1897- first crashed UFO case (with alien) documented

1897
Sighting by Hundreds of People

This is thought to be the first well documented sighting of a UFO...and includes a purported crash sight and crash site examination.

In the spring of 1897 a cigar shaped object was seen by numerous Americans as it made it's way around the United States from San Francisco to Chicago. Hundreds lined the lake front to watch for it's appearance. Astronomers suggested that they were watching the bright star Big La goose. In April of that year, newspapers reported that a cigar-shaped spacecraft crashed into Judge J.F. Proctor's windmill and exploded. People around the town of Aurora, Texas rushed to see the wreckage where they said they found the body of a tiny pilot. It was examined and pronounced to be unlike any inhabitant of this world. A pilot's log of undecipherable writing was also mentioned in the original news dispatches along with the account of a Christian burial for the tiny space pilot by the townspeople.

In 1973 Dallas Times Herald reporter Bill Case dug beneath the site of the crash and found a number of metallic shards and took them to Dr. Tom Gray, a physicist at North Texas University. Dr. Gray reportedly stated that at least one of the strange pieces of metal had defied analysis. The reporter compared his metal detector readings from the crash site to those at the grave of the space pilot. The unusual signals were identical. The first documented American UFO sighting and crash remains a mystery after one hundred years. Do you suppose we could remove DNA from the remains of the pilot and check the mitochondrial DNA against the common human mitochondrial as described in Lloyd Pye's book "Everything you know is wrong" to see if indeed we are related/unrelated? According to Mr. Pye, everyone on earth can be traced that way back to the same mother. Do you have an encounter or comment you would like to share with us? comments

Another account of the incident was quoted like this; In the spring of 1973, the Dallas Times Herald ran some stories about a UFO "crash" in April, 1897. A small, shiny, "cigar-shaped" craft was said to have crashed into a windmill in Aurora, Texas. The strange craft's tiny pilot was said to have been "blown to pieces."

How did the Times Herald learn about the "crash"? Bill Case, a reporter, found the story in an 1897 Dallas newspaper. Later, Bill Case and a treasure-hunter named Frank Kelley went to the "crash site." They dug up a few scraps of "strange-looking" metal. By mid-June, news reporters, curiosity seekers, and UFO fans were piling into Aurora. A new interest in UFO's was born -- at least in that part of Texas.

Around the same time, Mrs. Marie Harris, of Garland, Texas, said that there was a strange thing growing in her backyard. It was "as big as a platter, foamy and creamy, and pale yellow." It also "pulsated like a beating heart." When Mrs. Harris hacked it with a hoe, it "bled," she said. Its "blood" was a red and purple goo.

People called it "The Blob." A biologist from the University of Texas called it a fungus. Finally, sunlight seemed to kill it.

A national news magazine linked the story of "The Blob" with the story of the old UFO "crash" at Aurora. That magazine story, surely, must have set great numbers of people thinking about visitors from outer space.

I think I have seen this story and people wanted to dig up the gravesite but the town wouldnt let them and then apparently the government came and removed it. The funny thing that stands out for me is the name of the town "Aurora" how many times have we all heard that word?

That's interesting. Have the sceptics managed to debunk it? Are they just calling it an urban legend or something? This could prove valuable evidence if something is found on the site. But I guess the government have already cleaned the place.

reply to post by spacecowgirl


This case was researched in the UFO Hunters. They were given permission to dig up the well and look for evidence that something happened. This is what they found:

1. There was evidence that a windmill was on the property. This was always a sticking point to debunkers of the incident.

2. The well was constructed at or before the time of the incident. While no debris was found in it, the water tested high for aluminum.

3. A piece of metal was found on the property. It was made of aluminum, and while aluminum was known, it was very expensive back in the 1890s.

4. The ranch owner's father was interviewed and he stated a few points. The owner's grandfather had health problems which attributed to his swelling. They were not related to the well water, but other issues. The rancher's father also remembered the well having debris moved from it during the 1930s, so they could use it. He did not know where the debris was taken to.

