Click to download the WLEW radio broacast! (1.2 MB MP3)

Flying saucers, martians, and U.F.O.'s aren't a popular topic of discussion at the local coffee shop these days, but there was a time in Huron County when it was on the minds' of many.   If you lived in the Thumb Area during the spring of 1958, you might recall the mass hysteria which occurred after numerous eye witness sightings of an alien creature were reported in remote stretches of the county.  This bizarre creature from outerspace later became known as the "Little Blue Man".

During the mid 1990s I produced a documentary video on the Blue Man story, which required extensive research.  I interviewed numerous individuals from the county who remembered what life was like during the days of the Blue Man. It's unknown exactly how many people may have caught a glimpse of this creature. Most of them were probably too scared to contact the local authorities and remained silent.  To announce to friends and neighbors that you spotted a martian on your way home from work was surely an invitation for an all-expense-paid trip to the "nut-house!"

On April 18, 1958, the first official complaint was filed with the Michigan State Police.  Two Elkton High School teachers, Ed Wichert and John Hamilton, gained the courage to come forward with their story.  The original police reports read word-for-word as follows:

"The complainant is a teacher at the Elkton High School and was contacted at the school.  He fold the following story.  He began saying that last night (4-17-58) he and John Hamilton, age 26 and also a teacher at the school had chaperoned a skating party to Bad Axe.  He went on and stated that they left Bad Axe about 10 p.m. or 10:15 p.m. in the school bus to be back in Elkton around 10:30 p.m.  When the bus got to the intersection of the Grassmere Rd. and M-142 at about 10:25 p.m., a subject was lying in the ditch and jumped up and went into what could be referred to as a weird dance when the lights of the bus came on him.  He stated that it all took place so fast that he didn't see very much, but at the time he thought it was some kid playing a prank.  However, the children on the bus were very scared.  He stated that Joan Bitner and Wayne Krohn of Elkton also have been the subject before this incident occurred."

State Trooper William Collins and Huron County Sheriff's Deputy Robert Quinn were assigned to the case.  Now that the word was out, more people began coming forth to admit that they had caught a glimpse of this alien creature during the past several weeks.  Trooper Collins and Deputy Quinn knew the sooner they could solve the mystery and put people's minds' at ease, the better.

Former Sheriff's Deputy Quinn, now retired and living in Caseville, remembered the investigation.  "There was always that doubt in the back of your mind...  you didn't know."  said Quinn.   "It was something to take seriously, we didn't go out and say ha ha, this is a halloween trick!"

Al Hanson, current owner of a Bad Axe car dealership, was driving toward Elkton one night and spotted the Blue Man.  "He was going right down the ditch, walking right down the ditch by the railroad tracks". said Al.  "I got back to the garage the next day and told them and they all thought I was nuts!".

Rudy and Helen Fauple operated the Pleasant Home Dairy Farm, east of Elkton.  During our visit in 1994,  Helen stood on the porch, gazed out the window and recollected her late husband's brush with the Blue Man.  "He would plow back and forth, north and south and he was coming to the south and that's when he seen it across from his house, lying in the ditch" Fauple said.  "He came up here quick!  He was frightened and he said, there's something out there and it's lying in the ditch and it's all different colors...he didn't know what to think of it".

It didn't take long for the word of Rudy's alien encounter to spread throughout the neighborhood.  Neighbor, Buela Schlabach gave her version of the story.   "All of a sudden in a furrow in front of him was a bunch of lights and he was really, really scared"  Schlabach said.  "He didn't know whether he should keep on going and run over him or get off the tractor and run!"

Attorney James Umphrey from Bad Axe:  "The little blue man was one of those catchy incidents that made the national wire, and the story was one that was pretty much spread all over the United States!" exclaimed Umphrey.  "I remember that the public was excited...and with ample reason!  If you are driving down a road and suddenly you see a blue figure that looks like it came from outer space, you'd be excited too!"

As the days went on, facts became mixed with fiction and rumors began to spread like wildfire. One eye-witness report suggested that the Blue Man stood only two feet tall.  Another reported an alien which towered 10 feet tall.  Someone claimed to have seen the Blue Man sitting on top of a telephone post.  Another suggested that the Blue Man could "run faster than any human!

