URECAT - UFO Related Entities Catalog

URECAT is a formal catalog of UFO related entities sightings reports with the goal of providing quality information for accurate studies of the topic. Additional information, corrections and reviews are welcome at patrick.gross@inbox.com, please state if you wish to be credited for your contribution or not. The main page of the URECAT catalog is here.

OCTOBER 23, 1965, LONG PRAIRIE, MINNESOTA, USA, JERRY TOWNSEND:

Brief summary of the event and follow-up:

From several ufological sources, more or less fragmentary, the case of Long Prairie, Minnesota, USA, on October 23, 1965, reportedly occurred as follow.

The witness was James "Jerry" F. Townsend, a 19 years old devout Christian and debutant radio host on KEYL of Long Prairie, and he was apparently a resident of that town.

In that evening of October 23, 1965, he was driving in his model 1956 car, on Minnesota State Highway 27, from Little Falls to Long Prairie. He was 4 miles East of Long Prairie, going West, in the hilly landscape and had just looked at his watch and noted it was approximately 07:15 p.m.

At that moment he arrived in a curve in the road, he said, when he saw an upright rocket-like object, silver colored, metallic looking, about 30 or 40 feet high and about 10 feet in diameter, blocking on the road, resting on the tips of three legs or fins.

At that moment, his car engine stalled, the lights and radio went out, and he slammed on the brakes and the car skidded to a stop at only 20 feet in front of the object.

His first thought was then to knock the object over with the car so he could have some evidence, but the engine was stalled. He tried to make it start again, but the choke did not respond. So he got out of the car with the idea of trying to push the object over by hand.

He walked just past the level of the hood of the car, but did not go further, stopped short, fascinated by a quite stunning sight: he saw three small "creatures" emerge from behind the object and line up at the front.

Those creatures were in the shape of beer cans. They measured 6 inches tall, were of dark or brownish color, and were "walking" awkwardly on two "legs" or "fins". Whenever they stopped, a third "leg" came down from their back and provided stability. They looked like tin cans on tripods. They also had three arms, "matchstick like".

Townsend saw no eyes, but he stood there staring at them and was convinced that they were watching him too. He did not want to approach more, and gave up the idea of rocking the ship down as something quite risky. There was no sound, just dead silence, and it seemed like ages to him, although he later evaluated the duration as some 3 minutes.

Eventually, the little creature went up into the bright, "colorless" light glowing out of the bottom of the "rocket", and possibly up into the craft. A few seconds later, there was a loud hum, and the craft took off, reached a height he cautiously estimated as 400 meters up, where the light on the bottom went out, while his car radio, headlights and engine started without him touching the starter.

He checked the ground where the craft had been, found no trace, and, his hearts pounding and his legs "like rubber", he drove fast to the Todd County Sheriff's office, where he reported the events.

Townsend said the Sheriff checked the site and found no trace. However, some sort of trace was reported, maybe found at a later check in daylight. From ufology sources, it appeared that Sheriff Bain and police officer Lavern Lubitz found three parallel strips of an oil-like substance, about four inches apart and a yard long, on the surface of the road. Sheriff Bain told reporters later: "I don't know what they were, but I've looked at a lot of roads and never saw anything like them before."

Ufologist Coral Lorenzen heard by phone that Townsend had a good reputation, was not a drinker, and that he had been visibly frightened when he reported his experience. Reportedly, teachers and friends of Townsend were interrogated, and said he has a reputation for honesty.

The US Air Force Project Blue book listing suggests they investigated and concluded that the case was "psychological", but no trace of a file appears. Astronomer J. Allen Hynek, who was a Blue Book consultant at the time, provided the text of a letter from the witness describing the events, and says he had been interested but did not file an official investigation report. There was no radar detection of the object, he said, but it was seen in many of other localities, one of the observers being the sheriff of the close city of Anoka.

Ufologists reported that other witnesses were found by the Sheriff's office, including hunters who apparently saw something luminous fly up possibly from the same spot Townsend had been, other hunters mentioning a lighted object circling around and around over their farm.

Basic information table:

Case number: URECAT-000428 Date of event: October 23, 1965 Earliest report of event: October 23, 1965 Delay of report: Minutes, hours. Witness reported via: Immediatly reported to local sheriff. First alleged record by: N/A. First certain record by: Local police officers.. First alleged record type: N/A. First certain record type: Local police officers. This file created on: January 5, 2008 This file last updated on: July 7, 2008 Country of event: USA State/Department: Minnesota Type of location: Road. Lighting conditions: Night UFO observed: Yes UFO arrival observed: No UFO departure observed: Yes UFO/Entity Relation: Certain Witnesses numbers: 1, partially more Witnesses ages: 19 Witnesses types: Young man, beginner radio host, reputation for honesty. Photograph(s): No. Witnesses drawing: No. Witnesses-approved drawing: No. Number of entities: 3 Type of entities: Other. Entities height: 0.15 meters. Entities outfit type: Undeterminable. Entities outfit color: Brown or dark. Entities skin color: Not visible or not determined. Entities body: Like tin beer can. Entities head: None. Entities eyes: None. Entities mouth: None. Entities nose: None. Entities feet: Fin-like legs or matchstick-like legs. Entities arms: Three, matchstick-like. Entities fingers: Not reported or none. Entities fingers number: Not reported or none. Entities hair: None reported. Entities voice: None heard. Entities actions: Came out of UFO, observed witness, went back in, departure. Entities/witness interactions: Mutual watching 3 minutes at less than 6 meters. Witness(es) reactions: Observed, tried to get evidence, went to report. Witness(es) feelings: Frightened, fascinated. Witness(es) interpretation: Extraterrestrial visitors. Explanation category: Extraterrestrial visitors. Explanation certainty: Low.

