Exploding Whale Memorial Park

This riverfront park provides access to the Siuslaw River in Historic Old Town Florence. Named by residents to memorialize the notorious "exploding whale" incident that took place on the Oregon Coast in the 70s, this beautiful wayside park offers sandy beach and views of the Siuslaw River Bridge. What was this incident? A dead whale that had washed up on the shore and was becoming putrid so it needed to be removed. The decision was made to dynamite it but rather than solving the problem, whale blubber came showering down on the beach, parking lot and bystanders.