The Pascagoula incident remains one of the most intriguing and unique UFO encounters in American history. As we approach the 50th anniversary of this remarkable event, interest continues to grow around what happened on that fateful night of October 11, 1973. Two Mississippi men, Charles Hickson and Calvin Parker, were fishing along the Pascagoula River when they reportedly encountered strange beings who took them aboard an unidentified craft.

Parker described the entities as approximately five feet tall with wrinkled gray skin reminiscent of elephants or manatees. These beings had no visible neck, with heads sitting directly on their shoulders. Their unusual appearance featured mittens or crab-like hands, with legs that seemed fused together as they glided rather than walked. Investigators Philip Mantle and Dr. Arena Scott have since dedicated significant research to this case, uncovering new witnesses and details that continue to make the Pascagoula incident stand out among UFO encounters.

Key Takeaways

The Pascagoula incident's 50th anniversary approaches, marking one of ufology's most distinctive close encounter cases.
Calvin Parker described unusual beings with gray wrinkled skin, crab-like hands, and fused legs that moved by gliding rather than walking.
Researchers have uncovered additional witnesses and details that weren't publicly known during the original 1973 investigation.

The Pascagoula River Encounter Anniversary

The 1973 Incident Overview

The Pascagoula event marks its 52nd anniversary on October 11, 2023. This historic case involves two friends, Charles Hickson and Calvin Parker, who experienced an extraordinary encounter while fishing on the Pascagoula River in Mississippi in 1973. Instead of catching fish that night, the men reported being taken aboard a strange craft by unusual beings. The incident quickly became one of the most compelling cases in UFO history and continues to fascinate researchers five decades later.

The entities described by the witnesses had distinctive characteristics that set them apart from other reported alien encounters. They stood approximately five to six feet tall with gray, wrinkled skin resembling that of elephants or manatees. These beings had no necks, with heads sitting directly on their shoulders. Their arms were unusually long, ending in mitten-like or crab-like appendages. Most notably, they moved by gliding rather than walking, as their legs appeared to be fused together.

Witness Testimonies

Calvin Parker described the entities as having a robotic quality. While Hickson reported seeing several small antennas protruding from the beings' heads, Parker did not recall this detail, noting that his vision was partially obscured by bright lights during the encounter. Parker emphasized the unique appearance of these entities, stating he had never seen anything similar in other UFO reports or illustrations.

The case gained renewed attention when investigators Philip Mantle and Dr. Irene Scott began researching it more thoroughly. Mantle had long been fascinated by the case, particularly by the distinctive appearance of the reported entities. After acquiring the rights to republish Hickson's original 1983 book "UFO Contact at Pascagoula," Mantle tracked down Calvin Parker, who initially seemed reluctant to discuss his experience.

Parker eventually agreed to share his story in detail, but with one condition: his words would be published without editorial changes to grammar or vocabulary. He wanted readers to understand not only what happened that night but also who he was as a person. This collaboration resulted in a comprehensive new account of the incident that brought previously unreported details to light.

Detailed Insights into the Entities

Calvin Parker's Firsthand Account

Calvin Parker describes the beings he encountered during the Pascagoula incident as unlike anything he had seen before or since. Despite researching and examining various depictions of extraterrestrial entities afterward, he maintains that these creatures were unique in appearance. Parker believes they were "more robotic than anything," functioning with mechanical precision rather than organic movement. He noted a significant difference between his observations and those of Charles Hickson; while Hickson reported seeing several small antennas protruding from the beings' heads, Parker never witnessed these features himself, explaining that his vision was partially obscured by the extremely bright lights during the initial encounter.

Physical Attributes

The entities exhibited several distinctive characteristics:

Height: Approximately 5-6 feet tall
Skin: Gray and wrinkled, similar to elephant or manatee hide
Head structure: No visible neck, with heads sitting directly on shoulders
Arms: Unusually long with peculiar hands
Hands: Resembled either mittens or crab-like appendages
Legs: Fused together without separation, yet still recognizable as legs

Their movement pattern was particularly unusual. Rather than walking with separate legs, they appeared to glide effortlessly across surfaces. Parker noted this made evolutionary sense, observing that "if you don't walk, you don't need to have separate legs." The beings moved with a fluid, continuous motion unlike human locomotion. Parker consistently described them as having an "ugly" appearance with clearly robotic characteristics, setting them apart from other reported extraterrestrial encounters in UFO literature.

Research Progress

Additional Witnesses and Evidence

Our investigation into the Pascagoula incident has uncovered significant new information as we approach the 50th anniversary of the October 11, 1973 event. Charles Hickson and Calvin Parker's encounter with unusual beings while fishing on the Pascagoula River remains one of the most distinctive cases in UFO history.

Parker's detailed description of the entities provides crucial insights. The beings stood approximately 5-6 feet tall with gray, wrinkled skin resembling that of elephants or manatees. They had no visible neck, with heads positioned directly on their shoulders. Their arms were unusually long, ending in what Parker described as "mitten-like" or "crab-like" hands.