Narratives:

[Ref. bb1:] U.S. AIR FORCE PROJECT BLUE BOOK:

Project Blue Book assigned number "10035" to the case, reported it on their case listing for October 16 to 31, 1965, evaluated it as "psychological", but the investigation report seems missing:

[Ref. bt1:] BRAD STEIGER:

The author indicates that the witness, James Townsend, was a 19-year-old radio announcer for station KEYL of Long Prairie, Minnesota.

On October 23, 1965 at approximately 07:15 p.m., he was moving in a 1956 model car, west along Highway 27, about four miles east of Long Prairie and when he rounded a curve at a good rate of speed, he was confronted by a tall, standing object in the middle of the road.

He slammed on the brakes, skidded to a halt, 20 feet in front of what he described as a rocket ship. Immediately, the motor, lights, and radio of his car stopped functioning, but the scene in front of him remained illuminated.

The ship was shaped like a cylinder with a blunt taper on one end, and, although it was only about ten feet in diameter, he estimated that it was over 30 feet in height. It looked tall, narrow, like unstable, sitting on protruding fins in the middle of the highway.

Realizing the consequences of such a find, his immediate thought was to knock the thing over to retain evidence of his sighting, but the car did not start when he twisted the key in the ignition. He then thought he might be able to tip the craft by hand. He jumped out of the car and began to walk to the apparently deserted rocket.

But hen then saw three incredible looking objects moving out to meet him. They were in the shape of small cylinders and moved on spindly looking legs, which were no thicker than pencils. They had no distinguishing features, but Townsend described their movements to be more like creatures than robots.

After he and the objects faced each other for a time he said "seemed like forever", he retreated to his car, and the little beings moved back toward their rocket, disappeared in the brilliant beam of light that glared under its main section, then, as Townsend watched out the windshield of his car, the light became even more intense, a humming sound crescendoed in volume until it hurt his ears.

As the rocket lifted off, it reminded him of a glowing flashlight, and the scene east of Long Prairie, Minnesota was lit "as bright as day." Once the rocket was airborne, the light in its bottom went out. It rose into the sky, and the lights and the radio of Townsend's car came on. The car which he had been unable to start only minutes before started by itself, and Townsend later said he was sure he had not touched the starter, even though the car had been left in park, and the ignition remained on.

Townsend turned his car around and sped back to Long Prairie, and went without hesitation directly to the sheriff's office to report what he had seen. With considerable effort, Sheriff James Bain and police officer Luvern Lubitz were able to calm him down, and both later confirmed that Townsend had obviously been badly frightened. Bain described him as "excited, nervous, and shaky," and Lubitz observed that he was "not his natural color."

The first thing Townsend said to these men was: "I am not crazy nor am I drunk; neither am I ignorant." Sheriff Bain and Lubitz agreed with that. All who knew James Townsend later testified that he was a level-beaded, hard-working young man, not known to drink. He had strong religious convictions and had spent the summer as a counselor at a Bible camp.

After listening to the story, Bain and Lubitz immediately, although Townsend was reluctant to go, convinced him to take them to the sighting location. Arrived there, all three simultaneously observed a peculiar orange light moving in the northern sky. Lubitz thought it was "more yellow white than orange, flickering off and on and leaving a sort of yellow tail."

They closely inspected the landing spot and found three strips of an oil-like substance on the pavement. The strips were three feet long and four inches wide, running parallel to the highway. Lubitz said that he had never seen anything like those marks left on any kind of surface. After puzzling over it for some time, they returned to Long Prairie.

Soon the story was publicized over the country via the wire services, and instant reactions to the story varied from praise of his courage, to ridicule of his "fantastic imagination." Many of the residents of Minnesota had been left with an open mind after a late summer and fall of heavily concentrated UFO activity. On August 2nd, UFO sightings had been reported allover the Midwest, and nearly everyone of the police on duty in Minneapolis in the early hours of the morning had seen strange lights in the sky. The story was given favorable and fair treatment by some of the news media and was openly ridiculed by some others. Townsend received all sorts of crank mail, and people traveled for miles just to have the opportunity of calling him a liar or a drunk.

One newspaper account claimed that Townsend had been studying an article on UFOs in a current issue of a national magazine and implied that the rocket and the cylinder men were thus imagined by Townsend. After one week of such distasteful business, Townsend refused more interviews and said he was sorry he ever reported the incident.

UFO investigators from all over the country tried to contact him. WCCO television of Minneapolis gave him the opportunity to explain the story himself. The Late Don Dahl Show provided a receptive atmosphere in Which Townsend told his story without fearing that the interviewer would resort to mockery and innuendo over the open microphone.

Because of such widespread publicity, corroborating accounts turned up. Ray Blessing, the 14-year-old son of Mr. Frank Blessing, a Minneapolis businessman, was operating his three-inch 200-power reflector telescope when he saw a "Buck Rogers-like thing" pass in front of his lens for exactly fifteen minutes before James Townsend had slammed on his brakes to avoid hitting the standing rocket. Blessing said it looked like an inverted sombrero which he had been able to study carefully as it passed across the sky from horizon to horizon. The young astronomer reported it to his parents at the time but they did nothing until they heard Townsend tell his story on television.

