January, February,March, April, 1997 Reports
January '97 Reports (Last Update= 6/18/98)
February '97 Reports (Last Update= 3/18/99)
March '97 Reports (Last Update= 6/18/98)
April '97 Reports (Last Update= 5/25/97)
January '97 Reports
Occurred : 1/25/1997 21:00
Location : Marion, WI
Shape : Triangle
SUMMARY: On a camping trip 3 triangle shaped objects
were seen by myself and 7 other campers slowly drifting
over, almost surveying the landscape for about 2 minutes
and then disappeared behind a cloud bank and was gone.
Probably about 12 to 13 feet in length, had 1 single
light in the middle of each one, maybe 2 feet above tree level.
(NUFORC)
Occurred : 1/11/1997 05:00
Location : St.Cloud, MN
Shape : pyramid
Summary : Right when me and my friend left my house we
saw a bright green glowing object that looked like a 4
sided pyramid then after about 2 min it took off straight
into the sky leaving a yellow trail behind it. (NUFORC)
This report courtesy ISUR
1997- Coralville, Iowa
I was driving my car near the site of a soon to be giant shopping
mall near I-80 and its intersection with I-380. I was on a quiet street
in a newer subdivision devoid of large trees just a few hundred yards
away from the busy Interstate. I was looking out my window driving slowly
and I saw in the clear blue sky a shiny oblong metallic object. I was
looking to the NW. I first thought it was a jet perhaps heading to the
Cedar Rapids airport 23 miles to the N-NW but it was too high and also
seemed to be slowing as it increased in brilliance. Indeed the object
slowed to a near standstill as I judged its movement above the peak of
a roof across the street. At one point I briefly saw a red spot on it.
The sun was at my back and I was wearing dark prescription sunglasses.
The wind was blowing strongly against the direction of flight and I
ruled out a high flying mylar balloon. The winds at all levels that
week were coming from the NW on the heels of a big storm on the Northern
Plains.
Then the object began to move away quickly and dim as it
diminished in size also. I watched it from being the size of a quarter
at arms length to the size of a half pea. It turned grey as it moved
away but the sun angle was the same. It also appeared to be gaining
altitude as it moved to the northwest. I watched it for a steady and
unswerving 5 minutes.
On January 21, 1997, a young man living in
Grosse Pointe, Michigan, 12 miles (20 kilometers)
north of Detroit, saw "a red light over Lake St. Clair."
He said the UFO "came ashore at Grosse Pointe
Woods (state park), moving across the sky at a
moderate speed." The object landed behind a grove
of evergreen trees, and he saw no more of it.
February '97 Reports
National UFO Reporting Center
Sighting Report
Occurred : 2/8/1997 18:00+-
Reported : 7/27/1997 13:54
Posted : 9/26/1998
Location : Stacy, MN
Shape : Unknown
Summary : We observed something strange along the freeway with at
least 5 strobe lights. We thought it was going to crash, but it
pulled up at the last second.
My wife and I were heading home from Duluth, Minnesota, south on
interstate 35 on Feb. 8th 1997 at dusk, the sun was setting but
there was still some light. About 2 miles north of Stacy, Minnesota
(north of Wyoming, Minnesota) My wife said, "look, it's going to
crash!" I looked out side window of the truck, and seen this ....
I don't know what it was, it had 5 or more strobe lights lighting up
one at a time around the perimeter of the object. I coudn't make out
the shape because it was dusk, but I could see something. The "craft"
came towards the ground at a steep angle and pulled up at the last
second and went up..up..up. We watched for what seemed to be about
a minute, I never did stop or pull off the freeway, I was just so
amazed I didn't think of stopping ! The freeway runs parallel with
state highway 61, the two roads are about 1/4 mile apart where we
seen it, so it must have been about half way between interstate 35
and state hwy 61, about 1/8 mile from our truck. The freeway had
alot of traffic, some one else had to see this, who would be playing
in plane at this time of the evening, in the winter ? I thought
plane only had one or two lights? I am only reporting this now
because I have just learned about you and I am a big ufo sceptic, but
I also learned about a week later my in-laws, who winter in Phenoix,
seen something really strang in March, which made the news. So I
wanted to know if anyone else had seen what we seen ?
