UFO Case Report:

Landing in Wisconsin

Date: March 13, 1975
Location: Mellen, Wisconsin, United States

On the night of March 13, 1975, many sightings of bright aerial objects were made in the vicinity of Ashland, Wisconsin, which is located on Lake Superior. However, the most interesting of the reports comes from the Philip N. Baker family of Mellen, Wisconsin, some 20 miles south of Ashland.

Classification & Features

Type of Case/Report: StandardCase
Hynek Classification: 
Special Features/Characteristics: Physical Trace, Animal Reaction, Landing

Full Report / Article

Source: APRO Bulletin, Vol. 23 No. 6 (Apr. 1975)

On the night of March 13, 1975, many sightings of bright aerial objects were made in the vicinity of Ashland, Wisconsin, which is located on Lake Superior. Our investigation indicates that several policemen observed airborne objects which they could not identify, but not much more than the "flying light" variety.

However, the most interesting of the reports comes from the Philip N. Baker family of Mellen, Wisconsin, some 20 miles south of Ashland. Fifteen-year-old Jane Baker had gone outside to take the cats to the garage where they are housed for the night, and was just at the garage door when she heard "strange high-toned noises." She turned around and looked up at the hill to the north and saw an object apparently sitting on the road into Mellen. The whole hill was lit up, she said. She described it as a silvery disc-shaped object with a domed top which gave off a yellowish-white glow. Around its midsection were located red and green lights which were flashing on and off (see accompanying drawing).

Jane put the cats in the garage and went back into the house to get her father, who was sitting on the couch with his shoes off, watching television. The family is certain of the time because the "Harry-O" show had just started. Jane told her father that "there was a thing on the hill up the road." Mr. Phillips put on his shoes and they both went outside to look at it. At this point the glow was subsiding and the flashing lights had also turned out, and the noise was gone also. However, there was a square lighted area in the middle of it (see inset drawing in Lance Johnson's composite). This area, which appeared to be an opening, had the same yellow-white glow that the top of the object had had earlier when Jane viewed it alone.

The two then walked to position three and at this time noticed a metal-on-metal banging sound. They then went back into the house where Mr. Phillips put in a telephone call to the Undersheriff. While he was talking on the phone they heard a loud boom and when Jane looked out the window the object was gone.

During this period of time, the object was pointed out to Mrs. Phillips, who viewed it from a window in the house, and three other members of the family, 11-year-old Jeff, 12-year-old John and 16-year-old Montgomery also got a look at the object.

The next morning, Jane went outside to see if she could find any traces from the previous night. She looked over toward the swamp near her home and saw the same or a similar object again — only this time there were no flashing lights or glow — but the shape and color were the same. It was hovering over some evergreen trees. Jane went back into the house to put on heavier clothing, then went back out, taking the family dog with her. She was proceeding toward the evergreens when the dog gave a big yelp and started to whine and paw at her ears. Then the dog became completely still. Jane says she didn't hear anything, but carried the dog into the house. When she came back out again, the object was gone.

Later in the morning she and Monty and John walked to the spot where the object had been seen the night before. They noted that there was a round area on the road where the snow was "fluffed up." There were tire tracks over the area where a car had passed after the object had left, but there were also bicycle tracks leading up to it, then taking up again on the other side. These were tracks made by one of the boys riding his bicycle the morning before. The "fluffed up" area apparently obliterated parts of the bicycle tracks.

The condition of the snow is a new phenomenon where UFO landings are concerned. We can hypothesize that it was a result of the propulsion system of the UFO but it could also have been a deliberate attempt to cover any tracks made by whoever or whatever was making the banging noise.

All of the Phillips family agree that the object was on the ground for a total of no less than 10 minutes. The investigation of that particular night is ongoing because there seems to be more witnesses in the area who have yet to be interviewed and there may be corroborating witnesses in other homes in the area.

[excerpt from article in APRO Bulletin]

Case ID: 302 edit: 302

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