RAINING WHALE FLESH?! 54 Years Later

Have you heard of the Oregon exploding whale? No? Let me spill the tea! Back in November 1970, a sperm whale that weighed about 8-tons washed up on the shores of the quaint little town of Florence, Oregon. Well, I'm sure you've heard the old adage about fish and houseguests. After three days they start to stink. The folks in Florence sure had a whale of a problem!

Oregon Department of Transportation was in charge of the beaches at the time and the residents of Florence demanded that the state do something to rid the town of the odiferous animal. Many options were brought up to dispose of the mammal, but in the end the decision was made to consult the department's demolition expert, George Thornton - well versed in making boulders go away - to remove the smelly sea life. Mr. Thornton brought in 20 cases (!) of dynamite to resolve the problem. The explosives were tucked under the whale and set to detonate with the expectation that the pieces would be sent flying into the ocean.

Viewers came from near and far. The Eugene Registered Guard newspaper even announced the event the day before. Who could resist making a day trip for a whale shower! News reporter Paul Linnman was on scene to report on the spectacle. After the explosion, Mr. Linnman poetically shared, “The blast blasted blubber beyond all believable bounds.”

While the viewers were not allowed any closer than 1/4 of a mile from the whale, when the flesh erupted, shooting about 100 feet up in the air and out instead of towards the water, everyone and everything around was showered with whale blubber, and these were not all small pieces! Fortunately, no one was injured but Walter Umenhofer's brand new Oldsmobile was crushed by a huge chunk of flesh. He said, "My insurance company’s never going to believe this." The state's insurance took care of it and Mr. Umenhofer's beauty was replaced.

The pieces of the whale that were not obliterated, eaten by the birds, or washed off of viewers, were buried with the help of a bulldozer. The smell, however, lingered for days. Going forward, washed up whales were buried as Mr. Thornton felt that exploding the animals was not the appropriate solution. Fun Fact: In 1979, 41 whales washed ashore south of Florence. Burial was the chosen remedy for the animals. The lovely town of Florence now has a park named for the event and continues to commemorate the day, annually in November. "The celebration is open house style, family friendly, a little quirky; a lotta fun. Wearing whaley fun costumes is encouraged too." You can follow the Facebook page and look forward to the event for years to come!