Paranormal record / 1921

The Chico Stone Falls: Rocks from a Cloudless Sky (1921-1922)

c. 1921 · J. W. Charge's grain warehouses beside the Southern Pacific tracks, near the depot at Fifth and Orange streets, Chico, Butte County, California, United States

33Partially documented Paranormal Other 13 sources

Chico, California. March 1922. Stones are falling on J. W. Charge's grain warehouses beside the Southern Pacific tracks. They are smooth. They are warm. They come out of a cloudless sky, some as small as peas, some as big as baseballs. The Fire Chief and a traffic officer leave a wall moments before a large boulder strikes it. The City Marshal searches for more than two months and finds no one. A writer sent by Charles Fort watches a rock drop straight down, as if becoming visible when it came near enough. Then a letter arrives. The falls stop. Whether it was a prank, a catapult or something else, the debate never quite ended.

▶ Narrate · Pro

Key facts

When	c. 1921 to 1922
Time of day	not recorded
Where	J. W. Charge's grain warehouses beside the Southern Pacific tracks, near the depot at Fifth and Orange streets, Chico, Butte County, California,United States
Duration	weeks to months; accounts range from three weeks to about eight months (July 1921 to March 1922)
Witnesses	6
Witness roles	police,other
Found	physical traces
Evidence	none confirmed
Investigations	Chico police investigation under City Marshal J. A. Peck
Status	disputed

The phenomenon

Smooth, warm, oval-shaped stones, from the size of peas to baseballs and weighing up to 16 ounces, fell on two grain warehouses from a cloudless sky, sometimes as a heavy shower. One witness saw a rock falling straight down, as if becoming visible near the roof, landing with a thud. Impacts damaged windows, boards and shingles.

Size	about 0.1 m (stones from peas up to baseball size)
Sound	other sound
Motion	vertical climb or drop
Weather	clear

Context

Chico, Butte County, California. Two adjoining grain warehouses stood beside the Southern Pacific tracks, near the train depot at Fifth and Orange streets. One belonged to J. W. Charge.

Sources (13, most influential first)

New Lands, Part II (mirror) · Charles Fort (mirror of sacred-texts.com)· 1923 · Press, book, documentary · book
New Lands, Part II · sacred-texts.com· 1923 · Press, book, documentary · book
Urban Legends · Chico LocalWiki · Wiki, blog, podcast · wiki
The Mysterious Past of Chico, California · Cheryl Colwell, Goodreads· 2018-01-21 · Wiki, blog, podcast · blog
Haunts and hoaxes · Chico News & Review· 2008-08-28 · Press, book, documentary · news

Reputability

33/100Partially documented

Keywords

People

J. W. ChargeWarehouse owner who first complained of the stone throwing
J. A. PeckChico City Marshal who led the police investigation
Miriam Allen de FordWriter sent by Charles Fort; saw a rock fall straight down
C. E. ToveeFire Chief, nearly struck by a large boulder
J. J. CorbettTraffic Officer, nearly struck by a large boulder
C. K. StudleyProfessor at the Teachers' College, Chico, who examined the stones
Charles FortAuthor who recorded the case in New Lands (1923)
J. H. PrielAssociated with the adjoining warehouse; found the 'ghost letter' with Charge

Names

poltergeist Charles Fort Birmingham Fort