Within Dundee
The bar that archived Dundee's UFO lore
Benson's Hide-A-Way gave Dundee's sightings a social home, but its believer-friendly setting also complicates the evidence.
On this page
- Bill Benson's role as collector and storyteller
- Photographs, binders and local memory behind the bar
- Why a themed bar is useful but not neutral evidence
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Introduction
Benson’s Hide-A-Way mattered to Wisconsin UFO history not because it proved that unusual objects were flying over Long Lake, but because it became the place where local stories were collected, displayed and retold. For decades, visitors who had seen strange lights near Dundee Mountain or over the lake knew there was one tavern where somebody would listen, compare accounts and add them to a growing archive of local lore. That role made the bar one of the most important cultural centres in Wisconsin’s UFO landscape.
At the same time, the very qualities that made Benson’s valuable as a record of local memory also complicate its evidential value. The bar was openly pro-UFO, hosted annual gatherings of believers, displayed photographs and witness reports, and encouraged discussion of unexplained experiences. It preserved stories that might otherwise have disappeared, but it was never a neutral investigative institution. Understanding that tension is essential to understanding Dundee’s reputation as a UFO hotspot. [Cult of Weird]cultofweird.comCult of Weird Dundee, Wisconsin: UFO Capital of the WorldCult of WeirdDundee, Wisconsin: UFO Capital of the WorldJune 3, 2020 — Bill's extraterrestrial-themed tavern, Benson's Hide-a-Way, may be…
The bar that archived Dundee’s UFO lore
Located on the shore of Long Lake in the Kettle Moraine region, Benson’s Hide-A-Way evolved from a lakeside tavern into what regular visitors called Dundee’s “UFO headquarters”. The transformation was driven largely by owner Bill Benson, who became one of the most visible promoters and collectors of local UFO accounts. [Cult of Weird]cultofweird.comCult of Weird Dundee, Wisconsin: UFO Capital of the WorldCult of WeirdDundee, Wisconsin: UFO Capital of the WorldJune 3, 2020 — Bill's extraterrestrial-themed tavern, Benson's Hide-a-Way, may be…
The bar occupied an unusual position within Wisconsin UFO culture. Most sightings are scattered across police reports, UFO databases, newspaper stories or private recollections. Benson’s offered a physical place where those fragments could be gathered. Visitors arrived with photographs, stories, sketches and rumours. Some had lived near Long Lake for decades; others travelled specifically because they had heard Dundee described as the “UFO Capital of the World”. [Cult of Weird]cultofweird.comCult of Weird Dundee, Wisconsin: UFO Capital of the WorldCult of WeirdDundee, Wisconsin: UFO Capital of the WorldJune 3, 2020 — Bill's extraterrestrial-themed tavern, Benson's Hide-a-Way, may be…
As a result, the bar became less important as a location where sightings supposedly occurred and more important as a location where sightings were remembered. The archive was informal, but it helped sustain the idea that Dundee’s reports formed part of a continuous local tradition rather than a series of isolated incidents.
Bill Benson as collector rather than investigator
Benson presented himself primarily as a listener and storyteller. He often spoke publicly about his own interest in unexplained phenomena, tracing it back to reports of a crop-circle-like formation near his family home in the late 1940s. He later claimed to have witnessed unusual lights himself during military service and remained convinced that strange activity occurred around Dundee Mountain and Long Lake. [Cult of Weird]cultofweird.comCult of Weird Dundee, Wisconsin: UFO Capital of the WorldCult of WeirdDundee, Wisconsin: UFO Capital of the WorldJune 3, 2020 — Bill's extraterrestrial-themed tavern, Benson's Hide-a-Way, may be…
What distinguished him from many UFO enthusiasts was not formal investigation but long-term accumulation. News coverage and visitor accounts repeatedly describe him keeping photographs, videos and witness stories gathered over many years. Benson himself said that people regularly brought material to the tavern and that he shared what he had collected without insisting that others accept his conclusions. [Spectrum News 1]spectrumnews1.comwisconsin bar has some out of this world history“In 1988 and 1989 we were seeing a lot of strange lights in the sky,” said Benson.Read more…