5. The now unmarked grave site was found, but it has collapsed. They could not read if anything was down there, only that something was buried some time ago. They did not have permission to did it up.

From what was found, the case goes from hoax, to something happening in Aurora on that date. It is not known if it was an alien, or an unlucky pilot, but the evidence supports a crash happening in Aurora. The case is not a hoax, and that is what it had been relegated to in the past. I hope they will eventually be able to did up the grave site, as that would help either confirm or dispel what happened.

This is one more of those old and interesting cases that were never explained and that remain a mystery.

But I do not remember it as a case that was seen in several places of the US, are you sure this was the same case? Or is my memory playing some tricks?

I guess this case must be very annoying for the group of people around here claiming that UFO's has only been around for 50 years, and are aaaall manmade.;-D

Guess they are right now cooking up an "explanation" that it was merely a "metaphorical" event, OR "Has been proven a hoax".;-D

Originally posted by MrRobarto
The funny thing that stands out for me is the name of the town "Aurora" how many times have we all heard that word?

It depends, in Portuguese, for example, it means "dawn", so I ear it many times.

Originally posted by ArMaP
But I do not remember it as a case that was seen in several places of the US, are you sure this was the same case? Or is my memory playing some tricks?

Regarding other sightings in that same time periode, I found this information:

The Aurora crash was, in fact, the culminating event in a rash of “airship” sightings in East and Northeast Texas, Oklahoma, North and Central Louisiana in the period between 1895 and 1898. Robert Atkinson, of Center, Texas, a veteran of the Spanish American War, often told of seeing, as a teenager, strange, “flashing lights” in the sky, as did Polk Burns of the same city. Similar incidents were recountered by Bud Knight, a prominent resident of San Augustine, Texas, who died in 1981 at the age of 108. Lee Choron, who died in 1976 at the age of 94 recalled seeing “moving lights flashing in the sky” while living in Swift, Texas (near Nacogdoches) while in his “teens”. Nor, were civic records and town newspapers of the time completely silent on the matter. Reports, although not common, do exist. On April 22, 1897 in the small central Texas town of Rockland, John M. Barclay was intrigued when his dog barked furiously and a high-pitched noise was heard. He went out, saw a flying object circling about 20 feet above ground. He described it as having an elongated shape, with protrusions and blinding lights, it went dark when it landed, only a short distance from his home. Barclay was met by a man who informed him that his purpose was peaceful and requested some common hardware items to repair the craft. He paid with a ten-dollar bill and took off "like a bullet out of a gun."

On that same day, April 22, 1897, some one hundred miles away, in the community of Josserand, Texas, Frank Nichols, who lived some five miles east of Josserand, and was one of its most respected citizens, was awakened by what he called a “machine noise”. Looking outside, he saw a heavy, lighted object land in his wheat field. He walked toward it, but was stopped by two men who asked permission to draw water from his well. He then had a discussion with half a dozen “short, dark men” men, apparently the crew of the strange machine. He was told how it worked but could not follow the explanation.

Three days later, on April 25, 1897, in Merkel, Texas. People returning from church served a heavy object being dragged along the ground by a rope or cable, attached to a “cigar shaped” lying craft. As the assembled crowd watched, the line managed to get caught in a railroad track. The craft was too high for its structure to be visible but protrusions and a light could be distinguished. After the craft hovered in place for about 10 minutes, a man came down along the rope cut the end free, and went back aboard the craft, which flew away toward the northeast. The man was described by all witnesses, as being small and dressed in a light blue uniform.

The next day, late in the evening of April 26, 1897, near the town of Aquila, in South Texas. A local lawyer, whose name was not reported by the press, was surprised to see a lighted object fly quietly overhead as he was riding from his office to his home, just outside the city limits. His horse was scared and nearly toppled his carriage. The object was large, and “oblong”, and sported a bright light that was observed to be sweeping the ground below the object. When the main light was turned off, a number of smaller lights became visible on the underside of the dark colored, metallic craft, which revealed an elongated, transparent canopy. It continued forward, toward a hill, some seven miles to the south of Aquila. When the witness passed the same way, approximately one hour later, he saw the object rising. It reached the altitude of the cloud ceiling and flew to the northeast at a fantastic speed with periodic flashes of light.

www.texasescapes.com...

