Blue Whale changes owners

The Blue Whale in Catoosa, Okla., a Route 66 landmark for over 35 years, changes owners effective today.

Owner and caretaker Blaine Davis has transferred ownership to his brother-in-law, Dick Belt.

“He intends to leave everything as it is,” Davis said of his brother-in-law. “It’s just a transfer of the estate. I’m not getting any money out of it. He already owns most of the land around it.”

Davis announced the impending ownership change at a quarterly meeting of the Oklahoma Route 66 Association over the weekend.

It’s the first time since 1952 that the property has not been owned by members or descendants of the Davis family.

Davis says the land surrounding the Blue Whale may eventually be developed. Although Davis acknowledged there are no legal documents that specifically address preserving the Blue Whale, he says there is a “gentleman’s agreement” to keep the grounds as they are.

“I don’t see it going outside of the family,” Davis said. “All sort of people have contacted him about selling the Blue Whale and the frontage property, and he keeps turning them down.

“But someday, he may change his mind. Reasor’s grocery down the road spent a lot of money on what was a marsh. If someone waved three million dollars at me to buy the Blue Whale, I know what I’d do.”

Davis said that he and Belt also have discussed giving the property to the city of Catoosa if it were maintained as a public park, but no such talks with the city have occurred.

The Blue Whale was built about 1970 by Blaine’s dad, Hugh Davis. It was a popular swimming hole until it closed the 1980s, and it fell into disrepair. Volunteers from Hampton Inn stepped in a few years ago, cleaned up the grounds and gave the whale a fresh coat of paint.

Davis has been the Blue Whale’s caretaker for the past few years, and anticipates that his role will remain the same this summer.

(Photos by Redforkhippie.)