Oregon marks exploding whale's 50th anniversary

Former reporter Larry Bacon says the story has followed him for 50 years.

Marisa woloszyn."

It's a whale of a tale -- some 50 years later people are remembering this day in 1970 where oregon state troopers blew up a beached whale on the south jetty in florence a 45 foot eye sore that became a legend.

Today- kezi 9 news reporter emma jerome spoke with the reporter who was there that day -- and another man who holds the whale in his heart ej "walking along the south jetty there is no sign that anything happened here.

Obviously.

It happened 50 years ago today.

A massive sperm whale washing up dead on arrival - and an endeavor to remove it that those involved would soon regret" november 12 1970 it started with a whale larry bacon: ""the whale stunk really bad right at the sight" followed by some out-of-the-box thinking.

"they came up with a plan like lets just pretend it's a big rock on the highjway and let's just blow it up" what came next was the stuff of legends*nat* lb: "right after that it started snowing rancid blubber -there was just no escaping it" larry bacon was a register guard coast reporter -- only a few months on the job "there were chunks flying overhead and i had a bolaflex camera around my neck and i didn't even think about taking a picture i was just looking up there" his article from t hat day beginning with "it was a beautiful day to blow up a whale" he says it's a story that's followed him for 50 years "that's the one attached to my name?that's the one they wrote a column about when i retired?and i'm sure it will be in my obituary" and he's not the only one with a connection to the event chris van vechten : " "i wrote my college thesis on this " chris van vechten drove down to florence -- just for the day there was no way he was missing it "pandemic or not we were gonna be here for the 50th anniversary?we were willing to give up passover we were willing to give up the fourth of july?whale blowing day we had to draw the line" and so it is fifty years later -- a time where people reflect a bizarre part of oregon's history -- and reminded how not to dispose of a whale in florence "thank god for the internet" emma jerome kezi 9 news the cause of an r-v fire in eugene is under investigation tonight.

The rv on west first avenue -- was fully engulfed in flames... at about 7:30.

No one was hurt.

Witnesses told police they saw someone leave the r-v before the fire started.

A motorhome exploded into flames in creswell last night, getting a lot of attention -- but, no one was hurt.

Officials say the fire started in the tractor supply store parking lot at about 6:30.

People in the area tried to put it out, but the