Side-by-side with hot cocoa

Who was The Walton Experience (1978) written for?

It was written for UFO enthusiasts, of course.

It was written for Travis to make a bit of money.

It was also written for the five witnesses in the truck. Or, at least, it was written with them in mind. According to Steve Pierce (2013), the book was written without consulting them. It was Travis's account, and the rest was based on Mike's account while Travis was missing.

The book came out about three years after that night. In it, the event had to be described more-or-less factually because any one of those guys might read it and point out obvious errors if they remembered things differently. As a result, the book is curiously vague in a few key places, notably the time that passes between leaving the work site and seeing the UFO. I'd go so far as to say it misdirects the reader, without contradicting the witnesses' memories, so that the takeaway message matches the official story.

​To this end, I've updated the main Travis Walton page with a side-by-side comparison of the events of that night: what happened (according to the evidence I've provided) versus what Travis wants us to believe. Scroll down to the table and don't forget to bring cocoa.