The Langenburg Sighting And The Encounter Of Edwin Fuhr

You might be forgiven for not knowing about a multiple UFO landing encounter that occurred in the late summer of 1974 in Saskatchewan, Canada, even though the incident is considered one of the most credible and well-known incidents to come out of this part of the North American continent. Although there was only one sole witness on the morning in question, there was substantial evidence that something very strange had occurred, including clear impressions in the field where the encounter unfolded.

The case remains a complete mystery today, half a century after it occurred, and has been the subject of multiple investigations by various UFO investigators and researchers over the years. What’s more, this region of Canada, much like Canada as a whole, is no stranger to bizarre UFO encounters, but this particular event remains the most recalled in the region, with many still recalling today hearing about the bizarre events at the small Saskatchewan farm.

The main witness, incidentally, has not once changed his story regarding the events of that morning, even though he has been asked to repeat them many times over the course of several decades. Indeed, as we shall see, the witness and the encounter itself are still regarded as one of the most credible close-proximity sightings ever reported.

A Normal Morning That Quickly Turned Strange!

The morning of September 1^st, 1974, started as normal as any other for 36-year-old Edwin Fuhr. After eating breakfast with his father at around 7 am, he headed out to one of the fields of his farm just outside of Langenburg, Saskatchewan, to swath them. He recalls that on this particular morning, he was at the east end of the field. By 10:30 am, he was still performing these duties when his morning, and indeed his life, would be changed forever. ^[1]

As he was driving his swather down the middle of the field, he noticed several dome-shaped objects a short distance ahead of him. He immediately thought the objects were duck blinds that hunters would use to hunt ducks and geese from and that someone was attempting to make him the butt of a joke or prank. Because of this, Fuhr felt no sense of fear or trepidation and continued driving towards the objects. As he got closer, though, he could see that these domes appeared to be moving, almost rotating. And what’s more, they appeared to be hovering a short distance above the ground.

At this point, he brought the swather to a stop and climbed out of the cabin. He was now around 15 feet away from the objects, which he could now see were much more saucer or disc-like. They were approximately a foot above the ground and were spinning in a counterclockwise direction at a considerable pace. As they did, the morning sunlight reflected off their highly polished metallic exterior. Fuhr would recall years later that he could see the “grass going one way and the machine going the other way!”

He took a few more steps closer to the objects before suddenly sensing that he could be putting himself in danger or at risk of injury, so he backed away several feet.

Five Strange Objects – All Side-By-Side!

As he backed away, he could see there were five of these disc-shaped crafts – three of them directly in front of him, all side-by-side and measuring around 30 feet across – and then one each – both slightly smaller – to each side of them, each around 100 feet away. Eventually, he returned to the swather and remained in the cabin for several minutes, just watching the bizarre scene in front of him.

It was at this point that he noticed the engine had died (he had left it running). He tried the ignition, but it was “completely dead!” Almost half a century later, he stated that the objects “had me in a trance. I didn’t know what to do,” so he simply sat there watching them.

A moment later, without making a sound, they each began to rise into the air, the three big ones first followed by the two smaller objects. When they were around 100 feet above the ground, he noticed some kind of gray smoke or vapor coming from the underside of each of the objects. He could now clearly see the vents on the underside. Although he didn’t fully understand why, he had the impression that these vents were somehow connected to the direction the object moved.

Then, they took off into the sky with blistering speed disappearing in a second. Now, even more perplexed than before, Fuhr remained in the cabin of the swather for several more minutes until he was certain the strange objects were not coming back.

He then climbed out of the cabin and cautiously walked to the edge of the slough, where the objects had been lined up in a distinct half-moon or semi-circle formation. He later recalled that it appeared as though the middle three, larger objects were engaged in some kind of operation or mission while the two outer objects were keeping watch. He could see that where the objects had been, the grass was flattened in a ring shape (with the “ring” part of the grass flat and the center part of the ring featuring the grass still standing high), an obvious consequence of the crafts hovering so close to the ground.

