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JULY 16, 1964, CONKLIN, NEW YORK, USA, EDMUND TRAVIS, RANDY TRAVIS, FLOYD MOORE, BILLY DUNLAP, GARY DUNLAP:

Brief summary of the event and follow-up:

On July 16, 1964, in the beginning of the afternoon, at Conklin, Broome County, New York, USA, five young boys, Edmund and Randy Travis, 9 and 7, Floyd Moore, 10, Billy Dunlap, 7, and Gary Dunlap, 5, were playing in an apple tree along Woodside Avenue, in a field they favored because of a proliferation of huckleberry bushes, 2 miles from their homes.

They noticed a strange dome-like object, shiny like a car's chromium bumper, resting in a field along side the road, partially hidden by tall weeds.

Their attention was then drawn to some sounds similar to someone playing a penny whistle or kazoo; which they said sounded as if it came from a pipe. The sounds appeared to come from a humanoid creature in a tree about 150 feet away, the whistling sounds appearing to come from the general area of the creature's stomach.

They described this creature as about the size of a small boy, estimated to be about three feet tall, and dressed in shiny black pants and a black short-sleeved shirt. Its face had a humanlike appearance. It had a black helmet on the head, with two antenna-like wires protruding from the top and white wavy lines, or a white lettering, unidentified by the children, across the front. It had a transparent plate or lens covering the eyes; which was part of the helmet.

The boys started throwing apples and stones at the creature, but it was out of range. It continued to emit the weird noises.

The creature fell backward out of the tree and appeared to fall slowly or float to the ground. It then headed toward the dome-like object and stepped on the top of it.

The boys asked him if he needed help or water, but the same noises continued with no other response.

Other versions tell that the creature seemed to "fall backward" from the top of the domed craft, and at this point the children left the field and ran toward home.

Three of the boys ran to the Travis home, and told Mrs. Edmund Travis that they were looking for a jar of water for the spaceman. They told they couldn't understand what he said, but it sounded like he needed water.

The grandfather of these boys was sent after the other two boys. He met them along the way, walking home from the field, and at first the boys denied seeing a spaceman for fear of punishment for lying, as they though nobody would believe them. Later they admitted they had seen it.

Mrs. Travis threatened to punish her sons if they did not tell the truth. They tearfully insisted they were not lying. The boys were then separated and required to tell what they had seen, and, in tears, each told the same story. None of them retracted their original claims. After that, Mrs. Travis said she believed the boys, especially since they did not change their story despite the punishment menace.

The boys then went with Mrs. Travis to the field. The object and the creature were gone, but there was a perfectly circular area where weeds had been flattened and bushes broken. The moss appeared dry and yellow as if "intense heat had withered it", and two depressions were found outside the area as though the object had been supported on legs. A newsman discovered a third depression later that day.

The story then appeared in a local newspaper, and was apparently investigated by ufologist Walter Webb, who found no ordinary explanation for the episode.

Basic information table:

Narratives:

[Ref. lo1:] CORAL LORENZEN:

The author indicates that on July 16, 1964, at Conklin, New York, five young boys claimed they saw a spaceman and his craft just 2 miles from their homes in a field they favored because of a proliferation of huckleberry bushes.

The boys were Edmund and Randy Travis, 9 and 7, Floyd Moore, 10, Billy Dunlap, 7, and Gary Dunlap, 5. Mrs. Travis said she first learned of their experience when three of the boys came running to her house shortly after 12:30 p.m., seeking a jar of water.

Mrs Travis said "They said they were taking some water over to the spaceman. They said they couldn't understand what he said but it sounded like he needed water."

An adult was sent after the other two boys and met them walking home from the field. They at first denied seeing the spaceman, afraid of a spanking because they didn't think anyone would believe them. They were separated from one another and questioned.

When questioned closely and threatened with punishment for fibbing, they broke into tears but none of them would retract their original claims.

Mrs. Travis finally convinced them they should tell what they had seen, and they told that they had come upon the creature in the field. He was about the size of a little boy, had a human-looking face, and was wearing a black suit and black helmet The helmet had antenna-like wires on top and white lettering, unidentified by the children, across the front. He was wearing a plastic or glass lens over his eyes and was making a peculiar noise which sounded like it came out of a pipe. They described it as similar to the noise made by a kazoo.