(Reports below courtesy of UFO ROUNDUP)
On Friday, February 7, 1997, at 8 p.m., a man
in South Lyon, Michigan, 15 miles (24 kilometers)
west of downtown Detroit spotted a UFO passing
overhead.
DAYLIGHT DISC SEEN IN NORTHERN MINNESOTA
A silver-gray saucer was seen in broad daylight
in Hermantown, Minnesota at 1:40 p.m. on Monday,
February 24, 1997.
The UFO appeared over Minnesota Highway 53 in
Hermantown, just west of the Lakes 8 Cinema and
Wal-Mart. Hermantown (population 6759) is a suburb
of the port city of Duluth, located at the western end
of Lake Superior.
The UFO was witnessed by over 10 people,
including Dave Briscoe, Minnesota state director of
Skywatch International. Briscoe described the object
as "the craft was 'oval-saucer' shaped and silver-grey
in color."
"I was about seven miles away by vehicle," Briscoe
reported. "And I saw the object for approximately three
minutes. Other witnesses said they saw it for about
fifteen (minutes). Reports said that it had simply
'appeared' from what they could tell and hovered, not
making any type of sound, or other movement."
"No lights could be seen from the ground," he added,
"but I did notice dark points marking the 'side' which was
later confirmed by other witnesses. I could see four from
my vantage point. The other witnesses could not tell if
there were more or not."
The saucer took off toward the northeast, Briscoe
reported, towards the Duluth airport "and then after just
a fraction of a second in that direction, went straight up
and out of sight. Speed was incalculable at this point."
(Thanks to Dave Briscoe and Skywatch International
for this story.)
Note: Minnesota MUFON investigated this report and could not get
witness corroberation.
02/09/97 Elk River, MN(USA)
Reporter-Anonymous / Elk
River News Police Report.
Experience: A citizen reported seeing a UFO with flashing colored
lights in the sky by the Mississippi River behind the Sherburne County
Sheriff's Office in Elk River. The report came in at 12:41 a.m. Sunday,
Feb. 9. Police did not find anything in the area. (Please refer any further
information regarding this sighting to: Minnesota MUFON or [email protected]. Thank You!)
March '97 Reports
3/27/97 01:00
Ann Arbor, MI
Light
a red/orange flashing light that streaked aross the sky
and took a 90 degree left turn.
Occurred : 3/22/1997 21:00
Location : Lake Geneva, WI
Shape : Light
Summary : Near moon. Small light (cover with thumb) came
from southeast at extremly fast speed. As it approached
approximate even with moon seemed to stop and hang in air.
Is very high in the sky. Moved enough to indicate that it
was not the chance of a star that was sighted. All other
stars that are out do not show any of this movement. The
sighting was in a perfectly clear portion of the sky near
the moon even though there is clouds present.
Moving object (from southeast going west) was bright/
clear. Object/light seemed to be round however it was so
high it was hard to be certain. The object moved in straight
line for probably 3-5 minutes then turned slightly north-
west and just seemed to stop and hang. Only one object/light
was seen. Both of us are 59 years old and teachers. I
(husband) spent 24 years in the U.S. Air Force. Time now
is 2117 and the object is still sitting still near the
moon in clear sky. The moon is in the southeast since this
all started.
Occurred : 3/22/1997 22:30
Location : Stevens Point, WI
Shape : Crescent
Summary : A hazey orange object hovered in the evening sky.
It moved, in what looked like a crescent shape, from the
upper north-east to the north-north-east then back to the
north-east again. It seemed to move closer then far away
at a constant speed. The last time I saw it, it had begun
to disappear behind some clouds.
