ORAL HISTORY PROJECT -
A compilation of related and unrelated stories about alien & UFO encounters
Story #6
Memories of UFO's by Shirley J. McNall - 9/28/95
This is coming from off the top of my head. There probably will not be any chronological order.
The first story of possible UFO's was the night my Grandma Terrell went out in the back yard late at night to take a pee. As she was squatting to do her thing, a large bright light hovered over her. She, of course, was terrified. The light moved back and forth near her and sometimes was beamed straight down on her. This occurred many years before electricity was introduced to the area. My Mother still lives on the old farm on County Rd. 3000. Grandma Terrell was thought to be an eccentric lady. She often had trouble sleeping at night. Many times she would wake up tired and bruises would appear on her body even though she was not a physically active person. Her idea of hard work was sweeping floors and gardening a little, but mostly she sat in her chair and rocked and crocheted. Often the bruises were on her ankles and wrists almost as if she had been tightly bound by ropes or straps.
I, too, have experienced many nights when I have nightmares about crowds of people looking at me, harassing me, they won't let me go. In the morning after these dreams, I am physically drained and usually have a distinct pain between my eyes or in my nose. I always have strange bruises which are sometimes painful and swollen. I have never known myself to sleepwalk. I tell my husband that the aliens got me in the night. My cousin, Peg Hargis, who was my Grandma Terrell's niece, was known to wake up in the morning, badly bruised and muddy or dusty. The family thought she was a sleep walker, but no one ever saw her do it. I have told my story to people interested in UFO phenomenon and their theory is that the family is being studied for some probably genetic research. I guess it is our charm and beauty that fascinates "them".
My Mom and I both remember several occasions, always in October in the early 50's sitting on the porch watching strange flying objects fly together east to west over the Animas River. We jokingly referred to them as "flying saucers". The ones I remember were bright chrome like. I associated them with graceful silver leaves. Mom says she remembers red and blue and silver colors. It was sort of a family thing for Grandma and Grandpa Terrell, Mom and me to sit on the porch and watch the "flying saucers" fly by. We had no fear of them that I recall.
I do not recall anything about the Hart Canyon UFO incident. My first husband, John, worked in the local oil patch. We moved to Lowry Camp in the early 70's. The road to Lowry runs along Largo Canyon. Several different families reported experiences of driving back to camp at night when suddenly a light would overtake their car. The car would stop dead, no power, the radio would go dead or sometimes many stations would play, almost as if an unseen power was changing the stations at a very fast rate. After a period of time, the light would lift and the family would proceed on home. My family never had the fortune to experience the car stopping light. I did often see the "blue devil light" which would stay parallel to our car a night. Other people in the car didn't see it, but I did. Many other neighbors have experienced the "blue devil light".
I do remember one very frightening experience in Largo Canyon. My husband and I were driving separate cars home late at night. My daughter, Toni, was riding with me. I crossed the Blanco Crossing. All of a sudden I felt pure terror! I felt that someone or something was trying to "take my mind away from me". I felt a vacuum in my head. I couldn't hear Toni talking to me and I couldn't hear the car radio. I remember a sound like a high frequency roar which was driving me crazy. I was able to keep the car under control and move away from that area. To this day, that particular area of road gives me the creeps.
One afternoon John and I stopped at the bar in Bloomfield to have a beer after our grocery buying frenzy. A cold beer and a game of pool was a treat before starting on the long trip back to camp. A man sitting at the bar began starring at me. He moved over beside me and said he knew who I was. I told him no, I had never seen him before. He persisted and began to tell me of my interest and knowledge of UFO's and other phenomenon. My husband was becoming irritated so the man moved away from me. John became interested in a game of pool and left me at the bar. The man came back and sat by me. He told me that on a certain day at a specific time a craft and beings were coming to a site south of Cuba, N.M. He said he and other people were going to gather at the site. He said it was important that I be there. I thought it would be interesting to go, why not? I remember only that it was to be in October though I don't recall the date or exact place. Anyway, John would not permit me to go.
We moved to Gobernador Camp in 1973(?) Cattle mutilations were common at that time. John came across a few of them. He talked at length about what he observed about them. One of the pumpers called into headquarters and was obviously very excited, then hysterical. When he drove upon a well site, there sat a craft. He described it as a huge "flying saucer". By the time help arrived, the craft was gone and he was still hysterical. There were "pod" marks on the ground. The man was taken to the hospital and treated for shock.
Around that time my daughter, Toni, and I were driving to town for supplies. Near Navajo City a brilliant chrome colored low flying craft appeared. I slammed on the brakes and turned around to follow it. It suddenly took a sharp angled turn and dove into an area we called Candelaria Canyon. I wanted to get a closer look but Toni became very frightened and threatened to jump out of the car. Even though we hadn't said much to each other, she said that she did not want to see "them". "They" might take us away. I backed off and we proceeded to town.
The Gomez family who own property in Dulce were our close friends. They tell of a bull mutilation and the appearance of strange lights in their family cemetery. The mutilation was near the cemetery. According to the Gomez', Los Alamos scientists studied the lights at the cemetery but were unable to explain them.
Since my move to Aztec in 1979 I have noticed an increase in "alien visits complete with head pain and bruises". I have seen a few unexplained air borne objects. There was a period in my life a few years ago when I would pray that "they" would come and take me away. Now, I pray that they won't!