On this date in 1897, an 'air ship' was spotted in the skies across eastern North Dakota. The Larimore Pioneer in Grand Forks County reported eyewitness accounts of the event. Three men in particular—Chief Clerk W.A. Willian, Agent J. McNaught, and Janitor Chris Johnson—shared their observations. They said the object was first seen shortly before 11 PM, moving swiftly in a northwesterly direction, with a noticeable swaying motion.
W.A. Willman described it this way: 'We first noticed the light in the southeast, and it was passing swiftly northward. It displayed lights of different colors, but it was so far off, I couldn’t distinguish its form.'
Although the Pioneer staff did not witness the event themselves, they went to great lengths to assure readers of the honesty and accuracy of their report. They wrote, 'The witnesses named above are gentlemen of integrity, and their testimony adds greatly to the mass of evidence already reported by other reputable individuals who have seen this strange visitor in other parts of the country.'
Elsewhere in the state, reports also came in to the Jamestown Weekly Alert from Northern Pacific Railroad workers. The ship was seen at Jamestown just after 9 PM, Steele at 10:30, Bismarck at 11:03, and Dickinson at 1:15 AM. Those who spotted it described a 'cigar-shaped' body with bright, steady lights in colors like blue, red, green, and white.
For weeks after the sightings, newspapers were filled with reports and speculation, with it seeming like everyone in eastern North Dakota either had seen or was prepared to see the 'air ship.’ One man from Eldridge claimed he saw the ship, but described it as being shaped like a car attached to a large kite structure, rather than the usual cigar shape. Another account in the New Rockford Transcript mentioned someone planning to use a telescope that had previously been used to spot sea serpents in the Indian Sea.
But what exactly was it that people saw? No definitive answer was ever given, and coverage eventually faded as the sightings stopped. At the time, dirigible balloons, like those in Berlin, had already been invented, and newspapers were reporting on similar inventions and patents. So, it’s possible a flying ship of some kind was seen. But whether this 'air ship' was real or simply a trick on the eyes remains a mystery.
Dakota Datebook by Ashley Thronson
Sources:
- “Saw the Air Ship” The Larimore Pioneer, p.7. April 15, 1897
- “Mysterious Stranger: Residents Along the Northern Pacific Get a Glimpse of It.” Jamestown Weekly Alert, p. 1. April 15, 1897
- “He Saw the Air Ship.” Jamestown Weekly Alert, p. 8. April 22, 1897.
- The New Rockford Transcript, p. 4. April 23, 1897
- The New Rockford Transcript, p. 8. April 30, 1897
