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| Illustration of 1896 sighting from The San Francisco Call Bulletin Thu, Nov19, 1896 |
Lots in the news recently about UFOs. In 2025, the government intensified UAP (Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena) oversight through congressional hearings focused on declassification, transparency, and whistleblower protection; that's X-Files "the truth is out there" kind of stuff.
Stories of UFOs in Texas go back to at least the 19th century. Between 1896 and 1897 reports of mysterious "airships" spiked nationwide. A Wikipedia article describes the "Airship wave of 1896–1897" as having started in California, then spread east across the country. In all, reported sightings based on news articles is estimated in the tens of thousands.
Reports in Texas peaked in 1897. From the Texas Almanac (When Airships Invaded Texas): "Descriptions of the airships varied somewhat, but there was a general consensus that they had cigar-shaped bodies or cabins 50 to 60 feet long with propellers at each end, large bat-like wings, and huge floodlights fore and aft." the most famous incident occurring in Aurora, Texas, where a craft reportedly collided with a windmill. The Dallas Morning News reported "The pilot of the ship is supposed to have been the only one on board, and while his remains are badly disfigured, enough of the original has been picked up to show that he was not an inhabitant of this world." The pilot was said to have been buried in the Aurora town cemetery which today has a historical marker referencing the event.
Here in Travis County news accounts from 1897 report numerous sightings in and around Austin, plus Manor and Webberville. This report centers on Mount Bonnell and Bull Creek (Huddle's Point is the promontory on the west bank of Bull Creek overlooking its confluence with the Colorado):
"The airship made its appearance again early yesterday morning. At least, three young men who were camping up on Bull Creek, near Huddle’s point, say they saw it... About 3 o’clock yesterday morning it began to rain, and the young men were compelled to get up and fasten their tent. It was at this time they saw the mysterious air craft. They claim it was in sight fully fifteen minutes and are positive they could not have been mistaken. At intervals of every few seconds it would throw its searchlights, and the boys say the light looked as big as four ordinary arc lights. It made its appearance from behind Mount Bonnell and traveled north." (Austin Daily Statesman Apr 26, 1897).
So were the events of 1897 real, mass hysteria or hoax? One Austin man opined: "Where there's so much smoke there must be some fire. So many reports, from so many different points, cannot be fabrications... It is my opinion, that the airship, so-called, is nothing more nor less than a reconnoitering aerial war car from warlike Mars, investigating the conditions of the United States..." (The Austin Weekly Statesman, Thu, Apr 22, 1897). If indeed they were visitors from outer space, it's been 129 years since they visited Austin; they wouldn't recognize it today. Or maybe they did come back and saw the traffic, crowds and mess at the airport and said "I remember Austin when...".
Klaatu barada nikto.
References for more reading ...
Mystery Airships. Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mystery_airship retrieved 2023 03.23
"A Windmill Demolishes It" The Dallas Morning News, April 19, 1897, p. 5
Aurora Cemetery historical marker, https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=183377
When Airships Invaded Texas, Texas Almanac, https://www.texasalmanac.com/articles/when-airships-invaded-texas
The Strange Mysterious Craft Passed Over Manor Last Friday Night. Austin American-Statesman, Mon, Apr 19, 1897
The Heavenly Mystery & Statesman's Mystery Man [Shoal Creek]. The Austin Weekly Statesman. Thu, Apr 22, 1897
Airship Again [Mt. Bonnell & Huddle's Point* on Bull Creek]. Austin Daily Statesman, April 26, 1897.
The Airship. It Was Seen in Austin and Webberville Friday Night. Austin American-Statesman, Sun, May 23, 1897
The Airship. Austin American-Statesman, Tue, Jun 1, 1897
*Side Note: Huddle's Point
Huddle's Point is a whole topic on it's own. But briefly:
Huddle's Point is a landmark not appearing on maps I've reviewed. General location is the promontory on the west bank of Bull Creek overlooking its confluence with the Colorado.
It is named after William Henry Huddle: https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/huddle-william-henry
One source for its location is "She Recalls Bull Creek, Oak Grove of Long Ago!" The Austin American, Aug 14, 1966.
It was referenced as a point of interest in old guides to Lake McDonald, now Lake Austin, e.g. Austin American-Statesman, Thu, Jun 8, 1893
It appears in some county deed records: Travis County Deed Records: Deed Record 318 Page: 156 https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1249476/m1/162/
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