Project 10073 Record Card — Cloquet, Minnesota, 3 January 1961

This document details a UFO sighting reported on January 3, 1961, near Cloquet, Minnesota. The witness, a civilian, reported seeing a flare-type object while driving his automobile at approximately 45 mph. The object was described as having a blue-yellow flame, a long exhaust shape rounded at the front, and a trail of smoke. The witness estimated the object was about the size of a dime and was at an altitude of approximately 300 feet above the ground. The object was observed descending in an arc to the west, appearing to drop slowly as if attached to a parachute, before eventually disintegrating as it fell into a wooded area. The duration of the observation was between 20 and 30 seconds. Weather conditions at the time were reported as -12 degrees Fahrenheit with bright moonlight and winds from the WNW at 18 knots. Following the initial report, the Intelligence Division of the Duluth Air Defense Sector (DUADS) submitted an Air Intelligence Information Report to the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) at Wright-Patterson AFB. The report included responses to specific questions posed by ATIC regarding the sighting, such as the elevation and azimuth of the object, the witness's actions, and the nature of the terrain. The witness confirmed that the object had disappeared before he could exit his vehicle. The investigating officer, F/L Willis N. Morrison, noted that while the witness believed the object fell into the woods, the location provided was not precise enough to make a search feasible. The document also includes a clipping from 'Sky & TX' magazine regarding the January Quadrantid meteor shower, which may have been provided as context for the sighting. The report concludes that there were no other witnesses and that the immediate area was uninhabited.