He took one last look at the scene before giving the swather one last try. To his sheer relief, this time, the engine turned over. He quickly settled into the seat and headed back home.

Whatever Is Responsible “Came From The Sky, And Left The Same Way!”

Almost as soon as he returned to the main house, his wife, Karen, and other family members who were present could tell that something was not quite right. Karen recalled years later that her husband “just sat there” in silence until she asked him what was wrong. Then, he simply spilled out the truly bizarre events of that morning. Realizing he was very serious about what he was saying and that he clearly had seen something strange, Edwin was encouraged to report the incident.

Several hours later, a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer, Ron Morier, received notification of the sighting through Fuhr’s brother-in-law, Carl Zorn. Morier was already familiar with Fuhr, and later stated of him that he was “the last guy in the world” who would orchestrate a hoax or prank, adding that he was a “very quiet, shy man”. He continued that Fuhr was “a responsible man, and his information is considered reliable!”

The following day, he arrived at the farm in order to take a look at the landing site for himself. Needless to say, he was both fascinated and perplexed by what he saw. Not only were the impressions in the grass exactly where Fuhr had stated the objects had hovered but there were no signs whatsoever that someone had driven or walked to the area to make them. He stated years later that “whatever made those impressions came from the sky and left the same way!”

It wasn’t long after Morier’s visit and the official report that followed that the local and national media got a hold of the account. In no time at all, the Langenburg region, specifically the Fuhrs’ farm, was the focus of not only the media but also UFO enthusiasts and investigators.

We will examine the fallout of the sighting in a moment. First, though, check out the short video below – a quick rundown of the strange events of September 1^st, 1974, just outside of Langenburg.

A Descent On The Fuhr Farm

Fuhr recalled that, quite literally, “thousands” of people came to the farm over the coming weeks and months. At one point, interest was such that there were “cars lined up bumper to bumper” from Langenburg to the farm. And as far as Fuhr was concerned, the attention had come at the worst possible time – during the harvest.

He recalled that there were people “chasing us down in the middle of the field” as the family attempted to go about their seasonal duties, adding that some people even walked or drove right up to and in front of the combine. Not only did this bother Edwin, but his brother and father were far from pleased with the sudden attention. At one point, a plane carrying Australian tourists even landed in a field opposite the farm in order to take a closer look at the landing site.

Once more, all of this does not sound like a person who has orchestrated events for his own gain. As Morier offered on the issue, “Why would he (Fuhr) want thousands of people coming to his little place there and trampling all over his yard and his fields?”

Eventually, beyond tired of the attention, in the hopes of deterring future onlookers, Fuhr’s father set the field where the objects had landed alight. Despite this, however, the impressions where the objects had been remained clearly visible, and the onlookers continued to arrive.

Endless Phone Calls And Knocks At The Door

It wasn’t just people arriving at the location that was taking up an increasing amount of Edwin and his family’s time. The phone at the house rang regularly with all manner of people who had some kind of interest or another in the landing encounter at the Fuhr farm.

One particularly memorable phone call – which lasted around two hours – came from none other than Neil Armstrong, the first man on the Moon only five years earlier. Not only did he discuss the objects that landed on Fuhr’s farm, but Armstrong offered to Fuhr that they themselves had witnessed UFOs during the Apollo 11 mission but were ordered not to speak of such matters in public.

This is a particularly interesting detail. If we accept Fuhr’s account as true and accurate – which almost all who have investigated the case do – then we should perhaps accept the claims of his conversation with Armstrong as accurate, which would perhaps also add a notch or two in the credibility column of the claims of conspiracies of UFOs in near-Earth orbit, and perhaps even of extraterrestrial bases on the moon.

Despite how weary Fuhr grew of the attention, he never refused to speak to anyone who wished to speak about it, whether in person or over the telephone, stating only that “you know how people are!”

