Recent Central California UFO sightings

Every so often I like to check out the National UFO Reporting Center and check to see if there have been any recent UFO sightings in the valley. As luck would have it there were several over the past two months and I thought I would share them. Please note that these were posted as they were on NUFORC and I haven't edited either spelling or grammer. Link to the original report can be found at the end of each one.

Occurred : 7/30/2011 22:00

Reported: 7/31/2011 12:22:48 PM

Location: Squaw Valley, CA

Shape: Light

Duration:10 seconds

Slow moving ball of light.

I've lived here for about 6 years now and I'm a sky gazer. For the past 4 weeks or so, I have been seeing strange lights in the northern sky. I've only seen one at a time. They look like bright stars, but they are moving slowly in the sky. I only see them for a few seconds before they completely just disappear.

Last nights sighting was a little different. This time it was closer and it flared and then disappeared. In the 6 years I've lived here, I have never seen these before. They are not airplanes. I see airplanes all the time in the night sky and I know the flight patterns. These are just balls of light that appear and disappear. They don't blink, or pulse, other than the one that flared brighter before it disappeared.

Link

Occurred : 7/18/2011 21:30

Reported: 7/18/2011 11:06:24 PM

Location: Turlock, CA

Shape: Light

Duration:3 min.

Four lights moving in the Ca Valley Sky

Just before 9:30pm my wife and I took our puppy out to the back yard for his night time bathroom break. We live in the country so sky watching is just something we like to do.

While waiting I noticed a silvery light moving fast across the east horizon line. The speed of it caught my attention. I pointed it out to my wife and then we notice 3 more as we began to look around. They were almost directly above us. The 3 were moving towards each other when we noticed them. One was moving some what straight from a Southernly direction to a Northern direction. One that looked like it was coming from the northern direction was moving erratically (like jumping from spot to spot. It was also more bright than the others) but mostly head Southernly towards the one coming from the South.

The third just kind of appeared out out no where and seemed to be coming from the West. All 3 looked like they were going to collide.

My wife got excited because she thought they were g! oing to crash! But it looked more like they passed right through each other.

After crossing paths or whatever they did, the one headed more Northernly seem to pick up speed very fast and quickly disappeared into the North direction. The brighter one from the North was still headed southernly but slowed and stopped for about 1 min.

The one that came in from the West instantly turned 90 degrees Northernly (but was more N/W in direction) at the point of meeting for the three. It kept the same speed the entire time. It wasn't fast, but it wasn't slow! We watched it till it faded off into the sky.

The brighter one that stopped, just disappeared where it was. It looked bigger too compared to the other ones and most of the stars that are in the sky.

The other two seemed to be about the same size and brightness. I would size them comparable with the majority of the small stars in the sky. Big enough to see, but too small to see any detail. Not like you would see if it were an airpl! ane, you can see its flashing lights.

Can only say they looked like w hite lights just like most stars look like, other than they were moving.

Link

Occurred : 7/18/2011 11:45 (Entered as : 7/18/2011 11:45)

Reported: 7/19/2011 2:07:16 PM 14:07

Posted: 8/7/2011

Location: Los Banos (approx 10 miles east of), CA

Shape: Triangle

Duration:3-5 minutes

3 Bright lights along highway 152 east of Los Banos, very close to the ground

I was driving along highway 152 traveling west, when approximately 10-15 miles outside of the town of Los Banos, I saw a green bright light fly across the highway a mile in front of me. As it passed and it turned and looked as if two white lights had been shot off out of it almost.

It proceeded to to turn make a tight turn to pass over the highway once again. It passed over the highway and then proceeded to drop very low to the ground, still continuing forward. Low enough that I could remember seeing the ground lit up from its light. The reflection of the light allowed me to see what I believe was that the lights where actually connected to one another (i.e., that the craft was a bigger object with these three lights at the points).

After flying low to the ground for a short distance it gently curved back up and achieved more alluded ((sic. Altitude?)) and turned left.

I was driving along 152 heading west, and all this occurred in the span of about 3-5 minutes. I could still see the craft in my side view/rear view mirrors, as I continued down 152. The object looked to be staying in the same area.

