The Legend of the Aurora Crash of 1897: Fact or Fiction?

The Aurora, Texas Crash of 1897 is a legendary event that has been a part of Texas folklore for over a century. The small town of Aurora has a history book that labels it as “the town that almost wasn’t,” and this expression is directly related to the legend of a spaceship crashing into a windmill, and the burial of a small alien creature found in the aftermath. This event has become the most important news story to ever come out of this small Texas city, and Aurora was designated a “historical site” by the State of Texas.

The Great Airships

The year was 1897, and this was the year of the “great airships” reports in the United States. According to the story, on April 17, 1897, a slow-moving spaceship crashed into a windmill, bursting into pieces. As the debris was searched through, the body of a small alien was supposedly discovered. Originally, the alien pilot was dubbed the “Martian pilot.” Some of the debris also revealed material sketched with a type of hieroglyphic. The town folk gave the poor little creature a proper burial in the local cemetery.

The Aurora Encounter

This incident, whether true or not, has had enough publicity to stay afloat for over 100 years. It was even made into a movie, “The Aurora Encounter” in 1986, starring Jack Elam. The news of the crash spread quickly, even for that time period. A newspaper article of the event still exists, written by S. E. Haydon, a reporter for the Dallas Morning News. The article describes the sighting of the airship and its collision with the windmill, as well as the discovery of the alien pilot’s remains.

However, over time, this story has been met with skepticism and many have dismissed it as a tall tale. But, in 1973, the International UFO Bureau took an interest in the incident and initiated legal proceedings to exhume the supposed alien’s body. They believed that the grave contained the body of an 1897 astronaut who was “not an inhabitant of this world.”

A Small Man

But, despite their efforts, there was no physical evidence to support the claims of the crash and the supposed alien burial. Additionally, a 91-year-old woman who had been a teenager at the time of the supposed crash stated that her parents had visited the crash site but did not allow her to accompany them, due to fear of what might be in the debris. She also recalled that the remains of the pilot, described as “a small man,” had been buried in the Aurora cemetery, but she herself had not seen the remains.

In the end, the Aurora Crash of 1897 remains a mystery, with many questions left unanswered. While some believe it to be a true event, others see it as nothing more than a tall tale from the state of Texas. The lack of physical evidence and the passage of time make it difficult to determine the truth behind this legendary incident. Nevertheless, the Aurora Crash of 1897 remains an intriguing chapter in the history of UFO sightings and alien encounters.

Source: LUFOS