Further Intriguing Details

Years later during a television interview, Fuhr described further details of the objects he had gotten so close to. He claimed that the three larger objects all appeared to have a “lip” or “bumper” around the bottom that went all the way around, almost like a tire but metal. Of further interest, this bumper was a dull grey color as opposed to a shiny silver like the top domes section. Fuhr theorized that this was due to this part of the machine becoming extremely hot, as when metal reaches such hot temperatures, it turns grey. It is certainly an interesting detail and one that might suggest this “bumper” was a part of the futuristic propulsion system of the craft.

He further recalled that on the upper section – which he likened to stainless steel or brushed aluminum – there were “rivets”, and as the objects turned, he could sometimes see the “bumps” of these rivets. Moreover, the craft itself appeared to be split into at least two sections – a top and a bottom. We might imagine, especially given the detail of the bottom section seemingly having been extremely hot, that the bottom section was the propulsion system and the top half some kind of cockpit area.

Another intriguing detail was that on the underside of each craft, Fuhr could see four pipes, each of which was “huge” and on the outer side. Fuhr suggested that it was these pipes that made the impression on the ground. We might also consider that the grey vapor that appeared just before the objects launched into the air also came from these large pipes (which, once more, would suggest the bottom section of the object was the propulsion system).

Lasting Consequences

Whether it is of importance or not, Fuhr further recalled that the three main objects were extremely close together – so close, in fact, that he suspected if he had walked right up to them, he wouldn’t have been able to place his hand in between them. Does this suggest some kind of transfer taking place between the objects? Or was it merely a coincidence that they had landed so close together without colliding?

It also came to light during the days following the encounter that the landing site had increased levels of radiation. Of course, this is a detail that shows up in many UFO landing or close proximity sightings, and only adds a further level of credibility to Fuhr’s version of events. Even stranger, when one investigative team arrived at the landing site to take a look, they had with them several German Shepherd dogs. Fuhr recalled that none of the animals would go anywhere near the circular impressions. When he investigated what would happen if he attempted to lead some of his cattle towards the same impressions, the result was very much the same.

Of even further interest, around one of the objects – the one to the left of the middle, larger craft – were several triangular marks, as if something had opened and physically touched the ground, such as a door or ramp. Fuhr recalled that the object in question had temporarily stopped spinning, and the tripod-like device extended from the craft to the ground. Interestingly or not, the tripod impression was found to be facing the exact same direction of the Fuhr family home, leading some researchers to suggest that this may have been some kind of surveillance of the house by the occupants of the craft.

“Mind-Boggling! Really Mind-Boggling!”

As well as details of the crafts themselves, Fuhr also offered further how the encounter made him feel. He stated that so many thoughts begin swirling around your mind, which is “trying to get this thing unraveled” but the sheer surreal nature of the events leaves it unable to do so.

He also is quite candid when he states that he was “scared stiff”, adding that there were “five of them and only one of me!” In an attempt to demonstrate just how scared he was, he stated that “if someone had clapped their hands, I would have likely dropped dead right there – I was that scared!”

It is perhaps also interesting how Fuhr describes “instinct” telling him to back away from the objects when he was contemplating getting closer to them. Was this pure instinct? Or was it perhaps the intelligence inside the object somehow communicating telepathically, perhaps to the subconscious part of his brain, to not come any closer – essentially influencing his decision-making? And might this have been done to protect the occupants of the objects or to protect Fuhr himself? With this in mind, it is interesting to note that Fuhr himself said that he simply had “something in the back of my mind telling me to keep my distance!”

A little more concerning, Fuhr recalled that his bones and joints ached for several weeks following the sighting, elaborating that he would often feel something akin to “electric shocks” running through his joints at random times. Perhaps this was a consequence of the increased radiation, or perhaps it was due to some other technology.

Fuhr also learned later that the cattle of a neighboring farm had become suddenly spooked around the same time as the encounter – so much so that they broke through the fence of the field and ran bellowing anxiously. This animal reaction, while it might sound trivial, is important, as it adds further evidence that something truly strange was in the area that September morning.