I was in the car by myself at the time, but there were other drivers both east and west bound along 152.

Link

Occurred : 7/13/2011 13:00

Reported: 7/16/2011 11:35:33 PM

Location: Coarsegold, CA

Shape: Disk

Duration:2 minutes

UFO Sighting on the way up to the mountains on a road trip with family

This photo is not a fake or altered....I took this photo on a road trip to the mountains...with ((husband's name deleted)) & the kids....we were with 3 kids in the back seat...as I was taking photos...I saw one silver grey disk hoovering in the clouds......so I took a photo of it with my cell phone.

At that moment...I turned around to check on the kids, who were fussing...and when I turned around to take another photo of the disk...IT WAS GONE!...just that fast.

I don't know how to do any altering of photos.

Link

Occurred : 7/5/2011 00:38

Reported: 7/15/2011 1:55:16 PM

Location: Fresno, CA

Shape: Triangle

Duration:20 minutes

Strange lights/UFO's over Fresno,Ca near the airport.

On July 5th, 2011, at 12.:38 am my son and I were in our backyard talking. we live about 4 miles from the Fresno airport and were watching airplanes and police helicopters in the shy that night. People have been lighting off illegal firworks and we were watching the show.

As we were looking up, I saw a large triangle craft moving slowly to the south-west towords the airport. I was standing facing the same direction, when my son spoted another set of lights that looked like bright orbs. There was 3 of them and moving south-east of our home.

The large triangeled changed colors form white to red to blue then back to white, then started to fly way faster than anything else that was in the shy that night and was out of sight in about 4 seconds. The orbs also changed color. Red,white and then back to red.

We could see other airplanes flying into the Fresno airport and taking off, but nothing could fly without making a sound.

We waited to see if the Air National Guard would send jets to the area of these objects, but nothing. We have seen other unexplained lights over the greater Fresno/Clovis area for the last couple of months, but nothing like this. The orbs stayed on the same course, but came together as one light and disapeared straight up.

There were at least 3 helicopters and multiple airplanes that night, but nothing moved or looked like those lights we saw that night.

Link

Occurred : 7/3/2011 21:00

Reported: 7/2/2011 10:20:37 PM

Location: Fresno, CA

Shape: Light

Duration:3-4 min

My boyfriend and I see these same ones a lot. He came in, telling me to come and look.

It was a bright light to the east, a little southeast.

We watch it for longer than they usually stick around. It moved slightly up and down as it was moving across the sky at the speed slower than an airplane. Then it dimmed.

It was about dusk. A lot of fireworks going off so I'm hoping someone else may report it, as well. My first report although I've seen many. I think we have something that makes us more aware. Not sure how no one else sees these.

My little boy Has witness them with us as well although I'm not sure he understands why he saw.

Link

Occurred : 6/29/2011 22:55

Reported: 6/29/2011 11:25:19 PM

Location: Visalia, CA

Shape: Light

Duration:5 min

Bright light that disapeared

Light came from northwest going southeast. It looked like a plane at first. The light was getting brighter with no flashing lights.

It passed over head at about 1000 feet or the height of a low flighing plane with absolutly no sound at all. It just disappered after it passed over us.

This was at 10:05 pm. It was definatly not a plane.

Link

Occurred : 6/29/2011 04:00

Reported: 6/29/2011 4:52:12 AM

Location: Porterville, CA

Shape: Disk

Duration:45 minutes

disk shaped object getting brighter and dissapearing also moved a little.

There was one disk shaped object we observed for about 45 minutes that would disappear and get brighter. It seemed to move a little it also looked like the lights consisted of many white lights and a couple red lights.

Link

The ghosts and legends of Hornitos, CA

The old Gagliardo & Co. Store in Hornitos, CA now acts as a gift shop.

