Chapter 13 – Mystery Stalks The Prairie

© 1976 by Roberta Donovan and Keith Wolverton

Chapter 13

UFO Reported in 1897

Many people look upon the sighting of UFOs as something that has happened only in recent years. But there was at least one such incident almost 80 years ago, according to a story in a newspaper published at that time. The strange episode reportedly took place in mid-April of 1897 on a farm in Kansas and involved the theft of a cow by the UFO, right before the farmer's eyes!

The news story, published in the Woodson County Advocate on April 23, 1897, relates the following incident, as told by the farmer, Alexander Hamilton, of Vernon:

"Last Monday night about half past ten o'clock, we were awakened by a noise among the cattle. I arose, thinking perhaps my bulldog was performing some of his pranks, but upon getting to the door, I saw to my amazement, an airship slowly descending over my cow lot about 50 rods from the house. Calling Gib Heslop, my tenant, and my son, Wall, we seized some axes and ran to the corral. Meanwhile, the ship had been gently descending until it was no more than 30 feet above the ground and we came up within 50 yards of it.