It appeared for a while that there were clouds in front of
the object, and later the clouds were behind it. I saw the
object in the northern sky, while I was star gazing. I took
some pictures and am waiting for them to develop. At approx.
22:45, I had gone outside to chart its location and take
some pictures. After this I took my flashlight out and
started flashing at the object seeing if I could get its
attention. I started to move closer in my direction. Not
knowing why, I went into my house. I then watched the object
from my bedroom window.
3/8/97 19:00
East Detroit , MI
Disk
I called my name is Jim Asaro. Me and 3 friends went out
to go to someones house we looked at the sky we saw a UFO
it had four lights.
Occurred : 3/2/1997 19:00
Location : on hwy.78 between Prairie du Sac and Merrimac, WI
Shape : Cross
Summary : One small object with rotating lights, then a
little later a large brilliantly lit object in the shape of
a cross with 4 bright lights accrossthe back and 3 up the
center. Small rotating object seemed to join large object
which decended blow treetops, resembled a formation. A
week prior during daylight another object witnessed by 2
people in two different places seen suspended in north sky,
very bright, and quiet and floating, not like a plane.
The small object with the rotating lights seemed to linger
in a general area of the sky and spin around, soon after
we saw it, a large object came from the northwest and the
small object seemed to disappear, whether it joined the
large objectwe don't know for sure. The large object was
very brilliant in the shape of a cross with 4 bright
lights accross the back and 3 bright lights up the center
(a bottom view), we were traveling north and the large
object rapidly disappeared below the treetops to our
southeast. The week before I and my daughter who was
going home from work 10 miles away, saw a shiny cigar
or flattened oval shape, very brilliant in the north sky
in broad daylight. I watched it and so did she, it didn't
seem to be going anywhere and didn't make any noise. It
just sort of drifted in the sky, and appeared quite large.
My daughter was in Baraboo heading northeast and I was
standing outside my home just looking at it for at least
3 to 5 minutes.
Sighting Location: Cannon Falls, MN
Sighting Date/Time: Monday, 3/17/97, 6:55pm
Sighting Description: An odd arrow-head shaped aircraft
( > ) hovered in the sky. At each corner there was a bright
red light, except for the center corner, which appeared to be
the tail end of the craft. The light at my left was smaller than
the one at the right and it was blinking. I was able to see the
body, which appeared dark grey and metal-like in structure.
It was difficult to judge the size of the craft -- it was either
the size of a small plane, flying low, or a large craft flying
high. The sky was overcast -- blue-black, nearing nightfall.
It first caught my attention while driving toward it. I thought
it might be a plane coming towards me, and that's why it looked
like it was stationary. However, after a quarter of a mile I was
able to reach it near a vacant parking lot where I pulled in and
parked. I was almost directly below it when I looked up through
the windshield and saw it was definately hovering. After about
30 seconds, it glided toward me and stopped again. It then
appeared to have smaller lights next to the larger lights toward
the inside, but it wasn't clear. Then it gracefully turned at
a moderate speed and floated away about five (?) miles in the sky
where it hovered again for approxiamtely 3-4 minutes, then just
disappeared.
During this period of time, there were other aircraft in the air
also; a jet that was heading towards the Minneapolis Airport from
the southwest, a plane of an unknown size in the western sky, and
a small plane heading from the south east to the northwest. The
red lights that were visible on these planes were tiny and dull
in comparison.
The odd aircraft and I were directly in the center of this triangle
of aircraft, near the main, busy highway that runs north/south.
When it turned and cruised away, it chose to cross in front of the
small plane, traveling to the northeast. It's possible that this
plane's pilot may have seen it also. I'm not certain, but it almost
looked as though the small plane made a turn in an attempt to follow
it.
I would be very interested in knowing if anyone else witnessed this,
and most of all-- what it was that I saw. It perhaps was some sort
of new aircraft--it's shape was similar to some of what I've seen
in documentaries that the government has -- but then, I'd like to
know why it was in this area. If nothing else, I'd like this
clarified.