Photo courtesy of Lewis Shorb, Ghost Town Explorers

About 13 miles west of Mariposa, CA on CR-J16 lies the small community of Hornitos. The community was founded by Mexican miners in 1848 and was soon populated by settlers evicted from the nearby mining town Quartzburg. Most of the evictees were of the "less desirable" type and almost overnight they changed the character of Hornitos and it quickly became known as a rough community. Soon the streets were lined with fandango halls, bars, gambling dens, and house of ill repute and it was rumored that many of the businesses were interconnected with underground tunnels. By the mid-late 1850's Hornitos had grown to small city with a population of some 6000 people. A thriving Chinese section formed to the east of town and housed some 2000 folk. Business was thriving as $40,000 in gold was shipped out on a daily basis.

Old adobe ruins with only the entry way and it's iron doors remaining.

Photo courtesy of Lewis Shorb, Ghost Town Explorers

But the town has a dark history to it as well. The town was so notorious for its daily gunfights that the dead outlaws were simply dumped into a deep gully called Dead Man's Gulch. Famed Mexican bandit, Joaquin Murieta, was said to frequent the fandango halls and was rumored to have been almost captured in the town in the 1850's.

Pacific Saloon (built 1851), one of the many bars that was in

Hornitos during its heyday.

Photo courtesy of Lewis Shorb, Ghost Town Explorers

Masonic Lodge built sometime in the 1850's.

Photo courtesy of Lewis Shorb, Ghost Town Explorers

Eventually the gold ran out and the miners who populated the town moved onto other places in search of riches. From a population of around 15,000 in 1879 it quickly dwindled down and around 1932 there were roughly 60 people living in Hornitos. Today the population is 75 people and Hornitos is considered one of the best preserved ghost towns in the Mother Lode country with ruins of an old Wells Fargo office, a Masonic Hall, an old jailhouse and even the store where D. Ghiradelli (famous maker of chocolate) got his start before moving to San Francisco.

The ruins of D. Ghiradelli's general store (circa 1856)

Photo courtesy of Lewis Shorb, Ghost Town Explorers

Not all of the original settlers of Hornitos have left and it's said that many still haunt the town, still searching for riches perhaps or not wanting to move on for some other reason.

Photo courtesy of Lewis Shorb, Ghost Town Explorers

Near the town square the ghosts of two prostitutes, who used knives and fought to the death over a miner, can still be felt to this day. The fight was over whose client he was and before the fight was over the miner had snuck off.  When the proverbial dust had settled, one of the women lay dead on the street and the was other badly injured. It's said if you stand still in the town square and listen you can still hear the screams of the women as they fought and the cheers of the miners who stood around and watched.

The Hornitos jail house, rumored to be haunted by a former

inmate who died there.

Photo courtesy of Lewis Shorb, Ghost Town Explorers

The old jail house is also supposed to be haunted by a miner who was rumored to have died there. The brick jail is still standing today and is about 12 feet by 12 feet and has two 1 foot square windows. Accused of stealing a horse, he was placed in the town jail to await trial. Several drunk cowboys who just left one of the local saloons saw the miner in the jail and decided for some reason they were going to rescue him. They somehow convinced the miner if he tied a rope around his waist that they would pull him through the window and to freedom. The miner did so and the cowboys pulled and pulled but couldn't get him through the small opening. They pulled so hard that they eventually broke his back. The miner later succumbed to his injuries and died. His spirit has never been able to rest and can be felt walking around the jail today.

The local cemetery where a young girl's ghost is said to wander.

Photo courtesy of Lewis Shorb, Ghost Town Explorers

Another spirit, this one of a young Mexican girl, haunts the local cemetery. She died at a young age of an unnamed epidemic and for some reason wasn't given a proper burial but instead was buried on top of the ground and then bricks and stones were placed over her body. Through the years tourists have taken theses stones and bricks from her grave. From time to time she is seen searching the cemetery, looking for the stones and bricks that covered her grave.

St. Catherine's Catholic Church, built sometime in the 1860's.

Photo courtesy of Lewis Shorb, Ghost Town Explorers

These aren't the only ghosts that roam the streets of Hornitos, but they do have their own stories. Other ghosts have been seen but their story hasn't been told yet.

Near Givins Gulch a woman has been seen roaming the area just before sunrise with a spear sticking out of her head.