This gave him a role similar to a local archivist. When researchers, journalists or curious tourists wanted to hear Dundee stories, they often started with Benson because he had become a central repository for community memory. The collection was not organised according to scientific standards, but it preserved material that otherwise might have remained private or been lost entirely. [Wisconsin Frights]wisconsinfrights.comufo dazeSince then, hundreds of bizarre sightings and encounters in…Read more…
The binders, photographs and witness material behind the bar
Descriptions of Benson’s Hide-A-Way consistently mention binders and scrapbooks filled with UFO photographs. Several accounts describe collections of images showing glowing lights above Dundee Mountain, Long Lake or the surrounding countryside. Many were reportedly supplied by local residents or by enthusiasts who spent long periods photographing the night sky. [Cult of Weird]cultofweird.comCult of Weird Dundee, Wisconsin: UFO Capital of the WorldCult of WeirdDundee, Wisconsin: UFO Capital of the WorldJune 3, 2020 — Bill's extraterrestrial-themed tavern, Benson's Hide-a-Way, may be… [Cult of]cultofweird.comCult of Weird Dundee, Wisconsin: UFO Capital of the WorldCult of WeirdDundee, Wisconsin: UFO Capital of the WorldJune 3, 2020 — Bill's extraterrestrial-themed tavern, Benson's Hide-a-Way, may be…
One frequently mentioned contributor was photographer Tim Hildebrandt, who reportedly spent nights on Dundee Mountain attempting to capture unusual lights. Visitors described seeing albums containing numerous images of bright circular objects and unexplained luminous forms. [Cult of Weird]cultofweird.comCult of Weird Dundee, Wisconsin: UFO Capital of the WorldCult of WeirdDundee, Wisconsin: UFO Capital of the WorldJune 3, 2020 — Bill's extraterrestrial-themed tavern, Benson's Hide-a-Way, may be…
The collection also extended beyond photographs. Accounts mention witness sketches, reports of lights over the lake, stories of objects entering or leaving the water, and material relating to the unusual reed formation that appeared near Long Lake in 1995 and was sometimes discussed as a crop-circle analogue. [Cult of Weird]cultofweird.comCult of Weird Dundee, Wisconsin: UFO Capital of the WorldCult of WeirdDundee, Wisconsin: UFO Capital of the WorldJune 3, 2020 — Bill's extraterrestrial-themed tavern, Benson's Hide-a-Way, may be…
For historians of folklore and local belief, this material is significant even when the photographs themselves are inconclusive. The archive documents how residents interpreted unusual experiences and how those interpretations changed over time. It records the social history of the sightings whether or not the sightings represented extraordinary events.
Why the collection matters to Wisconsin UFO history
Many Wisconsin UFO stories survive only because somebody wrote them down, published them in a newsletter or entered them into a reporting database. Benson’s Hide-A-Way performed a similar function at a local level. It gave witnesses a place to compare experiences and encouraged people to preserve photographs or memories that might otherwise have been discarded. [Spectrum News 1]spectrumnews1.comwisconsin bar has some out of this world history“In 1988 and 1989 we were seeing a lot of strange lights in the sky,” said Benson.Read more…
The bar also helped connect Dundee to wider UFO networks. Annual UFO Daze gatherings brought enthusiasts, speakers, researchers and curious visitors from outside Wisconsin. Those events generated new reports, interviews and recordings, adding another layer to the local archive. By the 2000s and 2010s, journalists and documentary filmmakers regularly treated Benson’s as the entry point into Dundee’s UFO culture. [Wisconsin Frights]wisconsinfrights.comufo dazeSince then, hundreds of bizarre sightings and encounters in…Read more… [Wisconsin]spectrumnews1.comwisconsin bar has some out of this world history“In 1988 and 1989 we were seeing a lot of strange lights in the sky,” said Benson.Read more…
In that sense, the bar functioned much like a community museum. It was less concerned with proving a case than with preserving a narrative. The continuing visibility of Dundee in Wisconsin UFO discussions owes much to the fact that Benson created a place where stories could accumulate year after year rather than fading after a single news cycle.
