Photos: UFO sighting in Gleeson, Ariz.in 1968
Pearl Christiansen, 71, a retired school teacher and resident of tiny mining town of Gleeson since 1920, witnessed several UFO's in 1968. She had detailed descriptions and some evidence. The objects hovered for hours one night. "They seemed to back off into the Valley beyond the peak," she said. It's not known if the the event was ever explained away as something else. A reporter inquiring about the incident at nearby Ft. Huachuca was told, "The Air Force has that responsibility."
UFO in Gleeson, Ariz.
William Mayfield, operator of the Gleeson museum, examines a badly burned rock which was among the burned cactus at the site of the UFO in October, 1968. The rock was too hot to touch even 48-hours after the incident, Mayfield said. He reported a "queer, acid-like smell" after the event. "Nothing like our fuels smell."
UFO in Gleeson, Ariz.
Looking down from Brown's Peak near Gleeson, Ariz., in Oct. 1968. Witnesses alleged several UFO's hovered over the peak for hours late one night, leaving erratic burn patterns and acid-like smells. "They seemed to back off into the Valley behind the peak," said Pearl Christiansen.
UFO in Gleeson, Ariz.
Pearl Christiansen, 71, of Gleeson, describes a UFO she saw in October 1968: “It looked as though there were a train of lights trailing from one side,” she said. “When I went through another gate, I saw the second object — very shiny and gold. ... Once in a while both would glow simultaneously.” For more photos of the encounter, go to azstarnet.com/retrotucson
UFO in Gleeson, Ariz.
Pearl Christiansen, 71, of Gleeson talks watching a UFO in October, 1968. "I was happily happily excited about the beauty of the thing," she said. "I never was afraid. I had no fear – just excited."
UFO in Gleeson, Ariz.
Pearl Christiansen, 71, of Gleeson talks watching a UFO in October 1968. “There was a red band which turned wine in color, then turned purple,” he told the Tucson Citizen. “Several minutes later it was gold.”
UFO in Gleeson, Ariz.
Burn site on Brown's Peak where witnesses saw UFO's in October, 1968. Strange fires had scorched the parts of the peak. Some observers think that may be "ritualistic" ceremonies done by a nearby "hippie camp."
UFO in Gleeson, Ariz.
Gleeson, Arizona, in 1968. The Copper Belle mine supplied copper during WW I. The mines closed in the 1930s and the post office closed in 1939, leaving Gleeson essentially a ghost town.
UFO in Gleeson, Ariz.
The Tucson Citizen story on the UFO sighting, published Oct. 19, 1968.
Rick Wiley
Photo editor
Rick Wiley is the photo editor of the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson. From 1995-2004, he was director of photography at the East Valley Tribune in Mesa. From 1988-94 he was a photographer at the Tucson Citizen. He is a graduate of ASU (yes, that ASU).
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