These entities had no separation between their legs, appearing to glide rather than walk. Parker consistently characterized them as having a robotic appearance and movement pattern. Unlike standard descriptions in other cases, these beings had distinctive features that set them apart from common UFO occupant reports.

Philip Mantle became fascinated with the case largely because of these unique entity descriptions. The creatures' appearance remained memorable to him even while researching other UFO cases. When Mantle later pursued publishing rights to Hickson's original book "UFO Contact at Pascagoula," he hoped to include an update from Parker.

After persistent efforts, Mantle established contact with Parker, who initially seemed reluctant to discuss the incident in depth. Their collaboration eventually led to Parker sharing his own manuscript and agreeing to work with Mantle on the condition that his writing remain unedited, allowing readers to understand both the event and Parker himself through his authentic voice.

Publishing and Author Insights

Mantle's UFO Research Background

Philip Mantle's fascination with the Pascagoula incident began decades ago, sparked particularly by the unique descriptions of the creatures involved. The bizarre beings—with gray wrinkled skin resembling elephants or manatees, no necks, robotic movements, and crab-like hands—captured his imagination unlike any other case in UFO literature. During the 1990s, Mantle organized major UFO conferences in the UK and repeatedly attempted to bring Charles Hickson as a speaker, though these arrangements never materialized despite reaching tentative agreements.

After taking early retirement from his day job in 2016 to focus on publishing and research, Mantle discovered that Hickson's 1983 book "UFO Contact at Pascagoula" was only available secondhand at exorbitant prices—often over $100 for a hardback copy. This realization sparked his interest in republishing the work, potentially with new material.

The Book Development Process

Mantle's project expanded significantly after he managed to contact Calvin Parker, which took approximately three months of effort. Their initial phone conversation was polite but guarded, with Parker hesitant to share much information. During a subsequent call, Parker mentioned casually that he was writing a book himself, prompting Mantle to offer publishing services.

Unknown to Mantle, Parker's wife Waynette had recently encouraged him to write his story after an incident at a friend's funeral where people recognized him as "the alien guy." When Mantle challenged Parker to show what he had written so far, Parker only had some basic notes. The collaboration moved forward with one strict condition: Mantle would not alter Parker's writing style, grammar, or vocabulary.

"I want people to know what happened to us that night," Parker explained, "but I also want them to know me." He described himself as having "the brawn" in his family while his younger brother had "the brains," and wanted readers to understand his authentic voice and perspective.

This partnership between Mantle and Parker formed the foundation for bringing the Pascagoula incident back into public discussion, preserving both the extraordinary details of the event and the personal voice of one of its key witnesses.

Calvin Parker's Personal Reflections

I never wanted to talk about what happened that night on the Pascagoula River. For decades, I kept quiet about the encounter Charlie Hickson and I experienced on October 11, 1973. The memory stayed with me, though. Those beings were unlike anything I'd ever seen before or since.

The creatures had gray, wrinkled skin similar to an elephant or manatee. They stood about five to six feet tall with no visible neck - their heads simply sat on their shoulders. Charlie described seeing antennas coming from their heads, but I didn't notice that detail myself. The lights were extremely bright when they first approached us.

Their arms were unusually long with hands that resembled mittens or crab claws. Their legs weren't separated but seemed fused together. This makes sense in retrospect; they didn't walk but glided across surfaces. Everything about them appeared robotic and, frankly, ugly.

My wife Waynette played a significant role in my decision to finally share my story. At a friend's funeral, someone recognized my name and made comments about me being "the alien guy." Waynette suggested I write a book, though I initially had no serious intention of doing so.

When Philip Mantle contacted me about an interview, I was hesitant. After several conversations, I agreed under one condition - that he wouldn't change my vocabulary, grammar, or spelling. I wanted readers to know me as I am, not just what happened that night.

For years, people would recognize my name and whisper. I finally decided enough was enough - it was time to tell my side of the story completely and honestly, in my own words. The experience changed my life forever, and sharing it has brought a certain peace after decades of silence.

Dr. Arena Scott's Connection

Dr. Arena Scott's involvement with the Pascagoula incident began through a personal experience on the very night of October 11, 1973. She received an unusual phone call from her mother in Ohio while she was living in Missouri. Her mother asked a peculiar question: "Did you hear that noise?" At the time, Dr. Scott dismissed it as nonsensical.

Later, her mother called again to describe a significant UFO flap occurring in the area. People were reportedly hiding in their basements and keeping their children indoors due to widespread concern. This strange coincidence created Dr. Scott's initial connection to the events that unfolded that night on the Pascagoula River.

The timing of these calls is remarkable - they occurred precisely when Charles Hickson and Calvin Parker were allegedly encountered by strange beings with "gray wrinkled skin" and robotic movements. These entities, standing approximately five to six feet tall with unusual features, allegedly took both men aboard a craft while they were fishing.

Dr. Scott's interest in the case developed years later when she began researching what exactly had happened on that October night in 1973. This personal connection through her mother's calls established a unique entry point into one of ufology's most compelling cases.

The Pascagoula Alien Abduction of 1973: Inside America's Most Credible UFO Encounter