimming hole for locals and travelers along Route 66 alike.
It closed about 1988 and fell into disrepair until it was restored in the early 2000s. Hugh Davis’ son, Blaine, was the caretaker at the property for many years.
(Image of the Blue Whale of Catoosa, Oklahoma, by Ayleen Dority via Flickr)
What drives such vandalism, such negativity? Such egotism?
They definitely need CCTV cameras all around the compound. It’s a shame that people need to be supervised to keep them from acting like juvenile delinquents, but apparently that’s the reality.
It seems to me that the acceptance of graffiti on tourists spots such as the Cadillac Ranch give people the idea to do it elsewhere in other such locations.
City of Catoosa got right on it and it has been repainted.
Two words: Death Penalty