Cisco Grove Incident -- Complete Timeline and Sources

Cisco Grove Incident -- Complete Timeline and Sources

Complete Chronological Timeline

Date/Period	Event	Category
Friday, September 4, 1964, afternoon	Donald Shrum, Vincent Alvarez, and Tim Trueblood drive approximately 80 miles northeast of Sacramento to the Cisco Grove area of the Tahoe National Forest for a bow-hunting weekend; firearms prohibited during this period so all three are equipped with bows and arrows	Pre-incident
September 4, 1964, afternoon	During the afternoon hunt, Shrum becomes separated from Alvarez and Trueblood in the forest; unable to locate them before nightfall, he climbs a pine tree to spend the night safely	Separation
September 4, 1964, evening	From the tree, Shrum observes a white light with zig-zagging, non-linear motion at low altitude; believing it to be a rescue helicopter, he descends and lights signal flares; the light approaches and stops approximately 50 yards away; he realizes it is not any aircraft he recognizes and climbs back up the tree	Initial sighting
September 4, 1964, evening	Two humanoid entities and one robotic entity arrive at the base of the tree; the entities attempt to climb the tree and shake it; the robot emits white vapor from a mouth-slit that renders Shrum unconscious; he wakes nauseous; the cycle begins	Encounter begins
September 4-5, 1964, night	Shrum defends himself using signal flares, lighted matches, bow and arrows (which produce sparks when hitting the robotic entity), and clothing thrown as projectiles; he secures himself to the tree with his belt to prevent falling if rendered unconscious; a second robotic entity appears; the attack pattern continues through the night	All-night defense
September 4, 1964, same night	At the camp, Vincent Alvarez independently observes a large "mother ship" descend from the upper atmosphere and move to a different part of the forest; he does not see the entities Shrum is facing	Alvarez corroboration
September 5, 1964, dawn	As dawn approaches, additional entities arrive and produce a large volume of smoke or vapor; Shrum loses consciousness completely; he regains consciousness hanging from the tree by his belt; the entities and craft are gone	Encounter ends
September 5, 1964, morning	Shrum descends and returns to the camp; both Alvarez and Trueblood immediately note his visibly shaken condition and the missing clothing; Shrum describes the encounter	Morning return
September 1964 (shortly after)	Shrum reports the encounter; after returning home he undergoes medical testing for possible radiation exposure at his family's request	Initial reporting
September 1964 (shortly after)	The U.S. Air Force classifies the incident as high-priority and dispatches investigators from Wright-Patterson AFB in Ohio to California; the investigators interview Shrum and present him with "alternative scenarios," suggesting he accept one; Shrum agrees to uncertainty partly to protect his employer	Air Force investigation
September / October 1964 (2-3 weeks after)	Shrum returns to the site with brother Bill Shrum, Vincent Alvarez, and friend Bill Adams; the arrows are gone and the area has been thoroughly searched; they find no physical evidence	Site return
1964 onward	Shrum keeps his name out of the case for decades due to concerns about his security clearance and his employer (Aerojet General Corporation); the case circulates in UFO research literature but without Shrum's full name attached	Long-term silence
2012	Aliens in the Forest: The Cisco Grove UFO Encounter published by Noe Torres, Ruben Uriarte, and Donald R. Shrum (Roswellbooks); the first time Shrum publicly and formally associates his name with the case; provides his most complete and detailed account	Book publication
Present	The Cisco Grove Incident is consistently cited as one of the most credible and most thoroughly documented close encounter cases of the 1960s; the case remains officially unresolved	Current status

Key Named Individuals

• Donald R. Shrum -- primary witness; Aerojet General Corporation; Cisco Grove, September 4, 1964
• Vincent Alvarez -- companion; Aerojet; filed affidavit corroborating mother ship observation
• Tim Trueblood (also: Tim Bloodworth) -- companion; Aerojet; observed Shrum's condition at dawn
• Bill Shrum -- Donald's brother; accompanied site return visit
• Bill Adams -- friend; accompanied site return visit
• Noe Torres -- co-author, Aliens in the Forest (2012)
• Ruben Uriarte -- co-author, Aliens in the Forest (2012); MUFON Northern California director

Key Sources

• Torres, Noe; Uriarte, Ruben; Shrum, Donald R. Aliens in the Forest: The Cisco Grove UFO Encounter. Roswellbooks, 2012. (Primary source for the complete case account)
• Paranormal Catalog: "The Cisco Grove UFO Encounter" (detailed secondary source)
• UFO Insight: "The 1964 Cisco Grove Encounter" (secondary source with additional detail)
• UFO Digest: "Man Fights Off Alien Attack All Night" (includes interview material from Torres/Uriarte presentation)
• Enigma Labs: Cisco Grove case file
• The Why Files: "Mystery in Cisco Grove" (includes discussion of Air Force investigator deployment)