Ultimately, Fuhr described the whole encounter as “mind-boggling, really mind-boggling!”

A Discreet Military Interest

As we might imagine, as credible as the account and Fuhr himself appear, there are many who question just what was seen that day. However, we should consider that this is not a case of a lone witness shouting from the rooftops of a bizarre encounter. There was definite proof left behind in the form of the ring impressions in the grass. Furthermore, Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer Ron Morier was also certain that Fuhr was being honest and truthful in his account. And we should mention that Morier had a pristine career, eventually becoming an expert in reconstructed facial features for missing people and the unidentified deceased. In short, his assessment of Fuhr is perhaps even more valid due to his own credibility.

More interesting still, as well as the interest of UFO investigators and enthusiasts in Fuhr’s account and the alleged landing site, there was significant interest from both the Canadian and United States Air Forces. Fuhr recalled years later that they spotted on several occasions, aircraft flying low over the field at different angles, clearly capturing aerial photographs of it, as well as witnessed several helicopters hovering at a relatively low altitude overhead, perhaps performing the same duties or some other kind of discreet mission.

We have to ask, if there was nothing at all to the incident, why did the respective air forces of both Canada and the United States take such a keen interest? Whether they suspected the objects of being extraterrestrial or not, they certainly believed them to be important enough to take their own photographs and conduct their own potential tests over the landing site. We can only imagine what the official files on the case off the back of these aerial missions might reveal.

Long-Lasting Credibility

In the years following the incident, Fuhr continued to run the family farm. While interest in the case died down somewhat, he regularly received requests for interviews, sometimes from enthusiasts and sometimes from radio and television stations that wished to feature his encounter in their respective programs.

It should be noted, though, despite his happiness to speak of the strange events half a century ago, he has not gained monetarily from the event, with the only “payment” for his story being a “complimentary breakfast from CTV when visiting the studio for an interview”.

He eventually retired from the farm in 1989, opting to do carpentry in his retirement in order to keep his mind sharp and busy. He also enjoys reading books on the subject of UFOs, occasionally finding a retelling of his own account.

Ron Morier also has maintained a keen interest in UFOs and, specifically, the encounter with Edwin Fuhr, maintaining a large file that includes the original report, as well as press clippings from over the years. Like Fuhr, he is occasionally approached by UFO organizations or by television companies. And while he perhaps hasn’t been as keen as Fuhr to speak about the affair, he does occasionally do so. What’s more, he remains fully convinced that Fuhr witnessed exactly what he said he did. Of course, whether those vehicles were from another world or whether they have a more terrestrial origin remains unknown.

The 1933 Saskatchewan Landing Encounter

Whether or not there is a connection, it is worth our time here to explore another UFO encounter from Saskatchewan, this time in Nipawin near Tobin Lake. According to an article by John Brent Musgrave in the June 1976 edition of Flying Saucer Review, at an unknown date in 1933, several local residents witnessed what we would recognize today as a UFO landing event, seemingly so the occupants of this otherworldly craft could carry out some kind of repairs.

We have to remember that at the time, much of this region of Canada was yet to see modern luxuries such as telephones or even electricity, and this was especially the case with Nipawin, which was on the edge of the growing province. Throughout 1933, many stories had begun to swirl, courtesy of forest rangers and homesteaders, of strange lights hovering in the sky, with some tales even claiming these strange lights came down to the ground. Given there was no electricity or even telephone wires in the region, we might wonder just what these strange lights might have been.

While some of the townsfolk were dismissive of the lights and what they might be, two men and a woman (who are not named in the report) decided they wanted to get a closer look at them and so ventured off into the wilderness in their small pickup truck one summer’s evening. They made their way to a location where the lights had apparently been seen. And before they even arrived, they knew they were in for a potentially life-changing evening. In front of them, as they drove along the quiet road, they could see a “glow on the horizon” that was seemingly getting large, as if something was heading in their direction.