In Long Prairie, three boys who were out hunting raccoon claimed that they had seen a strange light in the sky about the same time Townsend had come across the rocket in the middle of Highway 27. Other residents of the area reported to Lubitz that they had seen strange things around the little community, but did not want their names to be made public.

[Ref. lo1:] CORAL AND JIM LORENZEN:

The authors report that on October 23, 1965, in Long Prairie, Minnesota, according to the story of a fledgling radio announcer, Jerry Townsend, 19, he was driving from Little Falls to Long Prairie at 07:40 p.m., when at about 4 miles out of Long Prairie he rounded a curve and his engine, lights, and radio went dead.

He braked the car, and ahead of him, he saw a rocket-shaped object about 30 to 40 feet high and 10 feet in diameter, resting on three fins in the middle of the road.

He got out of his car, walked toward the front fender, and stopped at the sight of three little beer-can shaped "objects" or "tin men" which came from under the ship and moved toward him. They were six inches high, walked on two "fins," and when they stopped, a third "fin" came down in the rear. He saw no faces, eyes, etc., and said they moved with a side-to-side waddling gait, and seemed to be watching him.

After what seemed to be an eternity, he said, they went under the big "rocket," disappeared into it, then the object took off. The "colorless" light which issued from the bottom of that "rocket" went out after it was airborne.

Townsend said the object's takeoff looked like someone had "lifted a flashlight off a table."

After the object left, he drove to Long Prairie where he told of his encounter at the sheriff's office.

Sheriff Bain and Long Prairie Police Officer Lavern Lubitz went to the spot where the object was reportedly seen, and found three parallel strips of oil-like substance about four inches apart and a yard long, on the surface of the road.

Sheriff Bain told reporters later: "I don't know what they were, but I've looked at a lot of roads and never saw anything like them before."

Bain told Coral Lorenzen by phone that Townsend had a good reputation, was not a drinker, and that he had been visibly frightened when he reported his experience.

Teachers and friends of Townsend were interrogated, and said he has a reputation for honesty.

[Ref. jk1:] JOHN KEEL:

John Keel indicates that radio announcer James Townsend of station KEYL, in Long Prairie, Minnesota, claimed that he saw three "animated tin cans" six inches high around a rocket-shaped device in the center of Highway 27 on October 23, 1965.

Townsend says he watched the object take off with a bright glow and a loud humming sound. He led the local police to the site and they observed a large, glowing sphere in the sky over the area.

[Ref. jv1:] JACQUES VALLEE:

In his catalogue of UFO landings, Jacques Vallée indicates that on October 23, 1965, at 07:15 p.m., in Long Prairie, Minnesota, James Townsend, 19, was driving on Highway 27 when his engine, lights, and radio stopped operating.

He then observed an object 10 meters tall, about 3 meters in diameter, shaped somewhat like a rocket, sitting on fins on the road.

Three creatures with "tripod legs and matchstick arms," brownish-black in color, having no eyes or facial features, stood in a large, lighted circle under it, facing the witness for a few moments before disappearing in the intense light.

The object rose straight up for 400 m, with a high-pitched humming sound, stopped and vanished. The car then resumed normal operation by itself.

Vallée indicates that his source is "FSR 66, 3."

[Ref. pd1:] PIERRE DELVAL:

Pierre Delval indicates that on October 23, 1965 in Long Prairie, in the United States, witnesses saw three robots of cylindrical shape coming out of a machine; which according to the witnesses resembled three "cans" radio-controlled from the inside of the machine by an unknown intelligence.

These "passengers" remained only a few minutes on the ground and the machine went away while the witnesses were unable to get closer.

[Ref. jh1:] DR. JOSEPH ALLEN HYNEK:

The astronomer presents the incident as an extract of the UFO sightings reports investigation project of the US Air Force, Project Blue Book, as he was their consultant at the time.

Hynek presents this case because it has characteristics that are usual in close encounters of the third kind. He provides the testimony of the witness of the episode, a radio host, who went by car to Long Prairie, a locality in the west of Minneapolis, on October 23, 1965. He was crossing a hilly landscape, 6.5 km of the city, arriving in a turn, and his engine, headlights and radio stopped, and he then saw in front of him, posed on the road, a silver object having the shape of a rocket, standing on fins, 9 to 12 meters in height, approximately 3 meters broad, with a light shining at the base:

"I was driving towards the West on Minnesota Highway 27; when coming out of a turn, my engine stopped and the headlights died out. Looking up, I see this object in the middle of the road. It was approximately 07:15 p.m.. I know that because the minute of before I had looked at my watch. The car still ran on 6 meters and I slowed down... I tried to make it start again, but the choke did not respond. I then got out of the car with the idea to go to push this object to try to make it rock - a proof like that, it's final. I passed in front of the hood of my car, but there, I did not go further, because three small "creatures" emerged from behind the object and lined up at the front. I believe that they were looking at me. I am not sure, because I did not see their eyes. In any case, I looked at them. What I saw fascinated me. Perhaps you wonder why, having intended to go to the object, I gave up there. That's what I was thinking. If these creatures were able to turn off my engine, there were capable of doing anything to me, and I made a point of preserving my life to tell about this incident, so that the citizens of the United States learn that things like that exist. I do not believe to be wrong by saying that we "looked at each others" during three good minutes. Then, the creatures turned away, went under the object and, at the end of a few seconds, it rose slowly. It was perhaps at 400 meters of altitude (this is only an estimate) when its light turned off while my engine started again (I did not have to touch the choke) and the headlights were re-ignited. I went to inspect the ground where the object had rested, but I did not find any marks there, I then continued to the office of the sheriff of Todd county and I reported to him what I had seen. He went on the landing spot but he did not find their marks on the road. These are the facts, such as they occurred. I know that it is a crazy story, but if you do not believe me, too bad for you."



