Detroit and Michigan UFOs: 1897 Airships

Detroit and Michigan UFOs: 1897 Airships
October 28, 2010
Laura Sternberg,
About.com

Did you know that back in 1897 there were a host of "airship" sightings across Michigan? Feel free to be astonished because the reports occurred well before us earthlings invented such a thing. According to newspaper reports, the airships were anywhere from 100-to-300 feet long and blimp like. In fact, they had undercarriages much like the version Goodyear would fly years later. I'd guess time travel myself, except that the 1897 airships had flapping wings.

The sightings didn't start in Michigan. They actually started in California, but according to newspaper reports across the country, the airships traveled east until they arrived in Michigan in April of 1897. Once Michiganders became involved, the airships were seen all over the state, including Battle Creek, Kalamazoo, Saginaw, Ann Arbor, Lansing, Marquette and Adrian.

According to The Courier-Herald of Saginaw, several people in Reynolds, Michigan saw an airship land on April 17th and met its unnaturally tall captain, who sang in loud bursts and managed to break a farmer's hip.

So, were the airships a hoax? Mass hysteria? Venus? Secret government blimps? Or...(drum roll please)...UFOs?

If you want to browse through more possible UFO sightings in Michigan, check out Michigan Index from the National UFO Reporting Center