One of the most famous places in New Mexico is the small city of Roswell. Like most people, I knew almost nothing about Roswell beyond the famous UFO incident that took place here in 1947. I expected to find little more than a collection of small buildings in the middle of nowhere, but Roswell is actually a decent-sized city. It was certainly larger than I expected, complete with the impressive courthouse above.
It’s a little hard for me to take Roswell seriously with all the strange stories and conspiracy theories that have surrounded the city for so long. On the courthouse grounds I found this large statue of John Chisum, a wealthy 19th-century cattle rancher who became an important figure in the development of southeastern New Mexico. Chisum moved enormous herds of cattle into the territory and established a ranching operation in the region. I’m not sure what he’d think about aliens becoming Roswell’s most famous residents!
Roswell became famous around the world because of an incident that occurred outside the city in 1947. Something crashed on a ranch in the area, and an initial military press release described the recovery of a “flying disc.” The military quickly changed that explanation, saying the debris was from a weather balloon. Decades later, the incident became the center of one of the most famous UFO stories in history.
The mystery has attracted UFO enthusiasts and conspiracy theorists from across the United States and around the world. Roswell has embraced that reputation with UFO tours, alien-themed businesses, and the International UFO Museum and Research Center, where I spent some time learning about the competing explanations surrounding the incident.
The government’s explanation is considerably less exciting than a crashed alien spacecraft. What was initially described as a weather balloon was later identified as equipment associated with Project Mogul, a classified program that used high-altitude balloons and instruments to detect evidence of Soviet nuclear tests. Because the project was secret at the time, the military couldn’t simply explain exactly what the equipment was.
When I visited White Sands, I saw similar high-altitude equipment on display. The official position remains that the debris recovered near Roswell was part of a military balloon project and that there was no extraterrestrial spacecraft or government recovery of alien bodies.
The Roswell story largely faded from public attention until the late 1970s, when new interviews with people connected to the original incident revived claims that the government had covered up what really happened. From there, the story exploded. Books, documentaries, television programs, and countless investigations transformed Roswell into perhaps the most famous UFO incident in history.
Believers argue that an extraterrestrial spacecraft crashed near Roswell and that the military secretly recovered both the wreckage and the bodies of its occupants. The painting above and the life-sized display below show the version of events that has become part of modern UFO folklore.
The UFO obsession goes far beyond museums and tours. Roswell has completely embraced its association with aliens, and you’ll find extraterrestrial themes throughout the city. Even ordinary businesses, signs, advertisements, and street decorations have been given an alien makeover. The streetlights themselves have alien faces built into them.
Even McDonald’s joined in, with this location designed around Roswell’s UFO theme. Whether you believe something extraterrestrial crashed nearby in 1947 or think the entire story grew out of a secret military project, Roswell is a fun and eccentric place to visit. The alien obsession has become part of the city’s identity, and that’s really what made Roswell memorable for me.
