could be Buffalo's crossing the platte

 Research Papers


Today is:

                                Spaceship? Near Kearney?

The year was 1957

Eisenhower was President
        The Cat in the Hat was published
                The Bridge on the River Kwai won Academy Award
                        West Side Story on Broadway
                                Love Letters in the Sand was a popular song by Pat Boone
                                        Bobby Fisher was chess champion at age 13

Sputnik I and II launched by Russia

Tuesday, Nov. 5, 1957 –

R. O. Schmidt a hay, feed, & grain buyer from California had lived in Kenesaw 20 years earlier

Came into Kearney late Tuesday afternoon and reported to Deputy Sheriff Dave Drage that he had seen a space ship near Kearney on the south side Platte, on the sandy shore

The two went to the site

Returned to town and conferred with the Kearney Police Chief, Thursten Nelson

The 3 men + City Manager, Ray Lundy & Hub editor, Ed Chittenden went back to the scene

No imprint of the space ship in the sand but there was a pool of green oil.

Schmidt thought that was the spot where one of four legs had rested on the sand

Samples of the oil were brought back to town

Schmidt’s story

How he found the spaceship

Schmidt had been in Kearney several weeks, to buy feed and grain

This Tuesday afternoon he was inspecting grain in a milo field across the river about 2 miles south & a mile east of Kearney.

Then he got into his car and, being on a narrow side road, he drove down the road toward the river to find a place to turn around

Ahead he saw what looked like a wrecked balloon on the river bank

His car suddenly stopped so he got out and walked the 60 or so feet to the river bank

What he saw

Object was about 100’ long, 30’ wide, and 14’ high; silvery in color

About 30’ from the object he was stopped and frozen in place by a beam of light coming from the object

Two men dressed in business suits came out & asked him if he was armed
        They spoke English with a German accent

Schmidt said no, he was not armed, but they searched him anyway

Then they said since they would be there for a time, he may as well come in and look around

Inside the spaceship

2 women and some more men working on wires and instruments
        They spoke in high German – Schmidt understood to some extent since he took German in high school

They moved about by stepping on certain spots and being pulled along magnetically; floor did not move

The spokesman for the group said they could not tell him where they came from but meant no harm to the people here
        He did say there might be an announcement in the near future

Schmidt left the spaceship after about 30 minutes

He walked a short distance away when there was a flash

The ship rose about 200’ and disappeared, blending in with the gray sky

Schmidt got in his car which started now & went in to Kearney to report to law enforcement

Wednesday, November 6, 1957 –

Police officers returned to the scene

They found empty oil can some 60 feet from pool of oil
        An identical type can found in trunk of Schmidt’s car; green oil

Schmidt was questioned by Kearney police

Two Air Force investigators came from Colorado Springs (Ft. Collins)
        Following their examination of Schmidt and the alleged landing site, declared it a hoax

In the evening he was examined by 2 psychiatrists
        He was scheduled for a hearing before the Buffalo County Board of Mental Health

Later

The Board of Mental Health committed Schmidt to the Hastings State Hospital

After two weeks he was released; the hospital Superintendent said he could find no reason for keeping him any longer.

Through it all Schmidt's story remained consistent

(and the Hub insisted he was not a drinker)

 

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Revised: 01/29/2018