Another female ghost has been seen with a plastic bag tied around her head in Hornitos Park just before dawn.

Late at night a figure can sometimes be seen on the top of Bullion Hill gazing out over the landscape.

The ghost of a young confederate officer can frequently be seen next to the Cotton Arm creek and it appears as if he is struggling with something.

Also the spirit of a male figure can be seen dragging something from Corbet Creek sometime after midnight.

Photo courtesy of Lewis Shorb, Ghost Town Explorers

Whether these ghost stories are true or not, one thing is for certain. Hornitos is rich in history. Both from the gold rush era and also rich in ghost stories. Hornitos makes a great day trip for those who have never been to a ghost town before and its a chance to check out some of our local area history that many don't know about.

I want to thank Lewis Shorb over at Ghost Town Explorers for allowing me to share the photos he took of Hornitos for this article. You can check out his article on Hornitos here.

Revisiting California's first mass UFO sighting

Artist depiction of the mystery airship as it was seen over Sacramento.

Every now and then I like to revist an old story that I had written about when I first started Weird Fresno and it's usually to share it with new readers who may have not read the story, or as is the case with this one new information has been found.

Seven years before the Wright Brothers would become famous with the first successful flight at Kitty Hawk, something strange was seen in the California skies. On the night of November 22, 1896 a large airship was seen over much of northern and central California including San Francisco, San Jose and Fresno.

Hundreds of eye witnesses reported seeing a massive airship slowly floating in the sky, roughly 1,000 feet over the city. What drew most of their attention was the ship's light as they weren't accustomed to seeing bright lights in the sky. Several witnesses even claimed to have even seen figures through the craft's windows, but their descriptions are vauge at best only describing them as humanoid shaped.

Things do get weirder though. The next night a Colonel H.G. Shaw was driving his buggy in Stockton when he happened to come across a large airship that had landed in a field. He described it as being cylindrical shaped and about 150 long and 25 feet in diameter and completely made of metal. As he approached the ship three very tall, slender men exited the ship. He then claims they examined his buggy and conversed with him briefly before boarding their ship again and taking to to the skies. Also a man in Indio claimed to have gone onboard the craft for a flight, but no further details were given.

Following the sightings a San Francisco lawyer named George D. Collins announced that he had been hired to represent the airship's inventor, but after a few days Collins retracted his statement claiming that he had been misunderstood. Shortly after this, the former Attorney General of California, William H. H. Hart, claimed he was in communication with the airship's mysterios inventor and said that the airship would shortly be used to bomb the Spanish garrison of Havana and liberate Cuba. But when pressed for more details and evidence to back up his claim, Hart backed off.

For the next few weeks numerous airships were spooted all along the west coast of the United States and Canada. There were even reports as far east as Nebraska. By December the sightings had stopped and the news stopped reporting on the sightings and people forgot about the airship. But what was it that people actually saw?

Airships did exist at the time. The dirigible "La France" had flown a controlled course in 1885 outside Paris, and in Germnay Count Zeppelin was buiding his first airship. Efforts to build an airship in America date as far back as 1865. But none of these could fly the distances that the mystery airship was making. But there might be a possible explanation. According to the book "Solving the 1897 Airship Mystery", the government had in fact nine airships and were testing them. The best piece of evidence to back this up was an account from R. L. Lowery, a former street railway employee from Sacramento. One of the nights the airship was seen in Sacramento he heard a voice from above call, "Throw her up higher; she'll hit the steeple." Looking up he saw that there were two men seated on a bicyle-like frame and were peddling. Above them was a cigar-shaped body of some length, as he described. Lowery also described that the craft had wheels on the side akin to ones on the side of a steam boat.

So it seems that the U.S. government was testing an experimental aircraft over California skies. Only difference is that it was 1896 and not the present day. But it seems some things never change. One has to wonder what the goverment is testing over California skies today.

