A Strange Visitor in Eagle River
On April 18, 1961, at 11 a.m., Joe Simonton, a 54-year-old chicken farmer and plumber in Eagle River, Wisconsin, was eating a late breakfast when a whirring noise, like knobby tires on wet pavement, interrupted him. Looking out his kitchen window, he saw a brilliant, chrome-like disc, 30 feet wide and 12 feet high, descending vertically to hover a foot above his driveway. A hatch opened, revealing three figures, about five feet tall and 120 pounds, dressed in black two-piece suits with turtleneck tops and snug caps. Their dark, smooth-shaven faces resembled Italians, Simonton later told the Vilas County News-Review. One figure held a silvery, two-handled jug and motioned for water. Simonton filled it at his basement pump, noting, “I touched the craft. No burn, no heat, just smooth metal.”
Inside, he saw a black, wrought-iron-like interior with control panels and belts clipped to the occupants’ waists. Another figure cooked on a flameless square griddle, producing small, perforated pancakes. The cook handed Simonton four hot, greasy cakes. Simonton saluted the water-taker, who returned a backhand salute. The hatch closed seamlessly, “like it was never there,” and the craft rose 20 feet, tilted 45 degrees south, and vanished in two seconds, bending pine treetops with a jet-like blast. Simonton, a respected local who played Santa Claus for the Chamber of Commerce, said, “Their eyes were penetrating. I had to look away.” He ate one pancake, describing it as “like cardboard,” and kept the others, sparking a media storm when photos hit the press.
Project Blue Book’s Investigation
Simonton reported the incident to Vilas County Sheriff John Schroeder, who notified the Air Force. Dr. J. Allen Hynek, a renowned astrophysicist and Project Blue Book consultant, arrived on April 26 with Major Robert Friend to investigate. They photographed the driveway, collected soil and vegetation, and interviewed Simonton. The Project Blue Book report, dated April 1961, labeled the event a hallucination, misspelling Simonton as “Symington.” Hynek noted, “Simonton is sincere but likely suffered a mental aberration, given his isolation and lack of other witnesses.” Despite this, Hynek found Simonton “balanced” and not prone to hoaxes, writing, “He answered directly, refused embellishments, and insisted, ‘This happened.’” The report described the craft as “two soup bowls together, 30 feet in diameter, 12 feet thick, with exhaust pipes spaced around the rim,” but concluded no physical evidence supported the claim.
One pancake was sent to the Air Force’s Aerospace Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Tests, reported on June 8, 1961, by the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, found fat, starch, buckwheat hulls, wheat bran, and soybean hulls, suggesting “an ordinary pancake made predominantly of buckwheat.” However, the Air Force noted “unidentified organic compounds,” adding a layer of mystery. The pancake remains on display at Wright-Patterson, one of the few tangible UFO artifacts.
Corroborating Sightings
Within hours of Simonton’s encounter, locals reported similar sightings. Savino Borgo, an insurance agent and scoutmaster, told the Milwaukee Sentinel on April 28, 1961, that he saw a metallic disc rise diagonally and fly west along Highway 70, a mile from Simonton’s farm, at the same time. Mrs. Paul Cooper and her daughters, in a NICAP report, described a revolving, self-luminous object, “like two pie plates together,” moving north to south at dusk on April 18. Cooper noted, “It matched Simonton’s description, seen after reading his story.” Jack Long, a market owner, and Gibb Sanborn, a state employment manager, also reported recent saucer sightings near Eagle River. These accounts, detailed in the Area52 video “Physical Evidence of an Alien Encounter - Joe Simonton - DEBRIEFED ep. 50” (2025), suggest something unusual hovered over Eagle River that day.
On April 27, Hynek visited the Loretsky farm, 12 miles east of Eagle River, where 17-year-old Tom Hunt and Brent Loretsky saw a disc-shaped object, 40 to 50 feet wide and 15 feet high, flying north to south at 4,000 to 5,000 feet. Brent said, “I couldn’t believe my eyes, but there it was.” Mrs. Loretsky confirmed, “It was no joke, just as Simonton described.” The family, unfamiliar with Simonton personally, believed his story after their sighting, adding weight to the event’s mystery.
The Pancake Pandemonium
Simonton handed one pancake to County Judge Frank W. Carter, a NICAP member, who sent it to the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena (NICAP) on April 21, 1961. Carter wrote, “Kindly arrange scientific analysis and advise whether similar specimens have been reported.” NICAP, led by Major Donald E. Kehoe, forwarded it to Dr. Charles Maney, a physics professor at Defiance College. Maney, overwhelmed by media attention, sent it to the FDA, noting on April 29, “It’s getting moldy rapidly.” The FDA’s June 8 analysis confirmed buckwheat but puzzled over unidentified compounds. NICAP’s secretary, Richard Hall, wrote to Carter on May 9, expressing skepticism: “The ludicrous nature of this story invites ridicule. We focus on substantiated sightings by trained observers.”
Carter, frustrated, demanded the pancake’s return, writing on May 7, “The publicity has made me tired of answering phones. This was a chance to test a contact claim.” Alexander McBain, a chemist with Civilian Saucer Intelligence (CSI), conducted isotopic analysis, spending $180. His report, cited in the Area52 video, found “no radical variation” in carbon ratios but noted the buckwheat hulls were “peculiar,” as their use is rare in human cuisine, hinting at an unusual origin. McBain wrote, “Any difference from terrestrial pancakes would be strong evidence for Simonton’s story.”
