Michigan, 1966 – The “Swamp Gas” Incidents
- By
Marcus Lowth
- September 8, 2018
- October 6, 2021
- 6 min read
- Expert Opinion
- 5
- Posted in
- UFOs, Close Encounters
In March 1966 a wave of UFO sightings would hit the Ann Arbor region of Michigan causing the eyes of the entire country to turn their attention to the Wolverine State. One particular incident over the swamplands of a family-run farm would prove to be the most detailed of all the sightings on record. And certainly, the one with the closest proximity between the witness and the apparent craft from elsewhere in the cosmos.
A depiction of a UFO over a farm
The incidents, while perhaps being some of the most credible and multi-witnessed events on record, would also give rise to the “Swamp Gas” explanation. An explanation not only all but disproven, but also one which J. Allen Hynek would later admit to declaring due to “pre...
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Marcus Lowth
Marcus Lowth is a writer with a love for UFOs, aliens, and the Ancient Astronaut Theory, to the paranormal, general conspiracies, and unsolved mysteries. He has been writing and researching with over 20 years of experience.
Marcus has been Editor-in-Chief for several years due to his excellent knowledge in these fields. Marcus also regularly appears as an expert on radio talk shows including Troubled Minds and Unexplained Radio discussing these topics.
You can contact Marcus via email.
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5 Comments
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I lived with my parents at our home in Battle Creek, Michigan at the time of the Hillsdale and Dexter sightings. My brother and I were eating pizza while we watched TV. We had no expectations of seeing a UFO. The phone rang and my mother answered. It was a friend of mine. When I picked up the phone he said he saw something strange moving east to west to his south and would I go outside and check it out. My brother and I went out the front door and just to the north of our house (a mile and a half south of my friends house) was a glowing, odd textured football shaped craft. The glow was red in the center and transitioned to yellow on the edges. The craft must have been between my friend and I. He saw it to the south and I saw it to the north. I have not calculated the altitude. I can tell you that it had to be high enough for both of us to see it. It emitted no sound and looked like a flattened half dollar from our position at arms length. I was 12 at the time. The craft is still etched into my memory to this day.
I AM 75 YEARS OLD AND MY WIFE AND MY MOTHER-IN-LAW AND MYSELF SAW THAT SAME UFO IN 1966 GOING EAST TO WEST FROM CLAYTON MICHIGAN…WE WERE ON OUR WAY HOME FROM ADRIAN , MICHIGAN AT 10 PM, WHEN WE SAW THIS STRANGE CRAFT WITH GREEN, YELLOW, RED, AND WHITE LIGHTS BLINKING IN SEQUENCE ALL AROUND THIS FLYING LIKE SAUCER…STRANGEST THING I HAVE EVER SEEN, BUT I SWEAR ON MY GODS BIBLE THAT WHAT I AM TELLING YOU IS THE GODS TRUTH…WE STOPPED THE CAR AND GOT OUT AND STARED AT IT FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES AND IT HOVERED AT JUST OVER THE TREE TOPS AND DID NOT MAKE ANY NOISE.. IT THEN CONTINUED WEST TOWARD HUDSON AND HILLSDALE… I WILL NEVER FORGET THAT AS LONG AS I LIVE…I STILL SIT OUTSIDE MANY, MANY NIGHTS WITH A POWERFUL BEAM LIGHT FLASHING IT UP IN THE SKY, HOPING TO SEE SOMETHING AGAIN BEFORE I DIE….MY WIFE THINKS I AM NUTS, BUT SHE SAW IT ALSO…. SHE TELLS ME TO STOP TRYING TO CONTACT THEM OR THEY MIGHT COME AND PICK US UP….I JUST WANT TO VERIFY THAT WHAT THOSE PEOPLE SAW IN HILLSDALE IS REAL AND IT WAS NO SWAMP GAS. ….THANK YOU
In 66 -67 my mother, father, sister and myself saw a UFO levitating off the ground and when we turned around within 30 yards away, it was gone. My dad drove up to the police station a mile away he made a report and the police told my dad it was swamp gases. Well i was 12 or 13 and my reply to the police report was, swamp gas my ***. My mother turned around and said watch your mouth.
Hey thanks for that. These have been changed 🙂
I believe that it is Hillsdale College not Hillside, and ditto for the county.