Why a UFO-themed bar is useful but not neutral evidence
The strongest reason to treat the Benson archive cautiously is that it emerged from a setting designed to celebrate UFO belief. Alien decorations, themed events, annual festivals and a reputation as “UFO headquarters” encouraged visitors to interpret unusual lights through an extraterrestrial framework. [Cult of Weird]cultofweird.comCult of Weird Dundee, Wisconsin: UFO Capital of the WorldCult of WeirdDundee, Wisconsin: UFO Capital of the WorldJune 3, 2020 — Bill's extraterrestrial-themed tavern, Benson's Hide-a-Way, may be…
That does not mean witnesses were dishonest. Many probably reported exactly what they believed they had seen. The problem is that a believer-friendly environment can influence memory, interpretation and expectation. Someone arriving at a bar famous for UFO stories is more likely to discuss a strange light than someone arriving at an ordinary lakeside tavern.
The photographs present similar difficulties. Most publicly described images appear to be distant lights, glowing objects or low-detail night photographs. Such material can be intriguing, but it rarely contains enough information to establish distance, size, speed or identity. Without independent analysis, many images remain ambiguous. [Cult of Weird]cultofweird.comCult of Weird Dundee, Wisconsin: UFO Capital of the WorldCult of WeirdDundee, Wisconsin: UFO Capital of the WorldJune 3, 2020 — Bill's extraterrestrial-themed tavern, Benson's Hide-a-Way, may be…
There is also a selection effect. Benson collected reports that interested him and his visitors. The archive naturally preserves unusual stories while overlooking the far larger number of ordinary nights when nothing remarkable was reported. That tendency is common in local folklore collections and does not invalidate them, but it means they should not be mistaken for systematic evidence.
After Bill Benson
Bill Benson’s death in 2021 marked a turning point for Dundee’s UFO culture. Reports from Wisconsin paranormal and folklore outlets note that UFO Daze ended after his passing, and many descriptions of the bar now refer to it as part of a completed era in the region’s history. Wisconsin Frights [Roadside America]roadsideamerica.comNo more UFO Daze. Mr. Benson passed away. Bill was a great leader in the community. [Robert Werner, 07/15/…Read more…
Yet the archive’s influence remains. Articles, documentaries, podcasts and local histories continue to draw on the stories Benson collected. Even when researchers are sceptical of the claims themselves, they often recognise the importance of the collection as a record of how a Wisconsin lake community built one of the state’s most enduring UFO legends. Wisconsin Frights [teakrulos]teakrulos.comLong Lake UFOTea Krulos23 Jul 2021 — Bill Benson, proprietor of Benson's Hide-A-Way, has spotted UFOs himself. A nearby marsh is where a mysterious cr… The lasting significance of Benson’s Hide-A-Way is therefore cultural more than evidential. It preserved memories, encouraged storytelling and gave Dundee’s sightings a physical home. For anyone trying to understand why Long Lake became a recognised Wisconsin UFO hotspot, the bar is as important as any individual light seen in the sky. [Cult of Weird]cultofweird.comCult of Weird Dundee, Wisconsin: UFO Capital of the WorldCult of WeirdDundee, Wisconsin: UFO Capital of the WorldJune 3, 2020 — Bill's extraterrestrial-themed tavern, Benson's Hide-a-Way, may be… [2Spectrum News 1]spectrumnews1.comwisconsin bar has some out of this world history“In 1988 and 1989 we were seeing a lot of strange lights in the sky,” said Benson.Read more…
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Endnotes
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Source: spectrumnews1.com
Title: wisconsin bar has some out of this world history
Link: https://spectrumnews1.com/news/2020/12/21/wisconsin-bar-has-some-out-of-this-world-history.htmlSource snippet
“In 1988 and 1989 we were seeing a lot of strange lights in the sky,” said Benson.Read more...
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Source: teakrulos.com
Title: Long Lake UFO
Link: https://teakrulos.com/tag/long-lake-ufo/Source snippet
Tea Krulos23 Jul 2021 — Bill Benson, proprietor of Benson's Hide-A-Way, has spotted UFOs himself. A nearby marsh is where a mysterious cr...
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Source: cultofweird.com
Title: Cult of Weird Dundee, Wisconsin: UFO Capital of the World
Link: https://www.cultofweird.com/ufo-sightings/dundee-wisconsin-ufo-capital/Source snippet
Cult of WeirdDundee, Wisconsin: UFO Capital of the WorldJune 3, 2020 — Bill's extraterrestrial-themed tavern, Benson's Hide-a-Way, may be...
Published: June 3, 2020
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Source: wisconsinfrights.com
Title: ufo daze
Link: https://www.wisconsinfrights.com/ufo-daze/Source snippet
Since then, hundreds of bizarre sightings and encounters in...Read more...
