PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD — Galena, Illinois, 3 Feb 51

This document consists of a Project 10073 record card and an accompanying newspaper clipping from the Journal Herald dated February 5, 1951. The record card documents a sighting that occurred on February 3, 1951, in Galena, Illinois. The witness reports described a single object shaped like a 'telephone pole' that was approximately 300 feet long. The object was described as being a 'brilliant red' color, moving at a speed that was 'not very fast' and at an altitude that was 'not very high.' The object was reported to have glided noiselessly. The record card notes that no photographs were taken and no radar contact was made. The official conclusion recorded on the card is that the object was 'Probably [a] large meteor.' The newspaper clipping provides additional context, noting that Mayor Ray Logan of Galena was flooded with calls from citizens regarding the object. The article mentions that the sighting coincided with reports of a 'brilliant blue flash' over central Wisconsin, which was also attributed to a meteor. Witnesses in Galena described the object as shaped like a baseball bat and noted that it appeared to be red in Galena but was reported as blue when viewed over Wisconsin. Local police reported that the sighting caused near-accidents among motorists who were distracted by the object. A local telephone operator, Virginia Beadle, reported seeing the object while on her way to work and stated that it nearly scared her to death. The reports indicate the object sailed northward.