They continued driving towards the source of the glow before the woodland vegetation blocked their path. They brought their vehicle to a stop. However, from where they were, they could see exactly where the glowing light was coming from.

Some Kind Of Repair Operation

As the trio looked on, they could clearly see a “large, oval-shaped object” with a domed top and a “slightly rounded” on the underside. What’s more, this object was resting on the ground on what appeared to be legs. Even more intriguing, a hatch or doorway was open on the side of the object from which extended steps upon which around a dozen strange figures were walking back and forth to and from the craft.

Each of these strange figures wore the same silver suit or uniform and a ski-cap-like helmet. The witnesses estimated that these occupants were slightly shorter than the average person and appeared to be carrying out some kind of repairs to the vehicle. Despite this rampant activity, there was not a sound to be heard, either from the occupants or from the area surrounding them.

Due to the brightness of the orange light coming from the craft, they could see clearly as the events unfolded. They would later describe this light as not only bright but also having an “unearthly quality”, like something none of them had ever seen before.

They continued to watch for about 30 minutes before deciding to return to their truck and see if they could find another road or trail that would take them closer to the bizarre events. However, by the time they did find such a route, they realized that they were running extremely low on fuel and so decided to return home.

They would, though, return to the location several nights later.

Evidence Left Behind

When they made their next journey to the location where they had seen the repairs taking place to the apparent alien spacecraft several days earlier, the night was crystal clear and under a full moon. However, when they arrived, the object was nowhere to be seen. They waited for several hours, but there was no sign of any unusual activity. They decided to return to their truck and wait until dawn. Then, they would return to the landing site and see if they could see any signs in the light of day that the strange vehicle had at least been there.

When the sun was up, they left the truck and headed back to the clearing where the bizarre events they had witnessed had taken place. Much to their surprise, they did indeed find strange markings on the ground that appeared to have been made by the legs the craft had been resting on. They discovered six of these imprints in total, each in formation to the rest and measuring around two feet square.

Even more remarkable, right in the center of the impressions was a distinct burn or scorch mark, which was approximately 12 feet across. Although they didn’t discover any footprints, they did find parts of vegetation around the impressions that appeared to have been disturbed.

What is perhaps most frustrating about this particular case is that the witnesses actually captured several photographs of the impressions and scorch marks. They also prepared a detailed report on their experiences. However, despite submitting them to several magazines and newspapers, no publication wished to use them. Consequently, the whereabouts of these photographs remain unknown. Of course, it also remains unknown whether there is a connection between this UFO landing encounter and the one that occurred on the Fuhr farm four decades later.

A Solid Report That Remains Unexplained

Ultimately, the encounter of Edwin Fuhr is quite possibly one of the most credible UFO encounters on record. And while it might not be the most dramatic or eventful, it appears to be a solid report of no less than five seemingly otherworldly objects that were as good as landed on Earth. As we mentioned at the beginning, Fuhr has not once changed his version of events as to what happened that September morning in 1974, despite having told of the events countless times in the years that followed.

Were these strange craft from elsewhere in the universe – essentially, of extraterrestrial origin? Or might they have been some kind of top-secret experimental aircraft? If the latter were true, then why did the air forces of the United States and Canada take such an active interest in the landing site? And why would such experimental aircraft be landed in such a public place where they could be compromised in the first place.

If we assume, then, that these mysterious aerial vehicles are alien aircraft, for what reason did they land on Edwin Fuhr’s farm that September morning? Were they simply looking to regroup or organize before continuing on with their unknown mission? Or were they on some kind of reconnaissance mission? Perhaps while they were landed they were discreetly taking samples directly into their crafts. Maybe they were even conducting some kind of test of the environment? Or is it even possible that some kind of repair or recharge was taking place?

The events are as mysterious and unexplained now as they were 50 years ago. Whether any further information or theories concerning the case surface remains to be seen.

The short video below features Fuhr speaking about his remarkable encounter.