New Evidence in 2025
In August 2025, the Area52 YouTube video, hosted by the great Chris Ramsey (@chrisramsay52), reignited interest in Simonton’s case. Ramsey, tweeting as @chrisramsay52 on August 15, 2025, posted, “This is WILD! What else could it possibly be? 🛸,” linking to the video. He also announced, “Tomorrow. 12pm et. UAP Gerb Joins me in the SCIF,” teasing new insights. The video, viewed over 10,000 times, revealed previously unpublished photos from the National UFO Historical Records Center in Albuquerque, courtesy of David Marler. These included Simonton’s drawings of the craft and jug, described as “trophy-like,” and a photo of the actual pancake, held by Marler. Ramsey recreated the pancakes using the FDA’s analysis (fat, starch, buckwheat hulls), noting, “They smell like cardboard.” The video also showed scorch marks in Simonton’s driveway, described as “circular, not charred,” suggesting an unnatural energy.
Ramsey speculated the pancakes were a “gesture, possibly a test,” and highlighted the craft’s 45-degree tilt, comparing it to other UFO cases like Westall (1966) and the 2017 Gimbal footage, where crafts tilted before accelerating. He noted the “penetrating eyes” of the occupants, suggesting telepathic communication, a common theme in UFO encounters. Simonton’s refusal to engage their gaze, opting for sign language, added an eerie layer to the interaction.
A Town’s Lasting Unease
Simonton’s chickens fell ill after the encounter, with several dying, as reported in the Milwaukee Sentinel on May 4, 1961. Simonton told Sheriff Schroeder, “Something’s wrong since that craft came.” The Air Force declined to investigate the deaths, citing insufficient evidence. Locals noted a persistent hum in the skies, and pine trees near Simonton’s farm showed broken branches, though he attributed this to a prior snow plow. The town embraced the story, with a bakery advertising “spaceship cakes” and a service station offering “spaceships served here,” but Simonton grew weary. In a 1964 radio interview, he said, “I haven’t earned a penny since the reporters swarmed. I wouldn’t tell anyone if it happened again.”
Hynek’s report noted Simonton’s isolation, living alone while his wife worked in Chicago, suggesting “suggestibility and mental aberration.” Yet, Simonton’s consistency impressed locals. Attorney Calvin A. Burton told the Three Lakes News, “Joe sounded sincere.” Judge Carter, initially skeptical, became convinced after questioning Simonton, though Hynek noted Carter’s UFO enthusiasm may have influenced the story’s details, like the jug resembling a soup tureen in Carter’s home.
Signs of the Unexplained
The Eagle River encounter carries chilling hallmarks of a paranormal or extraterrestrial event:
- Unusual Pancakes: FDA and CSI analyses found buckwheat hulls and unidentified organic compounds, rare in human cuisine, hinting at an otherworldly source.
- Penetrating Eyes: Simonton’s description of the occupants’ hypnotic gaze suggests telepathic intent, common in UFO encounters.
- Physical Traces: Scorch marks and bent pines, documented in 2025 photos, suggest an unnatural energy lingered in the yard.
- Corroborating Sightings: Multiple witnesses, including Borgo and the Loretskys, saw similar crafts on April 18, defying Hynek’s single-witness dismissal.
- Simonton’s Resolve: His refusal to profit or embellish, despite ridicule, lends eerie credibility to his account.
Chris Ramsey’s Area52 video noted, “The pancakes might have been a message, maybe alive in some way.” The craft’s seamless hatch and silent propulsion defy 1961 technology, suggesting something beyond human understanding.
Theories and Speculation
Hynek’s hallucination conclusion, detailed in the Project Blue Book record, dismissed Simonton’s story, citing his loneliness and lack of corroboration. Yet, the Loretsky family and Borgo’s sightings challenge this, as does the pancake’s peculiar composition. The Area52 video speculated the pancakes were a “test of trust,” possibly biologically active. Simonton’s description of the occupants’ coordinated actions, one cooking while others managed the craft, suggests a ritualistic exchange. The 45-degree tilt, noted by Ramsey, aligns with other UFO cases and Bob Lazar also mentions that tilting at an angle to point the bottom of the craft in the direction they wanted to move, hinting at advanced propulsion. Was this a deliberate contact, or a misperceived event amplified by Eagle River’s quiet isolation?
NICAP’s reluctance to embrace the case, as Hall wrote, stemmed from its “ludicrous” nature, yet McBain’s analysis and the Air Force’s findings suggest the pancakes weren’t entirely ordinary. Simonton’s refusal to engage the occupants’ gaze, choosing sign language, may have altered the encounter’s outcome, leaving only questions.
A Lingering Mystery
Joe Simonton died in 1985, never retracting his story. His farm, now abandoned, draws UFO enthusiasts, with locals reporting humming skies and lights each spring. The Area52 video, fueled by @chrisramsay52’s posts, brought new attention, with photos of the pancake and scorch marks reigniting debate. Eagle River’s bakery signs are gone, but the town’s unease remains. Simonton’s words, “I stood there with greasy pancakes, wondering what I saw,” echo in the Northwoods.