The geographical region surrounding the Great Lakes is the origin for a high percentage of U.F.O. sighting reports made annually to various agencies like MUFON or NUFORC. The states and provinces bordering the lakes have a long history of ufo activity with probably most of it pre-dating modern methods of reporting. If one considers references made to UFO-like phenomena included within much of the mythology of many First Nations tribes, it could be said to a certain extent, to have always been a part of the inhabitants of the regions’ experience. For example in Algonquin mythology there is the story of Algon, as told in J.F. Bierlein’s book, ‘Parallel Myths’. Algon witnessed ‘a great willow basket descend from the sky’ and ‘twelve beautiful maidens emerge’. Also within Blackfoot mythology there is the story of a maiden who ‘falls in love with the morning sun and is taken to live up in the Sky World.
Within the Great Lakes region the state of Michigan saw reports of UFO activity through modern methods of reporting, going back more then one hundred years. As reported in the Lansing State Journal on June 30, 1913; “an elongated grey craft was seen to pass over a crowd at a racetrack in Lansing.” More recently, Michigan saw the second highest percentage of UFO reports being made in 2012, being surpassed only by California. Genesee County which is in South-west Michigan saw a sudden increase in UFO sighting reports, having what some referred to as a classic ‘UFO flap’. According to MUFON, Genesee County had thirty percent of the state’s sightings for November and December 2012. It was after a nineteen year old man by the name of “Denzel Washington” reported witnessing a craft hovering over the Rave theatres in Flint Michigan that sighting reports seemed to begin rising. Adding the excitement Jeff Holko a resident of Grand Blanc township, came forward with an intriguing video taken from his cell phone. The video shows a brightly glowing, somewhat orange coloured object, hovering about five hundred feet off of the ground. Holko describes what he saw as ‘having no definitive shape’. He said it was ‘the shape of a wedge or disc’ but adding it seemed to have ‘no structure’ and ‘you could almost see through the light.’ Watching the video, one can see the glowing object at times seem to separate into two glowing orange orbs of light.
Holko went on to explain that he had been informed of a sighting in the area and had been advised by his mother to ‘keep his eyes open.’ Having done just that, he was then rewarded with the opportunity to video the glowing morphing object that we can know see on YouTube.(UFO Grand Blance MI 12/42012). The sighting which Holko was referring to, was most likely one reported by a Grand Blanc couple of a very large triangle craft that seemed to disappear inexplicably when they momentarily lost sight of it. Despite the fact that the Holko video is at times shaky and imperfect it is a beyond a doubt extremely interesting. There are enough seconds of still quality that one can easily realize that what is seen is definitely not something typical. As far as evidence gathering is concerned Holko has made a great contribution with his video.
Roger Marsh of the MUFON Journal states that the ‘apparent trend of these things is to appear close to the ground at night, over small towns before multiple witnesses.’ While this is certainly true, in the case of South-west Michigan it seems as if it may not be only what we think of as small towns. In a Herald Tribune article entitled, “It’s Hard to Stay Awake,” Billy Cox refers to the recent ‘UFO wave’ over Detroit Michigan, which is a short distance south of Genesee County. One sighting was particularly spectacular and became known as the ‘morphing triangle’. People had witnessed an ‘array of night-time orbs which shifted positions extremely rapidly’.
It is encouraging to hear of so many sighting reports being made to UFO reporting agencies. On the one hand it may be true that actual UFO events are on the rise. Perhaps though, it could also be due to growing acceptance of UFO study within the general public. In the past there have certainly been many people who have been hesitant to report due to fear on various levels, not the least of which being fear of ridicule. It would be nice to think that now we may also be witnessing the result of a lessening of the stigma associated with such experiences for people. For what is UFO research really, if not putting together pieces of a puzzle; a puzzle composed of millions of peoples’ experiences.
Thank you, Julie Pittonet