"Signed: J.F. T."

The astronomer specifies that when the witness had come to report his observation, there seemed that he was "pretty frightened", and, allegedly, there were water and oil trails on the roadway at the place where the object had been posed. There was no radar detection of the object, but it was seen in many of other localities, one of the observers being the sheriff of the close city of Anoka.

He indicates that Blue Book filed the incident without proceeding to an official investigation, and that on his side, he studied it on a purely personal basis, without giving an official report to the Air Force.

[Ref. ia1:] IRA ADAMS:

Ira Adams compiled a number of newspaper clippings, and said that from Long Prairie, Minnesota on October 23, 1965, came the following weird report:

"'I was going to knock one over and try to grab it, but that's when I got scared.' That's why James Towsley, 19, radio announcer for station KEYL in Long Prairie didn't bring back one of the 'things' he said he encountered on a highway near the town. Towsley said the creatures resembled tin cans, stood on tripod legs and had two 'arms' about the size of matchsticks projecting from their sides. Three of the 'things' were standing under a 'rocket ship' when he first spotted them. 'It was about 7:15 p.m. and I was coming back from Little Falls on Highway 27 when I rounded a bend. All of a sudden my engine stopped, my lights went out and my radio stopped playing. I let the car coast and then I put on the brakes because I saw this thing in the center of the highway. It was like a rocket ship. It was about 30-feet tall and about 10 feet in diameter. It was sitting on fins. Then I saw them. They were standing in a big circle of light under the ship. I jumped out of my car and was going to knock one over but then they came at me. They came right up to the car. There were three of them. They had no eyes or anything. Just those tripod legs and the matchstick arms. They were like tin cans. The size of a beer can. I was going to grab one but then I figured that if they could stop my car and put out my lights they could do something awful to me.'"

"'So we just stood there looking at each other and then they turned around and scooted back under the ship. The light was so bright I didn't see where they went. Then there was a high-pitched humming sound and the ship took off straight up. It went up about a quarter of a mile, stopped for a moment and then disappeared. When the lights on the bottom went out after it was up in the air, my car radio and lights came on - and my engine started without having to touch the starter. I drove 90 miles an hour back to Long Prairie to report what I saw, but I wondered if people would believe me. I was sure of two things - the rocket (it towered above the trees along the road) was a spaceship of some kind and the three objects that came out of it were creatures like nothing else in the animal world I've ever seen. They definitely were not people as I know them.'"

"'The landing site was investigated by Long Prairie Police Officer Laverne Luwitz. 'The only thing we found were three strips of an oil-like substance on the road. They were about a yard long and four inches apart, all parallel with the road. I don't know what they were but I've looked at a lot of roads and never saw anything like them before.' Three youths who had been hunting coons in the same area reported seeing 'a light in the sky' at the same time James said the object took off."

[Ref. pb1:] PETER BROOKESMITH:

Peter Brookesmith indicates that in on October 23, 1965, in the evening Jerry Townsend, a radio employee from Minnesota, was driving toward Long Prairie when his car's electrical systems went dead. There was a V-2-style "spaceship" in front of him on the road, between 30 and 35ft tall, resting on the tips of three fins, that might have been, as one commentator put it, "culled straight from the pulp era of science fiction." Townsend, undaunted, got out of the car and saw three ludicrous objects coming from beneath the rocket and walking towards him. They were no more than 6 inches tall, reeling like drunken sailors on two fins, and shaped like beer cans. Whenever they halted, a third, rear fin descended to keep them upright. "In due course", they tottered back to their "antiquated rocket," which took off. The take-off was also witnessed by two hunters who were some distance from the scene.

[Ref. jc1:] JEROME CLARK:

The author indicates that on October 23, 1965, 07:40 p.m., four miles east of Long Prairie, Minnesota, young radio announcer James Townsend was rounding a curve when he suddenly saw something in the road, rocket-shaped UFO resting on three fins, and he slammed on his brakes.

The car skidded to a halt only 20 feet from the 20 to 40 feet tall and 10 feet in diameter object. Townsend observed three objects or entities In a circle of light beneath the UFO, that looked like beer cans on tripod legs and with three matchstick arms.

Though they had no eyes, he was certain that they were staring at him. When he stepped out of his car, they came toward him.

After what seemed an eternity, they scooted under the ship and disappeared into the light circle, and the UFO then shot off with an ear-splitting roar.

His outlandish story notwithstanding, law enforcement officers and civilian investigators believed that Townsend, a devoutly religious man, was not perpetrating a hoax.

Jerome Clarke notes as further reading the article by Jansen, Clare John, "Little Tin Men in Minnesota" in Fate, Volume 19, 2, February 1966, pp 36-40.

