The Press Release That Would Not Die: Roswell, 1947

On July 8, 1947, Lieutenant Walter Haut, who handled public relations for Roswell Army Air Field, sent out a press release. It said that the 509th Bomb Group had found a "flying disc" on a ranch near Corona, New Mexico. Newspapers all over the country printed the story. But by the next afternoon, Brigadier General Roger Ramey was photographed in Fort Worth with a pile of foil and balsa wood. He explained that the "disc" was just a weather balloon, telling everyone to calm down. What makes this whole case so fascinating isn't that they changed their story — it's that they announced it in the first place. The 509th was the only military unit in the world at that time that had nuclear weapons. This made it arguably the most secure base on Earth. And yet, its press officer announced they had found an alien craft using official letterhead. This suggests either a huge mistake was made, or someone desperately needed to explain something quickly. In 1994, the Air Force offered a more detailed explanation: the strange pieces came from Project Mogul. This was a top-secret program that used high-altitude balloons carrying special microphones to listen for Soviet nuclear tests. That idea helps explain the odd foil, the balsa wood struts, and why everything was kept so secret. A later report in 1997 suggested that stories about "alien bodies" were actually memories of crash-test dummies dropped in the area during the 1950s. This explanation didn't convince many people, even some who accepted the Mogul theory. Meanwhile, rancher Mac Brazel described finding material that he couldn't tear, cut, or burn, and that would straighten itself out after being crumpled. No one has ever fully explained his account in a way that satisfies everyone. And that's why the town you're visiting today looks the way it does.

And what a town it is! Roswell has completely embraced its alien connection. You'll see alien eyes on the streetlights, a McDonald's shaped like a flying saucer, and murals depicting aliens on almost every other wall. The International UFO Museum and Research Center is located in an old cinema on Main Street, and it's much better than it sounds. It's a real collection of sworn statements, declassified government documents, and letters, run by people who genuinely care about the evidence. If you visit in early July, the UFO Festival fills the streets with costumes, talks, and a parade. Even beyond the quirky alien theme, southeastern New Mexico is worth the trip on its own. Check out Bottomless Lakes State Park for its unique sinkholes, the incredible Anderson Museum of Contemporary Art, and Carlsbad Caverns, which is about ninety minutes south. The skies out here are huge and incredibly dark at night, and that really ties into the whole mystery. Believe whatever you choose. The real joy of Roswell is standing on a ranch road at night, with the Milky Way stretching overhead, and thinking about that press officer in 1947 who typed the word "disc" and never actually took it back from history.