Manitou Springs, Colorado: Seven Railroad Workers Observe Silvery Object
On May 19, 1947, six weeks before Roswell, seven railroad workers at Manitou Springs, Colorado observed a silvery, flat-bottom, ovular object hovering and moving erratically for 20 minutes.
Background
Six weeks before the Roswell incident, on May 19, 1947, at Manitou Springs, Colorado, seven railroad workers were eating lunch outside when they caught sight of a silvery, flat-bottom object, ovular in shape. It stopped overhead then moved 'erratically in wide circles' at 1,000 feet above. After 20 minutes the ship flew away in a straight line until out of sight.
This sighting is notable as one of the last documented pre-Arnold UFO observations, occurring five weeks before Kenneth Arnold's famous sighting on June 24, 1947. The multiple witnesses and extended observation time provided unusually detailed testimony.
Significance
Pre-Arnold sighting with seven witnesses, establishing that the 1947 wave began before the famous June 24 sighting.