[Ref. ab1:] ALAN BAKER:

Alan Baker indicates that at 07:40 p.m. on the evening of October 23, 1965, a 19-year-old radio host named Jerry Townsend was driving home to Long Prairie, Minnesota, USA. About 4 miles from Long Prairie, he rounded a curve and came upon a large, rocket-shaped object standing in the middle of the road.

At that moment, his car engine, lights and radio went dead and he brought the car to a halt. The object was between 30 and 40 feet high and 10 feet in diameter, and resting on three tail-fins.

As Townsend got out of the car, he saw three tiny objects approach him from beneath the craft. They were 6 inches high, the size and shape of tin cans, and waddled along on two fin-shaped "legs"; when they stopped, a third fin extended to the ground, apparently to stabilize them. He saw no eyes or other sensory organs, but had the distinct feeling that the entities were watching him.

Then the three "tin cans" returned to the underside of the rocket and disappeared into it. The "rocket" took off, casting a "colorless" light on to the road. Townsend said the ascent looked like someone lifting a flashlight from a table.

During the investigation, Townsend's teachers and friends were asked what sort of person he was and they unanimously vouched for his honesty and integrity. The local sheriff confirmed that Townsend had appeared genuinely frightened when he had reported the encounter.

Sheriff Bain and Long Prairie Police Officer Lavern Lubitz went to the landing site, and found three parallel strips of a curious, oily substance about a yard long and four inches apart on the road. Bain said that two hunters who had been in the vicinity reported a lighted object ascending into the air above the position of Townsend's car.

[Ref. jr1:] JEAN-PAUL RONECKER:

The author indicates that near Long Prairie, Minnesota, the USA, on October 23, 1965, according to Charles Bowen in "En quête des humanoïdes", towards 07:30 p.m., Jerry Townsend, a beginner radio host, coming from the town of Little Falls, was driving, when a few kilometers before arriving at Long Prairie, the engine of his vehicle started to cough and to stall, like his headlights and his radio.

He suddenly saw, at little distance in front of him, a craft in the shape of a rocket, approximately three meters in diameter by ten meters high, resting on three "fins" in the middle of the roadway.

He was puzzled, came out of his car and started on the road, but he had hardly exceeded the level of his bumper when he stopped short, because three small "objects" were advancing towards him.

They had the shape of beer boxes, measured approximately ten to twelve centimeters in height and moved in a lateral dandled motion, "walking" on two fins.

When they stopped, a third aileron came down from their "back", enabling them to stabilize. Townsend saw neither eyes, neither face, nor anything anthropomorphic: the things resembled cans on legs.

At the end of a while, the "beings" set out again towards their craft, disappeared inside, and this rocket flew away while emitting by its bottom a "colorless light"; which disappeared as soon as the craft was in the air.

Recovered from the emotions, Townsend entered his vehicle that functioned again normally, and rushed to sheriff Bain's office and told him his adventure.

Later, sheriff Bain and the sheriff of Long Prairie, Laverne Lubitz, went on the spot of the sighting, and found, on the roadway, a weird trace made of three parallel trails of a fatty stuff resembling oil, spaced from each other of about eight centimeters and long of approximately a meter.

Sheriff Bains commented on: "I do not know what it was, but I examined many roads without ever seeing something like that."

Independently, hunters told him they saw luminous object which flew away in the trimmings of the road where Townsend said he saw the "rocket" and the "can-men."

[Ref. mr1:] MARK RODEGHIER:

Mark Rodeghier indicates that on October 23, 1965, near Long Prairie, Minnesota, USA, Jerry Townsend's car completely failed as he saw a rocket-shaped object on the road ahead. It was metallic, and 30-40 feet high.

Three small objects, about six inches high, came out of the larger object and approached Townsend, who had gotten out of the car. They were shaped like beer cans with fins. After some time, the three got back in the large object, which lifted off into the air. An oily substance was found on the road where the objects had been.

Mark Rodeghier indicates that the source is "The Humanoids."

[Ref. bs1:] BRAD SPARKS:

Brad Sparks lists that on October 23, 1965, 4 miles from Long Prairie, Minnesota, at 07:15 p.m., radio announcer James F. Townsend driving West on State Highway 27 found the road blocked by a landed silver rocket-shaped object about 30-40 feet tall, 10 feet wide, after his car engine, lights and radio died, and he coasted to a stop about 20 ft away.

He got out and saw three small brownish-black "creatures" with "tripod arms and matchstick legs," no eyes or facial features, emerge from behind the object, stand underneath in an intense lighted circle, and stare at each other for 3 minutes, then return to the object.

A few seconds later, the object lifted off and vanished by turning off its lighting about 1/4 mile up. At that moment the car restarted spontaneously and the headlights came on. No traces were found on the ground.

Brad Sparks indicates that the sources are the Hynek UFO Report pp. 206-208; Vallée Magonia 712.

[Ref. ar1:] ALBERT ROSALES:

Albert Rosales indicates that in Long Prairie, Minnesota, on October 23, 1965, at 07:15 p.m., James F. Townsend, 19, was driving outside Long Prairie when his engine failed and his headlights went out.

20 feet ahead, in the middle of the road, was a metallic rocket shaped object illuminated "as bright as the sunlight," 30-40 feet high, and standing on leg-like fins about 10 feet wide.

He got out of his car to go up to it, but stopped upon seeing three tiny entities emerge from behind the object and approach him. Not more than six inches high, they looked like tin beer cans with matchstick legs and arms.