The being walked toward his vehicle, partly obscured by bushes, but what the kids saw that it was shiny "like a car bumper."

The being stepped up on top of it, and the children asked if he needed help or water. Then the creature seemed to "fall backward" from the top of the vehicle, and at this point the children left the field and ran toward home.

An observer who visited the field later noticed matted foliage where the boys said the vehicle had been, and there were also three depressions around the matted area as though whatever had crushed the foliage was supported by columns or legs.

[Ref. jv1:] JACQUES VALLEE:

In his catalogue of UFO landings, Jacques Vallée indicates that on July 16, 1964, at 03:00 p.m., in Conklin, New York. Edmund Travis, 9, Randy Travis, 7 Floyd Moore, 10, and two other boys, saw a dwarf dressed in a black suit and a helmet, with a glass section in front of his face, which looked human. He appeared to request some water in a strange tone, which sounded "as if it came from a pipe." He then walked to a shiny machine partially hidden in the brush, as the boys ran home.

Vallée indicates that his source is "Humanoids 59."

[Ref. fr1:] MICHEL FIGUET AND JEAN-LOUIS RUCHON:

The authors indicate that many world cases show beings which were seen drawing water from a river or a lake, among those, the case which follows, from the Vallée catalogue.

The authors indicate that on July 16, 1964, in the USA, in Conklin, New York, Edmund Travis, 9, his brother Randy, 7, Floyd Moore, 10, and two other boys "saw a dwarf", in black costume and carrying a helmet with a glazed part in front of the face.

The latter required a little water with a strange voice that seemed to come out of a pipe, then it walked towards a shining apparatus while the children run away to their premises.

[Ref. ww1:] WALTER F. WEBB:

Walter Webb indicates that on the afternoon of July 16, 1964, five young boys were playing in an apple tree along Woodside Avenue in Conklin, New York, USA. The boys were Edmund Travis, 9, Randy Travis, 7, Billy Dunlap, 7, Gary Dunlap, 5, and Floyd Moore, 10.

They noticed a strange domelike object, "shiny like a bumper", resting in a field along side the road partially hidden by tall weeds. Their attention was then drawn to some sounds similar to someone playing a penny whistle. The sounds appeared to come from a humanoid creature in a tree about 150 feet away.

This creature was about the size of a small boy, estimated to be about three feet tall, and was dressed in shiny black pants and a black short-sleeved shirt. Its face had a humanlike appearance. It had a black helmet on the head, with two antenna-like wires protruding from the top and white wavy lines across the front. It had a transparent plate or lens covering the eyes, that was part of the helmet. The whistling sounds appeared to come from the general area of the stomach.

The boys started throwing apples and stones at the creature, but he was out of range. He continued to emit weird noises. The boys asked him if he needed help or water, but the same noises continued with no other response.

The figure then fell backward out of the tree and appeared to fall slowly or float to the ground upon which it then headed toward the dome-like object.

Three of the boys ran to the Travis home, and told Mrs. Edmund Travis that they wanted water for the spaceman. The grandfather of these boys was sent after the other two boys. He met them along the way, and at first the boys denied seeing a spaceman for fear of punishment for lying. Later they admitted they had seen it.

Mrs. Travis threatened to punish her sons if they did not tell the truth. They tearfully insisted they were not lying. The boys were then separated and required to tell what they had seen, and each told the same story. After that, Mrs. Travis said she believed the boys, especially since they did not change their story despite the punishment menace.

The boys then went with Mrs. Travis to the field. The object and the creature were gone, but there was a perfectly circular area where weeds had been flattened and bushes broken. The moss appeared dry and yellow as if "intense heat had withered it", and two depressions were found outside the area as though the object had been supported on legs. A newsman discovered a third depression later that day.

[Ref. bh1:] ROBERT E. BARTHOLOMEW AND GEORGE S. HOWARD:

The authors indicate that on July 16, 1964, Conklin, New York, at 03:00 p.m., several boys saw a human-looking dwarf in a black suit with a helmet and glass in front of his face, who spoke in a strange voice "as if it came from a pipe."

He walked into a shiny object in some nearby brush as the boys raced home.

The witnesses were Randy Travis, age nine; Edmund Travis, age nine; Floyd Moore, age ten; and two other boys.

