Area 51: the history, the UFO claims and the place

About Area 51

📍 Place · 11 min readArea 51The main encyclopedia articleThe secret Nevada test site where spy planes and stealth aircraft were developed.

Also known as

Groom Lake, Dreamland

Location

Groom Lake, Nevada

Coordinates

37.2333, -115.8083 ↗

The full story, section by section

1. Geography and nameThe original base, 6 by 10 miles, sits inside the "Groom box", a 23-by-25-mile block of restricted airspace.
2. The U-2 programmeThe CIA set up the Groom Lake test site in April 1955 for Project AQUATONE, the development of Lockheed's U-2 reconnaissance plane.
3. Later programmesIn 1979 the CIA handed the site to the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards.
4. Secrecy and legal battlesThe perimeter is marked by orange posts and patrolled by guards in white pickup trucks and camouflage, known to enthusiasts as "camo dudes".
5. UFO connectionIn the mid-1950s airliners flew below 20,000 feet and military aircraft up to 40,000.
6. Tourism and Storm Area 51The nearby State Route 375 is known as the "Extraterrestrial Highway", and the small town of Rachel is a popular stop for tourists.

Read the full Area 51 article →

The UFO claims

What has been claimed about Area 51 and the nearby S-4 site, and by whom:

📍 Place · 8 min readS-4The site near Area 51 where Bob Lazar said he worked on alien craft.🗓️ Event · 5 min readDoty's five Area 51 projects claimRichard Doty claims five UAP-related projects at Area 51.🗓️ Event · 6 min readAlfred O'Donnell's Area 51 saucer storyGeorge Knapp says a former Area 51 contractor manager told him of a recovered saucer.🗓️ Event · 7 min readDavid Adair's Area 51 engine claimEngineer David Adair says he saw a strange craft at Groom Lake.🧭 Topic overview · 10 min readBases & Area 51 (topic)Overview of bases & area 51 on the UAP Timeline: 39 events.

Visiting: Rachel, the Extraterrestrial Highway and Storm Area 51

The places UFO tourists go, and the 2019 event that brought crowds to the desert:

📍 Place · 3 min readRachel, NevadaThe tiny Nevada town nearest Area 51, popular with UFO tourists.📍 Place · 4 min readExtraterrestrial HighwayNevada's State Route 375, named for UFO tourism in 1996.🛸 Case · 9 min readStorm Area 51A 2019 internet joke to raid Area 51 that became a real gathering in Nevada.🗓️ Event · 6 min readGroom Range land withdrawal (1984)The Air Force admits it restricted public access to land near Area 51 without legal authority.

Key people

• Bob LazarMan who claimed in 1989 that he worked on alien craft at S-4 near Area 51.
• George KnappLas Vegas journalist who broke the Bob Lazar story and co-wrote Skinwalkers at the Pentagon.
• John LearPilot and son of Bill Lear who spread claims of alien treaties in the late 1980s.

🗓️ Area 51 on the UAP timeline

1. 1966A radar technician reportedly saw a disc crash at a Utah radar site linked to Area 51. Read the article →
2. 7 August 1984The Air Force admits it restricted public access to land near Area 51 without legal authority. Read the article →
3. 15 May 1989Bob Lazar goes public, claiming he worked on alien craft at S-4 near Area 51. Read the article →
4. 1990Writer James Goodall says at least eight secret programs fly from Groom Lake. Read the article →
5. 28 July 1991An alleged NRO document warns of UFO-group protests near Area 51. Read the article →
6. 1998An Air Force sergeant claims a secret facility lies beneath Groom Lake. Read the article →
7. 1999Engineer David Adair says he saw a strange craft at Groom Lake. Read the article →
8. 2008Dan Burisch claims he studied an extraterrestrial being at the S-4 facility. Read the article →
9. 23 January 2009A BAASS team member is said to be retrieving old Project Grudge data from Area 51. Read the article →
10. 13 June 2022Richard Doty claims five UAP-related projects at Area 51. Read the article →
11. 28 February 2023George Knapp says a former Area 51 contractor manager told him of a recovered saucer. Read the article →

Search the timeline →

🏛️ Official records

• Unidentified Flying Object Reported near Puerto Rico, 1965CIA · 1965-02-01This file contains Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) memoranda exchanged between the Assistant Director for Special Activities (AD/SA) and the Assistant Director for Scientific Intelligence (AD/SI) regarding an incident…

🛸 UFO sightings near Area 51

126 sightings on ufos.dev were reported within 150 km. The most-upvoted:

Sightings that mention Area 51

Open the sightings map → Search sightings →

More in the encyclopedia

Other articles that link to or mention Area 51:

• Area 6The nuclear security agency publicly describes Area 6 activities in Nevada for the first time.
• Area 29 and Omega operations claimA remote viewer claims targets were linked to 'Omega' operations involving advanced propulsion.
• Nevada Test SiteThe U.S. nuclear testing ground in Nevada.
• Lockheed MartinThe aerospace company whose Skunk Works built the U-2, SR-71 and F-117.
• Bob Lazar goes publicBob Lazar goes public, claiming he worked on alien craft at S-4 near Area 51.
• Dan Burisch and J-RodDan Burisch claims he studied an extraterrestrial being at the S-4 facility.
• Unidentified flying objectAn object in the sky that can't be identified; the older term for UAP.
• Cedar Breaks radar site crash claimA radar technician reportedly saw a disc crash at a Utah radar site linked to Area 51.
• Jim Goodall and Groom Lake black programsWriter James Goodall says at least eight secret programs fly from Groom Lake.
• NRO Blue Fire documentAn alleged NRO document warns of UFO-group protests near Area 51.
• Henry Diamond letter to John Gibbons (1995)A letter to the White House science adviser discusses Laurance Rockefeller's UAP efforts.
• CSETI site list for Congress (1996)Greer's CSETI allegedly briefs Congress with a list of sites tied to UAP.
• Boyd Bushman magnetic beam patentLockheed scientist Boyd Bushman patents a magnetic device.
• Edgar Fouché and the TR-3BAn Air Force sergeant claims a secret facility lies beneath Groom Lake.
• Alexander's A-12 explanation for HollomanCol. John Alexander says the Holloman landing story covered up a failed spy-plane test.
• EG&G Special Projects manager meeting (2005)A former Nevada Test Site manager tells Vallée, Puthoff and Davis about secret work.
• Inman recording in DreamlandIn a recorded call, Adm. Bobby Ray Inman names a CIA official as the best person to ask about UAP.
• Secrecy & cover-up (topic)Overview of secrecy & cover-up on the UAP Timeline: 264 events.

Questions & answers