After a confrontation of about three minutes, they went back to the object and a few seconds later it began to rise slowly. When it had attained some altitude the car's lights and motor both came back on.

Three streaks of an oil-like substance were later found at the site.

Albert Rosales indicates that the sources are Sheriff James Bain, Jerome Clark in FSR Vol. 10 #3 [1964], APRO, Humcat 1965-63.

[Ref. ni1:] NICAP WEBSITE:

In a listing, the website indicates that on October 23, 1965, 4 miles from Long Prairie, Minnesota, at 07:15 p.m., radio announcer James F. Townsend, driving West on State Highway 27 found the road blocked by a landed silver rocket-shaped object about 30-40 feet tall, 10 feet wide, after his car engine, lights and radio died, and he coasted to a stop about 20 feet away.

He got out, and saw three small brownish-black "creatures" with "tripod arms and matchstick legs," no eyes or facial features, emerge from behind the object, stand underneath in an intense lighted circle, and stare at each other for 3 minutes.

Then they returned to the object and a few seconds later, it lifted off and vanished by turning off its lighting about 1/4 mile up. At that moment, the car restarted spontaneously and headlights came on.

No traces were found on the ground.

The source is indicated as the Hynek UFO Report pp. 206-208, and Vallée Magonia 71.

[Ref. bg1:] BOB GRIBBLE:

Bob Gribble indicates that James Townsend, 19, a radio announcer for radio station KEYL from Long Prairie, Minnesota was on a blacktop road about four miles east of Long Prairie, driving his 1956 model car, about 7:15 p.m. on October 23, 1965. Around a curve in the road, he said, he saw an upright rocket-like object, about 30 or 40 feet high and about 10 feet in diameter, straddling the road.

It "seemed to be resting on legs or fins," he said. "My car engine stalled, the lights and radio went out, and I slammed on my brakes. I stopped about 20 feet in front of it. My first thought was to knock it over with the car so I could have some evidence, but the engine was stalled. Then I got out with the idea of trying to push it over by hand."

"When I got to the front of my car, three creatures that looked like individual tin cans on tripods, and were six inches tall, came from behind the rocket. They didnt have eyes that I could see, but I knew they were looking at me. I stopped. I didnt have any desire to get closer. There was no soundjust dead silence. It seemed like ages, as we looked at each other. Then they went up into the rocket, which had a bright colorless light glowing out of the bottom. There was a loud hum. The rocket went up and disappeared. When the light on the bottom went out after it was in the air, my car radio and light came onand my engine started without having to touch the starter."

Townsend said his car has an automatic transmission, and he had placed the selector lever in "park."

Townsend, a non-drinker, said "I dont believe in it as a Christian", and said his heart was pounding and his legs "were like rubber. I drove 90 miles an hour back to Long Prairie to report what I saw, but I wondered if people would believe me. I was sure of two things  the rocket (it towered above the trees along the road) was a spaceship of some kind, and the three objects that came out of it were creatures like nothing else in the animal world I have ever seen. They definitely were not people as I know them."

He said the rocket ship took off looking "just like a flashlight that is turned on and then lifted up from the table with the light at the bottom."

Several hunters in the Long Prairie area claimed to have seen a strong light above them that lit up the ground that night. Other hunters reported seeing a lighted object circle around and around over their farm.

[Ref. dj1:] DONALD JOHNSON:

Donald Johnson's website provides and credits the report by Bob Gribble, "Looking Back October 1965", from the National UFO Reporting Center website.

[Ref. ud1:] "UFODNA" WEBSITE:

The website indicates that on October 23, 1965, at 19:15, Long Prairie, Minnesota, USA, the road was blocked by a landed silver rocket-shaped object about 30-40 feet tall. The explanation was psychological.

The radio announcer James F. Townsend, 19, was driving west on State Highway 27 when his engine, lights, and radio stopped operating. He coasted to a stop about 20 feet from an object that blocked the road. It was a silver, rocket-shaped object about 30-40 feet tall and ten feet wide, sitting on fins on the road. He got out and saw three small brownish-black "creatures" with "tripod arms and matchstick legs," and no eyes or facial features. They emerged from behind the object, standing underneath it in an intensely lighted circle. They faced and stared at Townsend for a while, then disappeared in the intense light and evidently returned to the object. The object rose straight up for a quarter mile, with a high-pitched humming sound, then stopped and vanished. At that moment the car restarted spontaneously and the headlights came on. No traces were found on the ground.

An object was observed. Electromagnetic effects were noted. Metallic traces found. One brown ball about twenty feet away, was observed by nine male witnesses, typical age 19, as reported to the police, on a highway for three minutes (James F Townsend). Three 6-inch-tall robots were seen.

