In early 1958, motorists around Elkton in Michigan’s Thumb region began reporting sightings of a “little blue man.” This glowing figure, described as looking like a spaceman, would mysteriously appear on rural roads and then vanish just as suddenly, leaving startled drivers with no trace of him. As time went on, the sightings grew more fantastic, with some claiming the man was ten feet tall, others two feet tall, and one even stating he “ran faster than any human.” The local police began searching for the cause of these strange reports.
The mystery was finally solved when three young men—Jerry Sprague, Don Weiss, and LeRoy Schultz—confessed to the prank. Inspired by news reports of flying saucers, they created a costume from long underwear, gloves, combat boots, a sheet with eyeholes, and a football helmet with blinking lights, all spray-painted glow-in-the-dark blue after a popular song. Sprague, who fit the underwear, would hide in a ditch and leap out as a car approached, running along the road to draw attention before quickly jumping into the trunk of the car driven by Weiss and Schultz. They carried out this prank on at least eight to ten nights over several weeks, and the police ultimately let them off with a warning.
I was taking pics of the historic log cabin in Ackerman Memorial Park and was reading the sign in front of it. It was there I learned about the “Blue Man”. It’s amazing the things you learn from historical signs.
If you love exploring the Thumb and reading about its unique history be sure to look at my new book Lost In Michigan’s Thumb available on Amazon HERE
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