I am not the type to get easily over-excited because I realize there
are sometimes logical explanations. I was completely of sober, alert
mind and on my way to work when this occurred. I'm a professional
designer and as soon as I reached work, I drew up a rough sketch.
Sighting location: UFO location above northern Northfield, MN
Sighting Date: Saturday, March 23, 1997
Sighting Time: approx. 9:25 to 9:50pm
Sighting details:
Two young adult men in their 20's, returning home from the Rosemount
theater, spotted off in the distance a brightly sparkling object. They
assumed it was the Hale-Bopp comet. (Note: they were looking south, and
Hale-Bopp was in the NE). They continued to watch as they drove south
on HWY 3. A few miles south of Farmington, the sparkling stopped suddenly.
At this point the 2 could clearly make out 2 objects, both the same, triangular
in shape, dark in color, with bright white large lights in each corner and
larger bright amber light in the center. The objects continued to hover there
until the 2 got close enough (several hundred feet distant) to the objects
that they pulled over and got out to watch. As if they had been seen, the
2 objects then rotated pointing towards the NW and casually took off in
that direction. The 2 witnesses continued to watch until the objects were
obscured by trees. (Note: Witnesses description of UFO's match very closely
to those seen over Belgium.) The objects were less than 500ft. obove the
ground and were just west of the witnesses at the time they got out to
watch. This was approx. HWY 3 and 47.
See Investigations section for full investigation report.
03/23/97 St. Paul, MN
Reporter: Jim C. via NACOMM's
Sightings Report Form.
Experience: Sunday 23 March, 1997 approx. 10:45 PM in St. Paul.
A friend and I were observing the eclipse. While she was looking through
the binoculars at the moon, I noticed a group of objects moving towards
us. Initially I thought they were geese. I asked my friend what she thought
they were. As they passed overhead we observed 6 to 8 circular objects
with orange/red light around the perimeter. The light was of the color
you would expect from a heated object. They were flying in approximately
a line formation and were absolutely silent. Because of the "oscillating"
light around them I initially thought that the effect was due to flapping
wings. This was definitely not the case as they passed overhead. Interestingly,
the apparent path the objects took was from the eclipse (as viewed from
my porch) towards the comet.
The sky was perfectly clear that evening. If the objects were 50' in
diameter I would estimate their altitude at approx. 3000 feet. However,
I have no means of estimating their true diameter. Even more interesting
to me, at least, was that my friend reported she had seen the same phenomena
some 7 or 8 years previously in St. Paul. She said she and a friend called
them "electronic birds" for lack of a better description. On
this occasion, she immediately recalled the previous event as the observation
was unmistakable. (Please refer any further information regarding this
sighting to: [email protected] or
Minnesota MUFON. Thank
You!)
April '97 Reports
THREE UFOs SIGHTED OVER DES MOINES, IOWA
On Monday, April 14, 1997, at 12:10 a.m., a
34-year-old amateur atronomer was doing some
telescope work in his backyard near 29th Street
and Lyon in Des Moines, Iowa.
"Coming out of the west was what appeared
to be a satellite," he reported. "Turned out to be
the lead in a group of three UFOs. Their color was
a dim, almost transparent hazy yellow. The group
appeared to be traveling at the speed of a satellite
in low Earth orbit."
The witness described the UFOs as "bulbous
on the upper and lower side with a typical saucer
outline...effortlessly skimming towards the east."
The three UFOs flew in V-formation at 67 degrees
above the eastern horizon. (Email Interview)
UFO SQUADRONS GATHER NORTH OF TWIN CITIES
A startling multiple UFO sighting took place in
Minnesota this week, just north of the Twin Cities
of Minneapolis and St. Paul.
