In the meantime, the Twin Bridges across the Verdigris River, which had long become a photo op for Route 66 travelers, changed in August 2011. In the summer of 2011, the Blue Whale was given a fresh coat of paint thanks to the donation of time and effort by the Bill Haynes Company of Tulsa. A local volunteer group, Fins of the Blue Whale, formed in 2009 and began long-term efforts to improve the grounds - including plans to eventually renovate and reopen The A.R.K. A few years later, a large group of volunteers from the Hampton Inn hotel chain pitched in to help clean the grounds. However, in the early 2000s, Blaine Davis, a son of Hugh and Zelta Davis became a part-time caretaker of his parent’s property, and it reopened. The park soon fell into disrepair, crumbling from neglect and weather.īlue Whale’s Eye, Catoosa, Oklahoma by David Fisk In 1988, the aging couple found that they could no longer handle the management of the attraction and it was closed. Children flocked to slide down the tail of the large Blue Whale into the cool waters of the pond, as families enjoyed the picnic tables, concessions, and boats provided at Nature’s Acres. In no time at all, its pond, giant Blue Whale, and zoo, housed in a wooden ark, attracted both locals and travelers alike. Chief Wolf-Robe Hunt once ran the Arrowood Trading post across the highway from the Blue Whale attraction. The attraction also featured Hugh’s brother-in-law, Indian Chief Wolf Robe Hunt, a full-blooded Acoma Indian, who was famous, in his own right, for his Indian paintings, and as a highly skilled silversmith. Originally called Nature’s Acres, Hugh continued to build the attraction until it eventually included the Fun and Swim Blue Whale and the A.R.K. Army Corps of Engineers.Īnimal Reptile Kingdom (A.R.K.) at the Blue Whale Attraction by Kathy Weiser-Alexander Today, it offers year-round, ice-free barge service with river flow levels controlled by the U.S. This inland seaport town is the furthest inland seaport in the United States. In 1971, the Tulsa Port of Catoosa opened and gave the town an economic boom, which continues to this day. The port connects to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico via the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System. The port’s 2,000-acre industrial park continues to provide numerous jobs in the area. Though they were mismatched, they became known as the Twin Bridges but were dubbed “Felix” and “Oscar” by locals. The 1936 bridge became the westbound bridge. In 1957, Route 66 had become a four-lane highway, and a second bridge, serving eastbound traffic was added across the Verdigris River. In the 1940s and 1950s many of the community’s businesses, such as the Catoosa Indian Trading Post, catered to travelers on Route 66. Verdigris Bridges near Catoosa, Oklahoma by Kathy Weiser-Alexander. At this time, the meandering course between Claremore and Catoosa crossed the Verdigris River on a steel truss bridge, that was found to be too narrow, so the Bird Creek Bridge was built in 1936.
In 1926, Route 66 was built through the area and businesses sprouted up to serve travelers along the new highway. The town continued to thrive with coal mining, agriculture, oil, and natural gas production.
By 1910, the population of the community had almost doubled and had added a grain elevator, a cotton gin and mill, a marble works, and some coal mines. Early newspapers included the Catoosan, the Catoosa Courier, and the Catoosa Star. He is buried in the Dick Duck Cemetery near Catoosa.īy 1900, the town had grown to 241 people, at which time, it boasted six general stores, two doctors, three drugstores, two blacksmiths, a hotel, a number of livestock dealers, a lumberyard, and a lawyer. However, his sentence was appealed and he was sent to prison. He was arrested for killing a man and sentenced by Judge Isaac Parker to be hanged in July 1886. During these early years, the town was called home to Bluford “Blue” Duck, an infamous outlaw who was allegedly involved with a lady desperado from Missouri named Belle Starr.
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