Eagle River Pancake Incident
Chicken farmer Joe Simonton encountered a silvery disc-shaped craft hovering in his yard with three humanoid occupants. One gestured for water, which Simonton provided. In exchange, the beings gave him four small pancakes cooked on a flameless grill inside the craft. Laboratory analysis by the US Air Force found the pancakes to be ordinary buckwheat composition but notably lacking salt.
Witnesses
Full Account
On the morning of April 18, 1961, Joe Simonton, a 60-year-old plumber and chicken farmer living alone near Eagle River, Wisconsin, heard a sound he described as resembling “knobby tires on wet pavement.” Going outside to investigate, he found a silvery disc-shaped craft hovering just above the ground in his yard.
The craft was approximately 30 feet in diameter and 12 feet high, described as brighter than chrome, with small exhaust pipes along one edge. An opened hatch revealed the interior, where three humanoid occupants were visible. They appeared about 5 feet tall, approximately 125 pounds, clean-shaven, and dark-skinned with what Simonton described as an “Italian” appearance. They wore dark blue or black knit uniforms with turtleneck tops and helmet-like caps. One had narrow red trim on his trousers.
One of the beings held up a silvery jug and gestured in a way that Simonton interpreted as a request for water. He took the jug inside, filled it from his tap, and returned it. Looking inside the craft, he observed one of the beings cooking on what appeared to be a flameless grill. The being presented Simonton with four small pancakes, roughly 3 inches in diameter.
The hatch then closed and the craft departed, rising at a 45-degree angle. The nearby pine trees bent from the exhaust or downdraft.
Simonton ate one of the pancakes, describing the taste as “like cardboard.” He gave the remaining three to investigators. One was sent to the US Air Force Food and Container Institute for analysis. The laboratory report, dated June 8, 1961, determined the composition to be hydrogenated fat, starch, buckwheat hulls, soybean hulls, and wheat bran — essentially an ordinary buckwheat pancake, but one detail stood out: the pancake contained no salt whatsoever.
The case was investigated by USAF Project Blue Book, NICAP, and J. Allen Hynek personally. Blue Book carried the case as “Unexplained.” Hynek, after meeting Simonton, concluded that the witness was sincere and genuinely believed the encounter had occurred.
Reported Effects
Sources
Investigation Notes
Investigated by USAF Project Blue Book (listed as 'Unexplained'), NICAP, and J. Allen Hynek personally. Hynek arrived April 26, 1961 with Major Robert Friend to conduct the Air Force investigation. The Dept. of Health, Education, and Welfare laboratory analyzed one pancake on June 8, 1961. Judge Frank Carter of Eagle River forwarded additional pancake samples to NICAP. Three pancakes were distributed to investigators (USAF, NICAP via Carter, and family). Hynek concluded Simonton genuinely believed the encounter occurred, though a USAF psychiatrist separately suggested 'hallucination.' Vallee drew parallels to fairy food traditions in European folklore — fairy food is traditionally said to lack salt. Simonton died August 24, 1972.