The sources are indicated as Webb, David, HUMCAT: Catalogue of Humanoid Reports; Project Bluebook, (USAF) Blue Book files counted in official statistics; Steiger, Brad, Strangers From the Skies, Award A171X, New York, 1966; Lorenzen, Coral E., Flying Saucer Occupants, Signet T3205, New York, 1967; Lorenzen, Coral E., Encounters with UFO Occupants, Berkley Medallion, New York, 1976, ISBN:425-03093-8; Data-Net Report; FSR, FSR (formerly Flying Saucer Review), FSR, London, 1966; Bowen, Charles, The Humanoids: FSR Special Edition No. 1, FSR, London, 1966; Hynek, J. Allen, Hynek UFO Report, Dell 19201, New York, 1977, ISBN:0-440-19201-3; Pereira, Jader U., Les Extra-Terrestres, Phenomenes Spatiaux, Paris, 1974; Vallee, Jacques, A Century of Landings (N = 923), (in JVallee04), Chicago, 1969; Schoenherr, Luis, Computerized Catalog (N = 3173); Phillips, Ted R., Physical Traces Associated with UFO Sightings, CUFOS, Chicago, 1975; UFO Nachrichten (Veit), UFO Nachrichten (Germany); Eberhart, George M., A Geo-Bibliography of Anomalies, Greenwood Press, Westport, 1980, ISBN:0-313-21337-2; Rodeghier, Mark, UFO Reports Involving Vehicle Interference, CUFOS, Chicago, 1981; Huyghe, Patrick, Field Guide to Extraterrestrials: A complete overview of alien lifeforms based on actual accounts and sightings, Hodder and Stoughton, London, 1996, ISBN:0-340-69503-X; Newspaper Clippings; Falla, Geoffrey, Vehicle Interference Project, BUFORA, London, 1979; Hatch, Larry, *U* computer database, Author, Redwood City, 2002; Rath, Jay, The M-Files: True Reports of Minnesota's Unexplained Phenomena, Wisconsin Tales and Trails, Madison, 1998, ISBN:0-915024-66-7; Smith, Willy, UNICAT computer database.

Points to consider:

Here is one of many cases that could have gained in credibility, if applied, had they been correctly investigated. We have here multiple additional witnesses, probably independent from each other, including one police officer, who should have been interrogated and whose statements should have been recorded seriously and published, since they could have independently confirmed that something had indeed occurred there and when Townsend had his alleged encounter. Because the only ufological approach seems to have been some phone calls, because the police officers do not have a mission of investigating into UFO sightings, because the Air Force probably just labeled the case "psychological", a good opportunity was missed.

Worse still, the oily trace reported by sheriff Bain, which he seems to find anything but ordinary, could have been sampled and analyzed and could have provided invaluable evidence either validating the story or making it possible to eliminate it as evidence. But obviously nothing was done.

Whimsical versions by certain authors can be found, always the same ones, thus John Keel telling that the police officers saw, with Townsend, a luminous sphere in the sky, or Pierre Delval presenting the close encounter as if it had several witnesses, both abstaining from quoting their source.

Of course, the possibility remains of orating on the probability or improbability of the "rocket" and its very small occupants and call that "science fiction", or of wondering in vain if they were actual biological or rather some sort of robots, and certainly this "weirdness" of the described craft and occupants is the reason so many authors mentioned it; but basically that leaves me with a case which could not have been a "confusion", but was not properly investigated, has a witness considered to be honest, but single, for the close encounter, and thin ill-documented additional testimonies, which is not enough to give a high credibility to the case.

List of issues:

Id: Topic: Severity: Date noted: Raised by: Noted by: Description: Proposal: Status: 1 Data Severe January 5, 2008 Patrick Gross Patrick Gross Missing possible Press sources. Help needed. Opened. 2 Data Severe January 5, 2008 Patrick Gross Patrick Gross Missing possible USAF case file. Help needed. Opened. 3 Ufology Severe January 5, 2008 Patrick Gross Patrick Gross No police or other investigation report available. Help needed. Opened. 4 Ufology Severe January 5, 2008 Patrick Gross Patrick Gross Single witness for the close encounter. Help needed. Opened. 5 Ufology Severe January 5, 2008 Patrick Gross Patrick Gross Additional distant witnesses reports not documented. Help needed. Opened.

Evaluation:

Extraterrestrial visitors.

Sources references:

* = Source I checked.

? = Source I am told about but could not check yet. Help appreciated.

[bb1] * "16 - 30 October Sightings", listing by the Project Blue Book, US Air Force, available at the National Archive and Record Administration (NARA), Washington D.C. USA, 1966.

[---] ? "Little Tin Men in Minnesota", article by Clare John Jansen, in Fate magazine, USA, Volume 19, #2, pp 36-40, February 1966.

magazine, USA, Volume 19, #2, pp 36-40, February 1966. [bt1] ? "Strangers From the Skies", book by Brad Steiger, Award publishers, USA, 1966.

[bt1] ? "Strangers From the Skies", book by Brad Steiger, Tandem publishers, USA, pp 126-129, 1966.

[lo1] * "Flying Saucers Occupants", book by Coral and Jim Lorenzen, Signet Books publishers, USA, page 136, 1967.

[lo1] * "UFO Occupants in the United States", chapter by Coral Lorenzen, in "The Humanoids: A Survey of Worldwide Reports of Landings of Unconventional Aerial Objects and Their Occupants", book edited by Charles Bowen, Neville Spearman publishers, U-K., 1969.

[lo1] * "UFO Occupants in the United States", chapter by Coral Lorenzen, in "The Humanoids: A Survey of Worldwide Reports of Landings of Unconventional Aerial Objects and Their Occupants", book edited by Charles Bowen, Henry Regnery publisher, USA, 1969.

[lo1] * "Occupants d'OVNIS Dans Les Témoignages Des Etats-Unis", chapter by Coral Lorenzen, in "En Quête des Humanoïdes", book edited by Charles Bowen, French translation of "The Humanoids", France, J'ai Lu publisher, pp 203-204, 1974.