FYI...

Our buddy Jim Marrs has been one of the top researchers on this case for years and years. Partly because it's in his "backyard" (he lives about 20 miles or so from Aurora) but mostly because it is a heck of a case that simply won't die.

As most of you know (I hope most of you know at least) Jim has a forum here on ATS, "The View From Marrs", www.abovetopsecret.com... within which you can ask him about this case.

I think he may have a couple threads in there regarding it already. Feel free to quote from his forum into this thread as needed. We typically frown on "reposting" from one forum to the next but this case is worthy of discussion and this thread looks to be a good one.

Springer...

Thats a heck of a lot of sightings for 1895. Thanks for posting that it is fascinating reading.

Thanks Springer, I have just checked out his site. I seem to remember some TV show years ago that showed this story so I'm pleased UFO hunter is doing it again.

[edit on 20-1-2009 by spacecowgirl]

reply to post by spacecowgirl


You must remember that many of the sightings reported were newspaper hoaxes. It was not uncommon for newspapers to print made up stories to sell papers. It was believed for a long time that the Aurora Texas crash was a hoax. The show UFO Hunters did the research and received permission to dig up the well. I wrote the findings above, and it does indicate something did crash in Aurora Texas. I don't know if it was alien, as it sounds more like an early man made dirigible (possibly a secret military observation craft in its day). The show at least proved something DID happen, and disproved the hoax theory once and for all.

I would like to know more and hope they one day do dig up that unknown grave. It could solve the mystery, either proving it was a man or an alien buried in the cemetery.

Sounds like the Sonora Aero Club at work. One of their ships supposedly crashed when it hit a tree. Although they were said to have worked out of California, it's interesting to speculate if perhaps some of the ships might have tried longer, trans-continental flights.

Here's a story about them. Something to ponder:
Sonora Aero Club

What an interesting link and story. Thanks for posting it about the sonora air club. I may even buy the book.

reply to post by Nohup


An interesting article that could explain the Aurora Texas mystery once and for all.
If we Occam's Razor the incident, then we probably have our answer: It was not an alien craft, but a dirigible flown by an eccentric.

Good Day SPG,

reply to post by spacecowgirl


Although the Aurora case will forever have its place in UFO lore, it isn't the first instance of a "UFO crash."

Here is a "front page report" of a lesser known case that occurred in 1865:

1865 - Trapper Reports Witnessing Crash of 'Compartmented Craft With Strange Hieroglyphics'

Cheers,
Frank

Thanks Frank, i have never heard of that before so thanks for alerting me to it. I also found it here as well :www.abovetopsecret.com...

I missed this so great to hear about it.

wasn't there a movie about this? I think it was "the aurora incident."

who knows, maybe it didn't die and had kids...

Not that I'm advocating this but I'm surprised that someone hasn't simply ignored the residents wishes and dug up the grave in the dead of night. I'd imagine there's plenty of people crazy enough out there who want to know the truth and are prepared to risk the consequences of being put under arrest.

Gary McKinnon anyone?

If there was an ET Pilot buried down there, would it not be the find of the century? I also imagine that given the afore mentioned is true, there would be a very large dollar value attached to such remains for personal collectors, scientists, museums, news papers, magazines, television etc.

It would certainly beat waiting around forever for a disclosure that may never happen.

Like I alluded, it's just an observation and I don't condone it for many reasons but hey, it begs the question!

IRM

Originally posted by kidflash2008
reply to post by spacecowgirl

 

This case was researched in the UFO Hunters.

Kidflash said it all. Nobody has been able to do all the footwork that UFO Hunters did.
I can't believe this is even being discussed in the manner of a "New Find". This has been talked about, worked on and investigated many times.
But, it seems like this is the "real deal".