On Wednesday, April 24, 1997, at 9:45 p.m.,
a boy living in the Twin Cities suburb of New
Brighton, Minnesota (population 23,269) looked
out a window and saw a bright, diamond-shaped
UFO in the sky. Immediately he told his mother,
and the two of them went into the backyard of
their home, located not far from Long Lake Road
and Silver Lake Road.
In a report to the National UFO Reporting Center
in Seattle, the woman reportedly said she counted
30 UFOs overhead between 9:45 p.m. and 10:45
p.m. The UFOs were described as "diamond-shaped"
or "triangular-shaped craft moving at incredible speed,
darting back and forth across the sky." She added
that she and her son "saw the underbelly of one or
more crafts and the light underneath."
New Brighton is located seven miles (11 kilometers)
north of downtown Minneapolis, along Interstate Highways
694 and 35W. (Many thanks to Alana Ray and Steve
Wilson Jr. for this report)
(Editor's Note: The U.S. Army's Twin Cities Ammunition
Plant is in Arden Hills, Minnesota, just across Long Lake
from New Brighton. A possible site of interest for the
UFOs?)
(From UFO UPDATES)
UFOs RETURN TO NEW BRIGHTON, MINNESOTA
On Monday, April 28, 1997, psychic Alana
Ray visited the site of a UFO sighting four days
earlier, Thursday, April 24, in New Brighton,
Minnesota. A woman named Kay and her son,
Tony, witnessed 30 UFOs flying over their home
near Long Lake Road.
Ms. Ray, a member of CSETI, "arrived sometime
after 3 p.m. and...met her (Kay's) son and daughter
for the first time. I continued to stay until quite late."
"I saw that Kay had just let her two small dogs
out," Ms. Ray reported, "and I proceeded to move
out onto the lawn. We both looked up into the sky
together. Tony joined us, and we all stood looking
and feeling an energy. Well, we started to see these
lights coming from the southwest. (Silver Lake in New
Brighton and Columbia Park in Minneapolis--J.T.)
The craft were quite high up in altitude, and yet low
enough that you could see the shape and other
features."
"As they came in closer, we saw that they were
triangular in shape. We saw craft coming from the
south and the west heading towards the east and also
going towards the north...Later this changed and the
triangular and circular craft were going from the north
to the southwest."
Ms. Ray reported that she made three phone calls
during the two-hour sighting, one to fellow CSETI and
MUFON member Robert Schultz of New Brighton, Minn.,
another to Craig Lang of Minnesota MUFON and a third to
the National UFO Reporting Center in Seattle.
"Over the two hours, we sighted approximately
13 to 15 triangular craft and three circular ones," Ms.
Ray reported. "One in particular was at a lower altitude
and had a huge light, emitting out the front at the vehicle
in front of it. Kay had told me that this was similar to
the one that shot light through their window the other
night (April 24). There were incredibly bright white lights
blinking and amber colored lights. Then we heard a
combination of what at first appeared to sound like an
aircraft, but with a high whirling sound also. I live by an
airport and see aircraft day and night all the time, and
these did not look or sound anything to what I am
accustomed to seeing."
"The circular craft were moving at greater speeds and
had more of a variety of colors blinking in circular motion.
All of these craft moved irregularly, sliding smoothly most
times and then jerking back and forth, and side to side...
It was as though they did not go any faster (so) as not to
call attention to themselves."
(Many thanks to Errol Bruce Knapp for this story.)
WISCONSIN FAMILY CONFIRMS NEW BRIGHTON UFO SIGHTING
A Wisconsin family claims to have sighted three
UFOs on April 25, 1997, the night over 30 UFOs were
seen over New Brighton, Minnesota, just north of the
"Twin Cities" of Minneapolis and St. Paul.
The family lives in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin
(population 9,909), located 40 miles (64 kilometers)
west of Milwaukee.
"We are avid sky watchers and go 'sky fishing' on
clear nights, one or two nights a week," Mr. P.H. said.
