8/26/2014:
North Dakota has a close connection to UFO sightings. In 1947, private pilot Kenneth Arnold, a North Dakota native, made the first official UFO report, saying he spotted a string of nine, shiny "Unidentified flying objects" objects flying past "Mount Rainier" in Washington State. The very next year, a Fargo pilot reported a sighting. The Air Force investigated, but explained that the UFO was actually a weather balloon. In March of 1967, a police officer reported a UFO near Mohall and Velva. In 1968, a UFO was observed near Minot Air Force Base. It was seen by at least twenty people and was observed for more than three hours.
On this date in 1975, Sandy Larson of Fargo woke early in the morning. She was scheduled to take a real estate test in Bismarck. She set out early with her daughter and her daughter’s boyfriend, Terry. The trip was normal until 4 a.m. About 45 miles west of Fargo, everything changed.
The travelers reported they saw a flash. That was accompanied by a rumbling sound. They saw eight to ten glowing objects in the sky. There seemed to be smoke around these objects. One was larger than the others. These flying objects approached to within 20 yards. Then things really got strange. The travelers said they felt frozen. When they were able to move again, the UFO’s were gone. Jackie had been sitting in the front seat between her mother and Terry, but now found herself in the back seat. She had no idea how she got there. Then they realized that an entire hour had gone by.
Sandy and Jackie went to the University of Wyoming a year later. There they underwent hypnosis. They both had memories of the incident. Sandy remembered being floated into the UFO. Terry was also taken. A six foot tall figure examined them. Then they were returned to the car. Terry confirmed the incident, but never wanted anything more to do with it.
Sandy Larson is not the only one to report odd experiences. UFOs continue to be seen over North Dakota. Perhaps it is our wide open spaces. A June, 2007 post on the internet reported another alien abduction. In February, 2009 an anonymous post on an internet site reported a UFO sighting. The writer and a friend witnessed a strange light in the sky that suddenly disappeared. Another sighting was reported in October, 2012. Some UFO investigators call North Dakota “UFO Alley” because of the numerous sightings. So keep your eyes open. You never know what you might see in the skies over North Dakota.
Dakota Datebook written by Carole Butcher
How Stuff Works. "http://science.howstuffworks.com/space/aliens-ufos/1975-north-dakota-ufo.htm%20Accessed%206/9/2014" http://science.howstuffworks.com/space/aliens-ufos/1975-north-dakota-ufo.htm Accessed 6/9/2014 .
UFO Casebook. "http://www.ufocasebook.com/ellsworth.html%20Accessed%206/9/14" http://www.ufocasebook.com/ellsworth.html Accessed 6/9/14 .
Aliens-UFOs. "http://www.alien-ufos.com/personal-ufo-alien-experiences-dreams/27576-north-dakota-sighting.html%20Accessed%206/9/14" http://www.alien-ufos.com/personal-ufo-alien-experiences-dreams/27576-north-dakota-sighting.html Accessed 6/9/14 .
Darnay, Keith. “ND’s Connection to UFOs.” Bismarck Tribune. 25 June, 2012.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unidentified_flying_objects)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Rainier