Strange lights still being reported along Interstate 5

There are few reoccurring stories that are on Weird Fresno. But it seems that the stories of strange lights seen on the Interstate 5 corridor between Coalinga and Kettleman City. I had reported in May of 2009 of having received an e-mail from someone stating they saw a UFO here and were able to film it. Upon reviewing it I came to the conclusion it was a crop duster. Well it seems that others are still mistaking crop dusters for UFOs as another similiar report was filed with the National UFO Reporting Center on July 17, 2011. Here is the account as it was reported:

Occurred : 7/17/2011 02:35

Location: Fresno (near; on Interstate 5), CA

Shape: Formation

Duration:1-2 Minutes

A linear object with 3 bright lights, flew about 10 feet over our truck while traveling N on I 5.

While traveling north bound on Interstate 5, approximately 30 miles SE of Fresno, a linear object with three bright lights (Two on the end and one in the middle) approached our truck, containing six passengers. When we first saw it, the linear object was around 500 yards away.

Five of the passengers, including me, saw the formation of lights continuing to fly towards our truck. During this time, the object rotated similar to a plane that has stalled. We were confused and somewhat scared as to what this object is.

It headed straight towards our truck where it flew about 10-20 feet above us. It was close enough to where the driver, and the two front passengers, one of which was me, ducked and screamed.

While continuing to drive, we watched behind us as the three bright lights lifted up and dove into the ground and then back up again. The bright lights spun and rotated until it finally disappeared.

The object was about 30 feet long.

Keep in mind that it wasnt until afterwards we realized that it made absulutely no sound when it passed over our truck.

And the compass on our truck didnt work after the sighting.

Given the description above it sounds similiar to the May 2009 incident. And as I had stated before, I used to live on a farm and we had crop dusted in the past as well as our neighbors. They dust at night as the wind is less prevelant (usually) and whatever is being applied to the crops won't scatter as easily.

But then there's the issue of reporting the craft made no sound. This is just conjecture on my part, but the witness stated they continued to drive and watched the object only noting later that it made no sound. I have to question this as since they were driving in a truck, there would have been enough noise from the tires on the road plus any other traffic to drown out the noise of a single prop engine (which are usually 600 hp or so). I think given the noise pollution and the excitement factor, this is what caused them to miss the engine noise. Now I could be wrong, but given the witness statement and what I know from personal experience (I saw a crop duster, read my post here) I believe that it was just a crop duster and not some sort of alien spacecraft or military aircraft.

One of these nights I want to take a group out to the area armed with some night vision enabled video cameras and attempt to solve this mystery once and for all.

Are the grounds of the old Kerman High School haunted?

The grounds of the old Kerman High School. You can see rubble

in the background of what used to be the main building.

Image courtesy of Google Maps.

The site of the old Kerman High School, located on Clinton and Madera Ave, has been rumored to have been haunted for years. Strange lights have been seen floating between rooms even though the property has been fenced off for several decades.

The original Kerman High School was built in 1912 and served the Kerman area until a larger high school was needed and the current campus was built in 1967.

The property fell into disuse and was fenced off to keep trespassers out. Unfortunately this wasn't enough as on December 30, 1998 an arsonist set fire to the main building and it burned to the ground.

No one knows what these strange lights are, if there are spirit lights or something else. One has to wonder what would cause someone or something to haunt a school. Perhaps whatever it is feeds off the emotions from the students that walked the halls over the years. And it's possible that it still roams the debris of what used to be the old Kerman High School.

Interesting side note here. In 1995 several friends, having heard of the stories and wanting to check them out , went to the old school at night. As soon as they parked their car and got out several sheriff's cars pulled out and the officers drew guns on them thinking they were going to trespass. One has to wonder how many other people went to the school looking for ghosts.

Let me also preface this. Please don't try to go here at night and search for ghosts. There's a fence around the property for a reason. Don't be that ghost hunting group who likes to hop fences late at night just to get a thrill. If you really want to investigate this location, find out who owns it and try to get permission. Don't ruin it for those out there who are actually serious about this.

