A History of UFO Sightings

Welcome back.  With the recent sighting of an unidentified flying object or “UFO” by an American Airlines pilot in the skies above Clayton, New Mexico, I’m headed that way. You regular readers know that I have been planning this trip to search for more information about UFOs in the north central New Mexico region and to follow up on the discovery of mutilated cattle that might be related to them. Over the next three weeks I will be sending you reports about what I learn but first a bit of history on these strange events.

UFOs were first spotted in the United States in 1896. Then in 1897 a Dallas-Fort Worth newspaper journalist reported that a UFO had crashed in Aurora, Texas and the alien pilot had been buried in the local cemetery. Another crash occurred in Cape Girardeau, Missouri in 1941 where first responders and a Baptist minister saw the crashed aircraft and the bodies of aliens. In Los Angeles, California in 1943 the strategic air command got involved in the pursuit of an unidentified flying object firing thousands of rounds at them and raising the wartime alert status for the state and there’s more.

In 1947 there were several UFO sightings, the most famous of which was the so-called “Roswell Incident” when the United States Air Force announced the capture of a flying saucer near Roswell, New Mexico. There were additional sightings through the 1950s, ‘60s, ‘70s right up to today in Clayton.  The people who have seen these flying objects aren’t deranged folks either, quite the opposite. U.S. Air Force pilots, college professors, cops, even President Jimmy Carter had a UFO experience.

More recently people have been abducted by alien visitors as was a Marshall County, Minnesota deputy sheriff. This doesn’t just happen in the United Sates, in Poland, Peru, Russia, Mexico and just about every other country in the world there have been reports of encounters with aliens and now there’s one in Clayton where there have also been a bunch of unexplained livestock mutilations over the years. My research has shown that these mutilations regularly coincide with the sighting of mysterious flying objects and parts of northern New Mexico and southern Colorado were hot spots for cattle mutilation back in the 1970s.Were these attacks the work of some strange cult or were they committed by a demonic animal as Utah rancher Terry Sherman claimed. Sherman lost several head of cattle and said he had seen a wolf like creature three times the height of a man eating his cows.

There have also been stories about the so called “giant midgets’, a family of people with small heads and short arms but otherwise normal bodies said to roam this part of the world. I’ve learned something else unusual about the little town of Clayton (population 3,000) which could have a bearing on all this. The “Bravo Dome” which is a million-acre carbon dioxide field is located on the outskirts of town.  The Capulin volcano is close by as well and some people think these two things together could play a role in the flying saucers that are spotted in the area.

Stay tuned and till next time I’ll see ya down the road…

Another Great Oklahoma Museum

Welcome back.  There is so much going on this week that my problem is deciding just where to start. Should it be with Pawhuska where the final days of shooting on Martin Scorsese’s well documented movie are just wrapping up? I know spending three hundred million on a film in Oklahoma is big stuff but so is a cow sale coming up in Yukon, Oklahoma next week.

Yes, as you regular readers know I’ve written about Express Ranches’ Big Event Cow Sale as it’s called for several years but for new readers let me tell you this cow sale is not like any other. 100,000 a cow or even more is not unusual at this sale, and after the sale the buyers are treated to a steak and shrimp dinner with live entertainment. A big-name country act is always the headliners and this year it’s the award-winning Oak Ridge Boys. You may say you have never heard of Express Ranches so here’s the scoop. In addition to being a leading cattle producer with ranches in both Yukon and Cimmaron, New Mexico as well as several other states, Express Ranches is also a primary sponsor of the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) which just held a competition at the BOK Center this past weekend.

Express Employment Services which has 33 offices in Oklahoma and many more around the world, and Express Ranches are both owned by the same man, Bob Funk.  He is a person who is known as much for his philanthropy as his business accomplishments and he is a very generous support of the FFA and other programs for young people.

The Big Event Cow Sale August 20th, I’ll be there and that means you’ll be there with me so stay tuned in for a future story about the sale.

I also want to mention an event at the J.M. Davis Fire Arms and Historical Museum in Claremore. They have just opened an exhibit of firearms that have been featured in the movies including examples of guns from the Dirty Harry series, True Grit, the James Bond films and many more. This is a very interesting place and Claremore, which is also the home of the Will Rogers Memorial is always fun to visit so check it out!

As for me, I’m packing my bags for an adventure in the oldest capitol city in the United States which you may be surprised to learn is Santa Fe, New Mexico. Founded in 1610, Santa Fe was the northern most outpost for the Spanish back in the day but they weren’t the first people to discover the magic of this area. Native Americans settled throughout this part of New Mexico hundreds of years before the Spaniards arrived and made major contributions to the arts and culture there. Yes friends, Santa Fe was founded ten years before the pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock and it has always been a popular destination for travelers, especially artists. I’m looking forward to my trip and bringing you some good stories.

Till next time I’ll see ya down the road………………