The authors indicate that the source is Jacques Vallee, Passport to Magonia, Chicago, Henry Regnery, 1969, page 301.

[Ref. rh1:] RICHARD HALL:

Richard Hall indicates that on July 16, 1964, five boys, in Conklin, New York, in the afternoon, saw one 3 feet tall being, in black garb, helmet, glass-like faceplate. A dome-shaped craft was seen on ground; a whistling sound had attracted attention to the being who was perched in the tree, and who floated to ground.

Richard Hall indicates that the details are in The UFO Evidence, Vol. II.

[Ref. ni1:] NICAP WEBSITE:

The website indicates that on July 16, 1964, in Conklin, New York, a humanoid with dark suit and helmet climbed on top of a craft. Physical traces were found at site.

The source is indicated as UFOE [The UFO Evidence, NICAP] Section XII.

[Ref. dj1:] DONALD JOHNSON:

Donald Johnson indicates that on July 16, 1964, a dome-shaped object as shiny as chromium was seen in a field alongside a road by five boys at 12:30 p.m. in Conklin, Broome County, New York.

A 3 foot tall humanoid was seen in a tree, dressed in a black uniform with a black helmet, and wearing two antenna wires and a visor.

The being floated stiffly in a backwards motion out of the tree.

The craft departed making a whistling sound.

Three ground marks were found at the landing site.

Donald Johnson indicates that the sources are The Binghamton Press, July 17, 1964; Walter N. Webb, case investigation file; the NICAP UFO Investigator, for August 1964, page 6; Coral and Jim Lorenzen, Encounters with UFO Occupants, page 183.

Points to consider:

Let's first stress that that contrary to what aroused from the summary by Jacques Vallée and which was still amplified in other later summaries based on this one, the entity did not ask for water at all - this is a baseless interpretation of the children that should not have been distorted as being factual by careless summarizing.

The reports have a number of gaps and uncertainty that bother me. for example, it is not very clear whether the kids first saw the creature and then the supposed UFO, or whether they first saw the supposed UFO and then heard the creature. Likewise, it is odd that one account tells of the creature falling backwards from the tree to the ground, and another tells of the creature falling backwards from the UFO. Was it both, or is this just confusion?

Proponents of the psychosocial theory for UFO reports do not seem to have commented this episode. If they had, I guess they would have thought that the creature could be some owl, and the UFO some car.

Such an explanation might not be totally convincing because the data are not complete enough to assure it or dismiss it; and precisely the lack of the data to assure or dismiss this explanation probably comes from the fact that earlier ufologist have probably not thought that the case could be such a confusion, and thus, did not ask the questions that would help find this out.

An "owl and car" explanation would however not be without some merits when a number of the details of the reported sighting are taken into account:

1. The creature is perched in a tree. Although there is not much sense in claiming that a space visitor is unlikely to perch in a tree, it is quite well known that owls perch in trees.
2. The creature has "antennas" or some "wires" at the top of the head. Again, space visitors could have antennas on the head after all, but what is sure is that many species of owls have feathered ear protrusions that could indeed be vaguely described with uncertain expressions such as "antennas/wires."
3. The creature emits sounds described as like the sound of a kazoo, or someone playing a whistle, or coming from a pipe. Again, while it is not possible to exclude that an alien visitor would produce such sounds, what is certain is that it does remind of the sounds of a bird that the kids had not heard yet. when the kids say it sounded as if it came from a pipe, adults might readily interpret this as a reverberating sound, however, many kids would mean by that a sound produced when you blow into a pipe, i.e. a "hooo" sound, an owl sound.
4. The creature is said to have something on its face, referred to as a transparent visor, but also a lens. It must be one or the other. The vague nature of the description suggests that it was not a transparent visor and not a lens, but something that surrounded the eyes a bit like a visor with lenses would. This can thus be the interpretation by the kids of the round coloration and shape of the feathers and owl has around its eyes.
5. The creature floats down from the tree. Although there is no reason to put forth that an alien visitor could not do this, it is certain that this is exactly what an owl would do.

To kids 150 feet away, this creature might be impressive, and described as having two sorts of antennas, a mask or lens on its visor, a helmet, and producing weird sounds.

