Bright object observed over Estacado on the Texas Llano Estacado (1954)

Project Blue Book Case #3042. On June 10, 1954, a bright object was observed near Estacado, Texas — a tiny community on the Llano Estacado (Staked Plains) south of Lubbock. The name Estacado literally means "staked" in Spanish, referencing the treeless plains so flat that early explorers marked their route with stakes. Reese AFB near Lubbock was the nearest military installation. The landscape's endless horizons provided unlimited visibility. The case was classified "Unknown."