The Largest MASS UFO SIGHTING In Modern History

by Bill Knell

I was amazed with Superstition Mountain (5000+ feet in height) having lived in the Phoenix area of Arizona for a few years. The Superstition Mountains are a rugged range east of Phoenix which are famous for their ancient petroglyths, dramatic peaks, deep canyon, the legendary Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine and instances of major UFO sightings and other unexplained activities. These include the famous Phoenix Lights.

On the evening of March 13, 1997, thousands of residents across Arizona, including then Governor Fyffe Symington, watched a massive, geometric object with brightly lit leading edges glide slowly and silently across the night sky. Witnesses described the vessel as larger than a football field, or even up to a mile long, blocking out the stars as it passed overhead. They were a series of widely sighted UFOs observed in the skies over Arizona and Nevada. It stands as the largest mass UFO sighting in modern history and was witnessed by an estimated 10,000 to 20,000 people.

I happened to arrive in Phoenix two days after the sightings for a seminar and had the chance to speak with a number of witnesses. Odd to me was the fact that as I drove around there were military vehicles and convoys everywhere. I had been there before and never saw that kind of activity. I appeared on several radio shows and spent hours answering questions and listening to people who saw the object(s). The reports were consistent and amazing!

Arizona physician Dr. Lynne Kitei was one of many to witness the famed Phoenix Lights. In the years since, Kitei has spent her time making a scientific case that what happened defies logical explanation. Thousands of witnesses across hundreds of miles reported anomalous objects in the sky. According to Kitei, some saw either V shaped, Boomerang shaped or Triangle shaped objects in the sky. She has reported there were between 10,000 and 20,000 witnesses on that night in 1997. Despite what Kitei and others believed they saw, not everyone was convinced.

Then Governor Fife Symington held a media conference where his chief of staff dressed like a Martian. “Let me just say that I believe it is a serious offense for anyone, be it human, space alien, or otherwise, to engage in mysterious activity in our nighttime skies,” Symington said at the press conference. In 2007, Symington admitted that the conference was a strategic ploy rather than a reflection of his honest feelings and experiences. “What I was trying to do was have fun and make a spoof, and stop all the public hysteria that was going on at the time,” he said, via ABC News. Symington believes that on the night of the “Phoenix Lights,” he saw something otherworldly. “When I saw it, I said this is definitely a UFO. I have never seen anything like this in my life,” he later said.

The mountains are the result of volcanic eruptions and the subsequent collapse of a large volcanic caldera (crater). They are composed of welded volcanic ash, breccia, granite and basalt which shaped them into their current jagged forms. Prominent formations include Weaver's Needle, the Flatiron, and numerous canyons like Peralta Canyon. The Superstition Mountain Range is located east of Phoenix near Apache Junction, and is anchored by Superstition Mountain. Much of the wilderness surrounding it is protected within a 160,000 acre area known as Superstition Wilderness which limits mountain biking, but offers extensive hiking and climbing choices open to all. Popular trails include Peralta Trail, Siphon Draw, and trails in Lost Dutchman State Park leading to sights like Weaver's Needle and areas with ancient petroglyphs which tell stories of extraterrestrial visitors and many other thing a. Most Southwest USA indigenous people believe they are descended from or have met people from the stars and have seen their ships. If you are ever given the opportunity to speak with tribal elders or medicine men, ask them to tell you those stories. I have heard a number but in many cases it's either illegal or unethical to retell them if you are not a tribal member. The Hopi have some of the best.

Visitors to any part of the Superstition Mountains should familiarize themselves with environment laws which govern visits to the area. Just touching a cactus or walking in certain desert areas can get you in big trouble. Also, be sure to respect Native American restrictions which apply to various areas of indigenous property. The most famous legend of the Superstition Mountains involves the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine. Thousands have tried to locate it and failed. It’s named after Jacob Waltz, a German immigrant who arrived in the Arizona territory in the 1800s. According to the story, Waltz discovered a rich vein of gold and began working it. Local rumors claimed he would periodically emerge from the Superstition Mountains with saddlebags full of heavy, high-grade ore. Before Waltz died in 1891, he reportedly provided cryptic clues to people he knew. He allegedly said that from the mine's entrance, you could see the Weaver's Needle landmark, but the mine itself could not be seen from the landmark. He also stated the shadow of Weaver's Needle would fall directly into the mine's entrance at exactly 4:00 PM. However, to this day, nobody has found it using that clue. Because the landscape is incredibly remote and dangerous, the search has claimed the lives of over 100 people.

Native American tribes (primarily the Apache and Pima) associated the mountain range with powerful deities who arrived from the sky, a portal to the underworld and survivors of a great primordial flood. The Apache revered the peaks as the dwelling place of the Thunder Beings. Roaring sounds echoing through the canyons during storms and seismic activity were said to be the voices of these gods who used them to display their power. Some Apache traditions hold that the range contains a deep hole that acts as a portal to the underworld. Winds blowing out from this fissure were believed to cause the severe dust storms in the surrounding desert valleys.

Pima stories suggested the mountains were the landing spot for the patriarch Suha and his wife after a cataclysmic flood destroyed the ancient valley due to mankind's selfishness. After the waters receded, they repopulated the earth. Another Pima legend states that a race of "Little People" called Tuar-Tums guards the mountain's caves and underground tunnels. European settlers eventually heard these stories of dark omens, strange noises, and sudden disappearances, leading them to coin the moniker "Superstition Mountain". Native American stories about the area date back to the Pima Indians, and tell us that the mountains were once called "Sierra de la Espuma" (Foam Mountain) by the Spanish.

The Phoenix area is not just about UFOs. There are many famous haunted sites that are worth a visit or video watch. The Hotel San Carlos is Downtown’s iconic 1928 hotel and is famously haunted by Leone Jensen, a guest who tragically leaped from the penthouse roof. Guests and staff frequently report the sound of a woman crying, apparitions in white, and the disembodied voices of children playing. The Rosson House is a preserved 1895 Victorian home in Heritage Square. It is known for phantom footsteps and objects moving on their own. Chillingly, its former longtime caretaker was brutally murdered on the property in 1981, and many believe his spirit still lingers. St. Mary's Basilica dates back to 1881. It is Phoenix’s oldest Catholic parish and the site of bizarre supernatural reports. Since 1893, witnesses have claimed to see the apparitions of two headless female figures floating near the arched doorways. Melinda’s Alley is hidden in a former red-light district. This alley is named after Melinda Curtis, a 1920s-era madam. Her spirit is rumored to protect those wandering the alley at night. Check out videos and ghost tours for more.

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