Lodge in downtown Lemoore said to be haunted

Oddfellows Lodge in downtown Lemoore which is rumored to be

haunted. Photo courtesy of Waymarking.com

In downtown Lemoore there is an historic two story building that is said to be haunted. On the bottom floor there is a barber shop, a pharmacy as well as several real estate offices. But on the second floor, where the local Oddfellows Lodge is located (a fraternal society with its roots in England) is where most of the paranormal activity has occurred.

Every Halloween the local drama club sets up a haunted house attraction in the Lodge. Apparently some of the former residents aren't pleased with this as they have made themselves known in several different way. Shadowy figures have been reported seen throughout the second floor and others have reported seeing figures wearing old fashioned clothing (possibly from the late Victorian era) wandering around at night. There are also temperature changes that manifesting as both cold and hot spots. Other witnesses have also reported being filled with a dreadful sensation after being in the building for some time and have the urge to leave as quickly as possible. Once someone heard a deep male voice telling them to "leave us to rest" and others have reported to see strange green and red lights on the roof late at night.

So what are the cause of all these strange occurrences? The building was constructed in 1904 and surely has seen its fair share of inhabitants. Could former members of the lodge still be lingering around where they once met, upset that someone else is in their space now that is doing something that isn't lodge related? Or any of the previous inhabitants, upset that the Halloween attraction is being put on? Or is it just part of the Halloween attraction itself? Stories made up of supposedly real ghosts to add a bit of flavor to the attraction to get more people to come? It's really hard to say. Though a visit may be in order come Halloween to see if the attraction is still open and the stories of the hauntings are indeed true.

Railroad crossing near Visalia rumored to be haunted

Haunted railroad crossing at Santa Fe Ave. & Ave. 271 in Visalia

Image courtesy of Google Street View

There are stories of a haunted railroad crossing in Tulare County, south of the city of Visalia. The railroad crossing is located where Avenue 271 turns into Santa Fe Avenue via two 90 degree turns. The tracks here don't receive much traffic anymore as the line seems to be abandoned now. Yet for whatever reason there seems to be several hauntings at this crossing.

It's said if you park your car on the tracks you can hear the sounds of a train passing by as well as the ghostly images of people walking towards your car. And when you try to start your car back up it seems to take longer for the engine to turn over, almost as if the battery is being drained by something else.

One some nights around 3:00 am a phantom train can be seen. The origin of this haunt is unclear but one can imagine that given the time of the sighting, a train may have derailed sometime early in the morning. It's also said a white figure can be seen walking the along the road next to the crossing late at night. Whether this figure is related to the ghost train is unknown.

It's unknown if any of these haunts are actually true. I did come across several witness accounts regarding the above stories, but whether they are fabricated or not is hard to say. But I wouldn't be surprised if there haven't been a few accidents at this crossing. The fact that there are two 90 degree turns within 250 feet of each other could lend credence to this. But it's hard to say. Haunted railroad crossings are some of my favorite stories and that there is yet another one in the Central Valley area I felt I had to share it.

Gilroy's haunted Mount Madonna County Park

Mount Madonna State Park where the ghost of the daughter of

one of Gilroy's founders is said to haunt.

About 12 miles west of the town of Gilroy is the Mount Madonna County Park. It's said that the ghost of Sarah Miller, the daughter of one of Gilroy's founders Henry Miller, haunts the land that used to be owned by her family.

On June 14, 1879 Sarah Miller was riding her horse on her family's ranch when it stepped in a squirrel hole and lost its footing. Sarah then fell off the horse and broke her neck and was instantly killed.

Stories have persisted for years of seeing a woman riding on horseback late at night by park rangers. Other reports from rangers include hearing a woman screaming, but when they went to investigate no one was found. Lights being seen in buildings even after they were turned off have also been reported. Another witness even reported seeing a woman dressed all in white walking down Pole Line road late one night.

If this is indeed the ghost of Sarah Miller, why does she haunt the land that was formerly her family's ranch? Perhaps she doesn't know she is dead and wanders around aimlessly not knowing of the sad truth. Or perhaps this is where she was happiest in life and continues to stay there even in death. Whatever the case may be, given the numerous sightings at Mount Madonna, something definitely is roaming the grounds late at night.