The Blue Whale of Catoosa has become a beloved historic landmark along Route 66. The Blue Whale was originally built by Hugh S. Davis, a zoologist and family man who envisioned the whale as a special place where his grandchildren could play and swim in the nearby pond.

After noticing children swimming in a pond near their property on Route 66, Davis decided to build the whale as a gift to his wife, and as a swim dock for children looking to dive and slide into the old pond. The Davis's maintained the whale through the 1980s and even had a small concession stand at the pond.

Chief Wolf-Robe Hunt once ran the Arrowood Trading post across the highway from the Blue Whale attraction. By 1988, the Davises were not able to continue managing the attraction, so they closed it to the public.

Blaine Davis, in a 2014 Tulsa World interview, said it took his father two years to build the Blue Whale for his mother. Hugh logged 2,920 hours of labor on the project.

Moby-Dick; or, The Whale is an 1851 novel by American writer Herman Melville. The book is the sailor Ishmael's narrative of the maniacal quest of Ahab, captain of the whaling ship Pequod, for vengeance against Moby Dick, the giant white sperm whale that bit off his leg on the ship's previous voyage.

James Bartley (1870–1909) is the central figure in a late nineteenth-century story according to which he was swallowed whole by a sperm whale. He was found still living days later in the stomach of the whale, which was dead from harpooning.

Whales play a vital role in the marine ecosystem where they help provide at least half of the oxygen you breathe, combat climate change, and sustain fish stocks. How do they do it? By providing nutrients to phytoplankton.

Blue whales are the largest animals ever to live on our planet. They feed almost exclusively on krill, straining huge volumes of ocean water through their baleen plates (which hang from the roof of the mouth and work like a sieve). Some of the biggest individuals may eat up to 6 tons of krill a day.

Threats. Like other large whales, blue whales are threatened by environmental change including habitat loss and toxics. Blue whales can also be harmed by ship strikes and by becoming entangled in fishing gear.

The whales' flesh is picked away by sharks, crabs and hagfish – the latter can absorb nutrients directly through their skin while they forage inside carcasses. Whale skeletons are then covered with colourful, delicate, flower-like creatures – zombie worms.

Calves leave their mothers when they give birth to their next calf, and will reach maturity when they reach their full size, between five and 15 years of age. Blue whales may have a maximum lifespan upwards of 110 years old.

55km The route stretches over 55km, from Potberg to Koppie Alleen, with five overnight stops (hikers spend the first night at Potberg before starting the trail).