On April 23, 1958  Trooper Collins and Deputy Quinn received an anonymous tip leading to the capture of the Blue Man and his two  accomplices.  What people had believed to be an alien from Mars, turned out to be a person dressed up in a bizarre spaceman costume.   All three individuals, recent graduates of Elkton High School, apparently had too much time on their hands and dreamed up the idea.  The suit was cleverly constructed of long underwear, army boots, welder's gloves and a football helmet covered with styrofoam.  Attached to the helmet were several battery-powered flashlight bulbs, which blinked on and off.  The entire outfit, including a long cape (made from a bed sheet) was dipped in luminous blue paint.

After capturing the Blue Man and his accomplices, Trooper Collins and Deputy Quinn delivered the three suspects to Huron County Sheriff, Dick McBride.  Sheriff McBride was well respected in the community and served the community for many years.  "He didn't always charge the limit of the law."  recalled Attorney Umphrey.  "He felt that good law enforcement was common sense and good judgement....  That's why I think he was sheriff for so long. "

After a complete interrogation and a stern reprimand, the Huron County prosecutor decided to drop all charges against the three individuals.   The Blue Man incident was perceived as an innocent prank which got a little out of hand.  Fortunately, nobody had been injured as a result.

Huron News photographer, Bob Barrett showed up to cover the story.  Trooper Collins and Deputy Quinn posed for a famous photograph standing next to the Blue Man.  Sheriff McBride crawled inside the spaceman costume and posed for a second photograph as if to add a bit of humor to the situation.  It wasn't long before the photograph of the Blue Man's capture showed up in the Port Huron Times, Bay City Times, Saginaw News, Detroit News and Detroit Free Press.  After being picked up by the Associated Press Wire Service, this photo made the May 1958 issue of LIFE magazine and gained national attention!  Huron County gained more publicity from this incident than anyone had ever expected.

So the case of the Blue Man was finally solved.  But maybe you're still wondering...."who was the Blue Man?"   I managed to track down one of the Blue Man's key accomplices, Don Weiss.  Don owns a barber shop in Elkton.   Relaxing in his barber chair, Don shuffled through some old newspaper clippings, yellowed with age, which he had saved over the years.  "We had all just got out of the army, all three of us, and we were unemployed and looking for a job and didn't have much to do" said Weiss.  "I was in charge of having the trunk of the car open.  He'd jump in, I'd slam the trunk, and we'd drive away....that was the procedure. "

After a short visit with Mr. Weiss,  I persuaded him to reveal the true identity of the Blue Man.  What I didn't realize is how difficult it would be finding the Blue Man.  Sources led me to the Blue Man's home address, not far from Elkton.   I showed up at his home and knocked on the door.  Nobody answered.   Since it was a weekday afternoon, I thought maybe I'd find him at his local business.  Strangely enough, the sign in the window said  "closed."   Now I was beginning to wonder if the Blue Man knew I was looking for him...  Or..  maybe he wasn't really the Blue Man at all...

Several weeks later, I thought I'd try phoning the Blue Man.  I didn't know what to expect.  Would the voice on the other end sound like a normal human being or would it sound like some E.T., alien jibberish?  Heck, I didn't even know if aliens could speak English.  If not, who would translate?

I breathed a deep sigh of relief when a man's voice answered the phone.  "Pheww!!!... he sounded like a normal human being!"   I didn't hesitate to introduce myself and get right to the point.  Regardless of every tactic I tried, I was unable to convince the Blue Man to meet for an on-camera interview.  Fortunately, he agreed to answer a few questions on the phone.  His comments were brief.   "We didn't plan on getting caught, but we did"  said the Blue Man.   "We didn't think it'd get any farther than Bad Axe or Elkton.  I don't like publicity...I like to kind of fade into the wallpaper when I'm anywhere."

So that's where story ends.   I interviewed the Blue Man, finished my project and learned about a colorful slice of Huron County history which would be re-told for generations.   To this day, I still haven't met the Blue Man face to face, but I know he's out there somewhere....and that's good enough for me.
 

Written by Dan Depner
Independant Documentary Producer