37.28668°N 98.02589°W: Harper KS

One of the many houses in Harper, Kansas that are abandoned or in dilapidated condition. Dead trees are a common sight in the small and unwelcoming town.

Field Notes:

     When I read report #73283 from the NUFORC database, three aspects struck me: the report’s attention to detail, the reporter’s emphasis on their credibility and education, and the dismissive response they received from the police officer who responded to their call.

     Following my visit to Harper, Kansas over the Memorial Day weekend, I am thoroughly convinced of the report’s validity.

     I reached Harper around 5 PM on Monday evening and started my exploration. Having visited the locations of reported UFO/UAP sightings over fifty times now, I have established a systematic approach to investigating such reports. Initially, I familiarize myself with the town mentioned in the report and its surroundings. Subsequently, if the report provides sufficient details, I will attempt to pinpoint the exact location of the sighting.

     Harper, Kansas, is a small town that has seen better days. It only took a few minutes to drive across the town along the brick-laden Main Street. Many of the houses were in a state of disrepair, and most businesses on Main Street have been shuttered for an extended period.

     Apart from the town’s dilapidated condition, two things caught my attention: a significant bird population and large, dead trees amidst otherwise flourishing vegetation. I’ve found that these two things often trigger the uncomfortable “vibe” at sites I’ve visited.

      But in this case, there was no “vibe” other than a sense of unwelcome in this small town.

     After my initial drive down Main Street, I retraced my route to shoot some photographs of the town. I had observed several large, dead trees in the yards of some houses lining Main Street, accompanied by a high degree of bird activity. During my brief drive across the town, I spotted blackbirds, red-winged blackbirds, three vultures circling over a house with a dead tree in the yard, and even a solitary pigeon standing unperturbed in the middle of Main Street as I drove past.

     While taking photos of a house with a dead tree in its yard, I was approached by a man in a truck. The house seemed deserted, but the man questioned me in a confrontational manner, asking if I was the owner. His tone made it clear that he was aware I wasn’t and was on the verge of asking me to leave.

     From experience, I’ve learned that revealing my purpose as a UFO investigator doesn’t usually produce a warm welcome. Therefore, I resorted to my usual cover story - that I’m a wildlife photographer specializing in urban bird photography. Every convincing cover story is rooted in truth, and in this instance, I was genuinely attempting to photograph the trio of vultures I had spotted earlier, circling the house.

     He accepted my explanation and proceeded on his way without further comments or inquiries.

     A few minutes later, I was photographing a flock of birds perched on and fluttering around one of the shuttered businesses on Main Street.

     For the second time, I was approached by a different man in a truck, asking about what I was doing. I repeated my cover story, and we soon struck up a conversation. I quickly discovered that he suspected I might be involved in a project related to the closed businesses. I assured him that I was unaware of any such project but expressed my best wishes and hope for the restoration of Main Street’s businesses. As our conversation continued, I learned about his anger with various issues: local and state politics, the county dump located outside the town, and several other matters related to the town not receiving funds promised by politicians.

     During our conversation, I noticed a police car positioning itself at the end of Main Street. At this point, I felt as though I was on the verge of being escorted out of town.

     Having been in town for less than thirty minutes, it was becoming increasingly apparent that my presence was unwelcome. With a smile, I told the man that I was losing my light to take good photos, so it was time for me to leave. I packed up my cameras and drove past the parked police car on Main Street, heading towards the highway leading out of town. I kept an eye on my rear-view mirror, fully expecting the police to tail me until I was away from the town.

     Unfortunately, this meant I would not have the opportunity to locate the exact spot of the UFO sighting referenced in NUFORC Sighting #73283.

     Occasionally, I experience an unsettling “vibe” when visiting locations where UFO sightings have been reported. I got that feeling in Harper, Kansas. But in this case, it was the people of the town and not the Phenomena that was the source of the “vibe.”

--

Birds roosting on one of the many shabby buildings that line Main Street.

NUFORC Sighting: 73283

Occurred: 2009-11-13 03:00 Local

Reported: 2009-11-13 05:32 Pacific

Duration: 5 minutes

No of observers: 2

Location: Harper, KS, USA

Shape: Light

Characteristics: Lights on object, Left a trail

     “It was a little after 3am, maybe 3:05am Nov.13th, 09. My wife is a nurse at a hospital in Wichita, KS about 40miles north of where we live. She arrived home as normal at 3am.

     She woke me up and told me there was a plane with abnormal lights hovering above the house. I was skeptical but woke up anyways. I went outside, and what I witnessed is a large "object" with three orange fire like lights in a triangle like position.

      The object was in my opinion the size of a medium-sized house. I realized it was not an airplane nor helicopter when it did not emit any sort of sound and just "hovered" silently. I live out in the country, so I have no close neighbors, so I was pretty frantic, so I called the police. While I was on the phone with the 911 operator, the object I don't know how to describe it, but the object shot into the sky like a slingshot leaving a orange glow for a few seconds.

     When the police arrived, I made a report and that's all, the officer said it was probably a meteor, but it was not a meteor. I am a well-respected dentist, and my wife is a well-respected nurse, and we are not the kind to make up such foolish things.

     I found this site and maybe by writing this somebody can tell me what this was…”

NUFORC Note:

I hope someone will inform the Harper Police Department that meteors do not hover, or hang around, for 5 minutes. They are visible because they pass through the atmosphere at 8-50 miles per second. PD

Posted 2009-12-12