[jk1] * "Who Was That 6 Inch High Animated Tin Can I saw you With Last Night", article by John Keel, in True magazine, special issue "The True Report On Flying Saucers", #2, USA, 1967.

magazine, special issue "The True Report On Flying Saucers", #2, USA, 1967. [jv1] * "Passport to Magonia - On UFOs, Folklore, and Parallel Worlds", book by Jacques Vallée, Contemporary Books publisher, USA, 1969.

[---] ? "Les Extra-Terrestres", booklet by Jader U. Pereira, Phénomènes Spatiaux, GEPA, France, 1974.

[---] ? "Physical Traces Associated with UFO Sightings", catalogue compiled by Ted Phillips, CUFOS, USA, 1975.

[lo1] * "Encounters With UFO Occupants", book by Coral and Jim Lorenzen, APRO (Aerial Phenomenon Research Organization), re-print of "Flying Saucer Occupants", USA, 1976.

[pd1] * "Le Grand Livre des OVNIS", book by Pierre Delval, De Vecchi publisher, France, page 196, 1976.

[---] ? "HUMCAT: Catalogue of Humanoid Reports", case 1965-63, compiled by David F. Webb and Ted Bloecher, CUFOS, USA, circa 1977.

[jh1] * "The Hynek UFO Report", book by Joseph Allen Hynek, Dell Publishing, USA, 1977.

[jh1] * "Nouveau Rapport sur les OVNIS", book by Joseph Allen Hynek, French translation of "The Hynek UFO Report", Belfond publisher, J'ai Lu, France, pp 243-245, 1979.

[---] ? "Vehicle Interference Project", by Geoffrey Falla, BUFORA, U-K, 1979.

[---] ? UFO Nachrichten , saucerist bulletin, Karl Veit editor, Germany.

, saucerist bulletin, Karl Veit editor, Germany. [---] ? Data-Net Report.

[---] ? "Computerized Catalog", compiled by Luis Schoenherr.

[---] ? "UNICAT Computer Database", compiled by Willy Smith.

[---] ? "A Geo-Bibliography of Anomalies", book by George M. Eberhart, Greenwood Press publishers, USA, 1980.

[ia1] * "ET's From???", electronic text by Ira Adams, USA, via the Internet, 1993.

[pb1] * "UFO: The Complete Sightings", book by Peter Brookesmith, Barnes and Noble publishers, USA, page 85, 1995.

[---] ? "Field Guide to Extraterrestrials: A complete overview of alien lifeforms based on actual accounts and sightings", book by Patrick Huyghe, Hodder and Stoughton publishers, U-K., 1996.

[---] ? "The M-Files: True Reports of Minnesota's Unexplained Phenomena, Wisconsin Tales and Trails", book by Jay Rath, Madison publishers, USA, 1998.

[jc1] * "Extraordinary Encounters", book by Jerome Clark, ABC - Clio publishers, USA, page 245, 2000.

[ab1] * "The Encyclopedia of Alien Encounters", book by Alan Baker, Virgin Books publisher, U-K., page 336, 2000.

[jr1] * "B.A. - BA Des Extraterrestres - Volume 2", book by Jean-Paul Ronecker, Pardès publisher, France, pp 90-91, 2001.

[mr1] * "UFO Reports Involving Vehicle Interference - A Catalogue and Data Analysis", paper by Mark Rodeghier, Center for UFO Studies (CUFOS), USA, available at www.scientificexploration.org/jse/articles/ufo_reports/rodeghier/2.html

[bs1] * "Comprehensive Catalog of 1,500 Project BLUE BOOK UFO Unknowns: Work in Progress (Version 1.6, June 18, 2003)", compiled by Brad Sparks, USA, 2001-2003, at www.nidsci.org/pdf/bluebookunknowns-v1-6.pdf

[---] ? "*U* Computer Database", compiled by Larry Hatch, USA, 2002.

[ar1] * "1965 Humanoid Reports", compiled by Albert Rosales, circa 2001, at www.ufoinfo.com/humanoid/humanoid1965.shtml

[ni1] * "The 1965 UFO Chronology", compiled by the NICAP Website , USA, July 2006, at www.nicap.org/waves/1965fullrep.htm

, USA, July 2006, at www.nicap.org/waves/1965fullrep.htm [bg1] * "Looking Back - October 1965", web page by Bob Gribble, National UFO Reporting Center, USA, undated, at www.nuforc.org/LB6510.html

[dj1] * "Encounters with Aliens on this Day - October 23", web page compiled by Donald Johnson, circa 2006, USA, at www.ufoinfo.com/onthisday/October23.html

[ud1] * "23 Oct 1965 - Long Prairie, Minnesota, USA", web page by the website UFOdna, circa 2008, at ufodna.com/uf18/uf8/188005.htm

Document history:

Authoring

Main Author: Patrick Gross Contributors: None Reviewers: None Editor: Patrick Gross

Changes history

Version: Created/Changed By: Date: Change Description: 0.1 Patrick Gross January 5, 2008 Creation, [bb1], [lo1], [jk1], [jv1], [pd1], [jh1], [pb1], [jc1], [ab1], [jr1], [mr1], [bs1], [ar1], [ni1], [bg1], [dj1]. 1.0 Patrick Gross January 5, 2008 First published. 1.1 Patrick Gross May 17, 2008 Addition, [ia1]. 1.2 Patrick Gross July 7, 2008 Addition, [bt1].