Roswell 60th Anniversary (by Phillip Mantle)

From The Black Vault Encyclopedia Project

Roswell 60th Anniversary

It was on or around July 2nd 1947 when something came to ground in the desert outside of the New Mexico town of Roswell. Rancher Mac Brazel discovered a large amount of peculiar debris on his sheep ranch. Eventually, Brazel took this into town to show Sheriff George Wilcox. The Sheriff had no idea what it was so he in turn telephoned the Roswell Army Air Force. They despatched the base intelligence officer Major Jesse Marcel and his colleague Sheridan Cavitt. Marcel and Cavitt collected some of this debris, later described as ‘foil-like, that would return to its original shape after being crumpled up’ and returned with it back to base. Shortly afterwards an official RAAF press release was issued stating that ‘the wreckage of a flying disc had been recovered’. The very next day this was retracted an instead of a flying disc, the debris was now that of a weather balloon. The story died there until almost 30 years later, the then retired Major Jesse Marcel told his story to UFO researcher Stanton Friedman and the Roswell Incident was born. To this day it argued as to exactly what was discovered that July day near Roswell in l947.

July 2007 saw the 60th anniversary of the Roswell Incident and the town of Roswell held a five-day festival to celebrate it. Near the centre of the town lies the International UFO Museum and Research Centre. This was co-founded in l990 by the very person who issued that famous RAAF press release Lieutenant Walter Haut. The executive director of the UFO Museum is Julie Shuster, daughter of the later Walter Haut. The UFO Museum hosted a series of lecture, talks and book signings and UFO researchers such as Stanton Friedman, Don Schmitt, Tom Carey, Derrel Sims and myself were among those who lectured over the July holiday weekend. Dr Jesse Marcel jnr, son of the later Major Marcel was there as well. Dr told of his father bringing some of this strange debris back to their house before continuing back to base. Dr Marcel jnr states quite clearly that he had never seen anything like it before nor since.

The town of Roswell itself along with a number of local sponsors also held a tandem event at the local community centre. Here other talks were presented by the likes of Nick Redfern, Dr Roger Leir, Peter Robbins and many, many more. This much larger event saw a host of UFO books and other material on sale and the atmosphere at both locations was very up beat. But the Roswell festival was not all lectures and book signings.

If you wanted to play UFO tourist there were organised excursions out into the desert to view the crash site. Coach loads of people made the trip to the site, which now lies in private hands. I made the trip with my colleague Ed Gehrman, his daughter Jody, and her partner David. Together we were making a new documentary. This included filming the crash sites and desert along with interviews and other festival activities. The four of us traveled in Ed’s 4 X 4 into the high desert to visit the crash site. It is quite a way from the town and very remote. With temperatures of around 100 degrees it is not the kind of place you want to get lost in I can assure you. One of the locations that plays a part in the Roswell story is a small hut on the old Brazel ranch. It was in this hut the Major Marcel and Sheridan Cavitt stayed overnight. It was dark when they arrived so they had no choice. The hut then as now had no electricity but did have a water supply. It had no mod-cons I can assure you and today it is used to store hay. This is not the ideal place to spend the night in 2007 never mind 1947.

Other activities outside of the UFO lectures include a whole host of things including BMX bike riding, tethered balloon flights, alien motorcycle rally, plays and poetry readings, fireworks, planetarium events, an air show, alien themes rock band Element 115, and two separate street parades. All-in-all, there was something for everyone at the festival. The Roswell festival easily managed to combine serious UFO research, with art and entertainment.

On TV Roswell is usually depicted as a very small town but it is not that small. It has a population of approximately 50,000 and has a thriving community. Roswell lies 200 miles south of Albuquerque and it is proud to say that it stands 200 miles from nowhere.

While this July holiday weekend concentrated on UFOs and the Roswell Incident, the surrounding area has more to offer I can assure you. Many of those who we met at the festival, which is said to have attracted 35,000 visitors, were also keen to see what the area had to offer. As we are in New Mexico cowboy country there is the Billy The Kid Museum to start with. Nearby there is the Space Museum at Alamogordo. For those interested in natural history there is the Living Desert Zoon and Gardens and a few hours drive away is the magnificent Carlsbad Caverns National Park. While the high desert outside of Roswell is arid and bleak, it has its own natural beauty, but as you can see there is much more to the area than just UFOs.

Critics of Festival had advised me not to go. It would be a circus I was told, with peddlers on every street corner. As usual this turned out to be completely wrong. Once you left the UFO Museum and walked a short distance there is little or no sign of anything UFO related apart from the only themed MacDonald’s in the world, and the occasional street sign. It is true you can buy your fair share of UFO souvenirs, as my suitcase home is witness. Big business may be heading Roswell way as the city has accepted the idea for a multi-million dollar UFO them park. The UFO Museum itself is hoping to move to larger premises as it has currently outgrown its current location.

But let us not forget that the evidence for the Roswell Incident is as fascinating and as tantalising today as it ever was. The evidence for a craft from another world and it’s alien occupants crashing to Earth in July 1947 may be inconclusive, but as one UFO sceptic once said to me, “Roswell if the UFO equivalent of the Alamo”. As yet this Alamo has not fallen into hostile hands and the Roswell Incident looks set to go down in legend and history as well. Time will tell who is right and who is wrong so far as the Roswell Incident is concerned, but until then Roswell is certainly worth a visit and all of those involved in organising this years festival are to be congratulated. Hopefully my first visit to Roswell will not be my last, so here’s to future festivals and to the generous hospitality that we received in Roswell and in other parts of New Mexico.