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Source: wisconsinfrights.com
Title: dundee ufo daze documentary
Link: https://www.wisconsinfrights.com/dundee-ufo-daze-documentary/Source snippet
Wisconsin FrightsUFO Daze: Documentary Spotlights Aliens in Dundee1 Aug 2017 — New film from Mark Borchardt focuses on the Dundee UFO fes...
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Source: cultofweird.com
Link: https://www.cultofweird.com/blog/dundee-ufo-daze-2018/Source snippet
Cult of WeirdI Visited a Local UFO Hotspot During the Annual Gathering...27 Jul 2018 — Bill's bar, Benson's Hide-a-Way, is the self proc...
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Source: roadsideamerica.com
Link: https://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/4109Source snippet
No more UFO Daze. Mr. Benson passed away. Bill was a great leader in the community. [Robert Werner, 07/15/...Read more...
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Source: fdl.com
Title: Benson’s Hide-A-Way
Link: https://www.fdl.com/listing/bensons-hide-a-way/Source snippet
Fond du LacBenson's Hide-A-Way is also the home of UFO Daze, an annual gathering of UFO believers and non-believers alike, held every yea...
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Source: facebook.com
Link: https://www.facebook.com/wisconsinfrights/posts/the-legend-himself-bill-benson-bill-is-the-proprietor-of-bensons-hideaway-and-co/1911677302339923/Source snippet
Wisconsin FrightsThe legend himself, Bill Benson! Bill is the proprietor of Benson's Hideaway and co-founder of UFO Daze. The annual part...
Additional References
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Source: scribd.com
Link: https://www.scribd.com/document/275520637/Filer-s-Files-Worldwide-Reports-of-UFO-Sightings-George-A-Filer-David-E-Twichell-pdfSource snippet
Benson's Hideaway Restaurant, located on Long Lake, again saw UFOs. Both sightings were observed by a multiple group of UFO buffs. A ligh...
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Source: islands.com
Title: trio wisconsin towns claim ufo capital of the world dundee elmwood belleville
Link: https://www.islands.com/1861995/trio-wisconsin-towns-claim-ufo-capital-of-the-world-dundee-elmwood-belleville/Source snippet
Inspired by the appearance of a crop circle near his home as a boy in 1947, Benson started Dundee's annual UFO...Read more...
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Source: facebook.com
Link: https://www.facebook.com/BackRoadsLore/posts/29th-annual-ufo-dazebensons-hide-a-way-wisconsins-ufo-headquarters-along-long-la/674369756101475/Source snippet
hem to anyone interested. Unfortunately ET did...Read more...
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Source: youtube.com
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4-B01SR1GsSource snippet
The Dundee Project Review (2017, Mark Borchardt) | House of Horror | Buddy Candela...
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Source: thementalshed.com
Title: UF Os in the Kettle Moraine
Link: https://www.thementalshed.com/ufo-daze/Source snippet
UFOs in the Kettle Moraine - Mental Shed13 Feb 2023 — For more than 30 years, people in tinfoil hats gathered on the shore of Long Lake t...
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Source: authenticwisconsin.com
Title: Wisconsin Life story on UFO’s in Wisconsin.Read more
Link: https://authenticwisconsin.com/dundee.htmlSource snippet
Notable Places | Dundee, WisconsinBenson's Holiday Hide-A-Way (UFO Headquarters) in Campbellsport, on the north tip of Long Lake hosts "U...
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Source: q985online.com
Title: ufo sightings dundee wisconsin
Link: https://q985online.com/ufo-sightings-dundee-wisconsin/Source snippet
Benson's Hide-a-Way, may be the only place in Wisconsin where you can report a UFO sighting, see an alien in a...Read more...
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Source: youtube.com
Title: Outdoor Wisconsin | Program | Season 36 Episode 6
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtragqL8j0QSource snippet
Dundee, WI: Old Mill, UFO's over Long Lake?, UFO Daze, Cool Abandoned Houses! Crazy Weather...
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Source: facebook.com
Link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/333827440359540/posts/1628161187592819/Source snippet
bensons hideaway [dundee long lake]({{ 'dundee/' | relative_url }}) area ufo capital bill...bensons hideaway dundee long lake area ufo capital bill passed away in 2021. r...
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Source: youtube.com
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5v1YM0vUO2QSource snippet
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