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"Blasted blubber beyond all believable bounds": How Oregon's exploding whale went from disaster to beloved local legend
Officials used 20 cases of dynamite to break apart a large whale carcass attracting wildlife and posing explosion risks, but large pieces still required burial, KATU News reported.
- On November 12, 1970, a sperm whale carcass washed ashore on the Oregon coast, and Florence Mayor Rob Ward later marked November to memorialize it at Exploding Whale Memorial Park.
- Facing a rotting, odorous carcass, authorities detonated 20 cases of dynamite on the Oregon coast to let nature's scavengers finish disposal and prevent putrefaction-driven gas buildup.
- Huge chunks of blubber sailed through the air, striking bystanders and leaving buried whale pieces on the beach that still required collection.
- Local culture absorbed the episode as the KATU clip has more than 20 million views, inspiring a song by Sufjan Stevens and a Portland Pickles stunt, with visitors enjoying holiday-like commemorations.
- At the Tomorrow Theater on Wednesday, Oh Whale, documentary by Winslow Crane-Murdoch, will show after the sold-out 7 p.m. screening, prompting an earlier showing.
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6 Articles
6 Articles
Coverage Details
Total News Sources6
Leaning Left0Leaning Right3Center3Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Center, 50% Right
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources are Center, 50% of the sources lean Right
50% Right
C 50%
R 50%
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