Similarly, the UFO, described as a shiny domed thing, is not well-observed: the kids or the reporters specified that it was partly hidden in some brushes. A car partly hidden in some brushes might cause kids to think of some spacecraft, specially when they are already impressed by some creature. It is perhaps not without significance that this domed object is not at any place inside the field, but apparently, on the road near to the field, just where a car could be. Also, there is nothing in the report about observing the landing or take off of this object.

Of course, the "landing gear" marks could be the car's tires. Or not. The circular trace must have been something else; but was it a camper's tent? Or a round flying saucer? What was the distance and position of the landing gear marks? Where is the plan of the trace, the exact conformation of the damages in the vegetation? I saw none of it, and thus, as in many cases, an essential piece of information that would have been easy to document is unfortunately lost.

Had UFO investigators thought about all this, they would have checked it out. It does not appear anyone did, and thus, the report remains unsolved in the strict sense of the term, but very anecdotal, and with a possible commonplace explanation.

List of issues:

Evaluation:

Confusion or extraterrestrial visitor.

Sources references:

* = Source I checked.
? = Source I am told about but could not check yet. Help appreciated.

• [---] ? Article in the local newspaper The Binghamton Press, USA, July 17, 1964.
• [---] ? Article in the ufology magazine The UFO Investigator, NICAP, USA, page 6, August 1964.
• [---] ? Article in the saucerist bulletin Flying Saucer Magazine, Ray Palmer editor, USA, page 30, October 1966.
• [---] ? Walter N. Webb, case investigation file, USA.
• [lo1] * "Flying Saucers: The Startling Evidence", book by Coral Lorenzen, self published, USA, pp 133-134, 1966.
• [lo1] * "UFO occupants in reports from the United States", chapter by Coral Lorenzen in "The Humanoids", a Flying Saucer Review (FSR) Special Edition #1, by Charles Bowen, #59, 1966.
• [lo1] * "UFO occupants in reports from the United States", chapter by Coral Lorenzen in the book "The Humanoids", by Charles Bowen, Neville Spearman, 1967.
• [lo1] * "Encounters With UFO Occupants, book by Coral and Jim Lorenzen, Berkley Medallion publishers, USA, page 183, 1966.
• [lo1] * "Occupants d'OVNIS dans les témoignages des Etats-Unis", chapter by Coral Lorenzen in "En Quête des Humanoïdes", by Charles Bowen, French translation of "The Humanoids", J'ai Lu publisher, pp 173-174, 1974.
• [jv1] * "Passport to Magonia - On UFOs, Folklore, and Parallel Worlds", book by Jacques Vallée, Contemporary Books publisher, USA, 1969.
• [---] ? Article in the ufology magazine Flying Saucer Review (FSR), U-K., page 23, March 1970.
• [jv1] * "Chronique des Apparitions Extra-Terrestres", French translation of "Passport to Magonia", book by Jacques Vallée, Denoel publisher, France, 1972.
• [---] ? "HUMCAT: Catalogue of Humanoid Reports", compiled by David F. Webb and Ted Bloecher, circa 1977.
• [---] ? "Physical Traces Associated With UFO Sightings", compiled by Ted Phillips, CUFOS, page 177, 1979.
• [fr1] * "OVNI - Premier Dossier Complet Des Rencontres Rapprochées en France", book by Michel Figuet and Jean-Louis Ruchon, Alain Lefeuvre publisher, France, page 101, 1979.
• [ww1] * "Conklin (New York) incident", article by Walter N. Webb in "The Encyclopedia of UFOs", Ronald Story Editor, Garden City publisher, pp 246-249, USA, 1980.
• [bh1] * "UFOs and Alien Contacts - Two Centuries of Mystery", book by Robert E. Bartholomew and George S. Howard, Prometheus Books publisher, New York, USA, page 320, 1998.
• [---] ? "The UFO Evidence: Vol. 2" book by Richard Hall, USA, pages 2, 471, 2000.
• [rh1] ? "UFO Occupant Sightings", compiled by Richard H. Hall, circa 2004, at www.nicap.org/occupants_hall.htm
• [ni1] * "The 1964 UFO Chronology", compiled by Francis Ridge, NICAP website Coordinator, 2006, at www.nicap.org/waves/1964fullrep.htm
• [dj1] * "Encounters with Aliens on this Day - July 16, compiled by Donald Johnson, circa 2005, at www.ufoinfo.com/onthisday/July16.html

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