"For months, we have observed extremely high moving
objects which traverse the sky in a few minutes. Under
the increased power of my binoculars, they appear solid,
self-illuminated and round. These objects, which we
named 'High Movers'...are moving in a north-to-south or
south-to-north direction, with slight east and west
variations. This is not consistent with satellites."
Also, P.H. pointed out that his family is seeing these
"High Movers" at nighttime hours when convential orbital
satellites are cloaked in Earth's umbra (shadow).
"That night (April 25, 1997), my wife and I and our
13-year-old daughter had gone out about 9:30 p.m. to
our favorite viewing spot outside of town (Oconomowoc),"
he reported. "It is a remote, rural area, and the sky was
crystal clear. That night we saw a total of seven High
Movers."
"Now, here is what is interesting," he added, "all but
two were moving to the northwest, towards Minnesota!
I followed one moving to the northwest about 9:45 p.m.
with my binoculars and just as it was about to drop
below the horizon, I saw another moving near it, more to
the east. I was totally amazed to have two in my field
of vision at the same time, since viewing through
binoculars greatly restricts your field of vision. A third
High Mover (UFO) streaked past both of them. Wow!
I've never seen three in the sky at once...much less in
the same binocular field of view."
"I believe I was witnessing the comings and goings
of some of the objects witnessed in Minnesota," he
added, "The date was the same, the time was
approximately the same, and the compass direction
(northwest) appears to be the same, as well."
(Many thanks to Steve Wilson for this news story.)
(Courtesy UFO ROUNDUP)
UFOs ACTIVE IN IOWA
On the afternoon of Tuesday, April 8, Kenneth W.
was driving on Interstate-80 in Coralville, Iowa
(population 7,687), about 140 miles (224 kilometers)
east of Des Moines when "a shiny disc appeared in
the sky northwest of me," near Tiffin.
"I watched it through my prescription sunglasses
until the sun blinded me," he said. "It first moved
slowly, like a floating Mylar balloon, but against the
northwest wind. It came to a halt and was still shining
and disc-like. It then began moving again, and its skin
turned to a frosty gray. But I watched it for about five
minutes total. Finally, the gray dot appeared to gain
altitude and speed away into the northwest sky. At
one point during its hover, I saw a glimpse of red in
the middle." (Email Interview)
On Sunday night, April 13, 1997, at 8:30 p.m.,
Jeff Roberts and another seven eyewitnesses were
standing outdoors in Ankeny, Iowa (population 15,429)
about 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of Des Moines
when they spied "a V-shaped chartreuse object" in
the sky.
Roberts described the UFO as "shaped like a crown
on a king," i.e. W-shaped. Witnesses then saw a second
UFO "shaped like a cigar" and a third "that was only visible
through binoculars" and "moved in a counter-clockwise
rotation." Red, blue and yellow lights were reported. The
UFOs remained visible until 4:30 a.m. on Monday, April 14.
Investigating this case is Beverly Trout of MUFON
Iowa. (Many thanks to Tim Edwards for this story.)
(Editor's Note: For Jeff Roberts, this is his second sighting
of 1997. On February 20, while on a visit home, Jeff and
his father spotted a UFO near Canon City, Colorado.)
(This report submitted for the witness by FI Coord. Craig Lang.)
Sighting Location: Grand Rapids, MN
Sighting Time/Date: April 3, 1997, 8pm CST
I got a report from a co-worker who saw some "interesting lights" on
Thursday evening (April 3) at about 8PM CST, when he was stargazing
near Grand Rapids, MN. I'm wondering if anyone else has gotten any
such reports.
They were described as three lights in horizontal formation approximately
10 degrees from each other, hovering about 40 degrees above the horizon.
Their location was due east of Grand Rapids. They were described as
white in color and very bright, half the width of a thumbnail at arms
length. They moved somewhat erraticaly, but remained roughly in
position, until the witness thinks that they dropped below the tree line.
To me this suggests a formation of helicopters.
Minnesota MUFON is currently investigating this report.
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