A Texas farmer describes an object 'about the size of a large saucer' in the sky
January 2, 1878 · Near Denison, Texas · Sighting · Secondary sources only
On 2 January 1878 a farmer named John Martin, hunting about six miles south of Denison, saw a dark object pass high overhead. The Denison Daily News reported it on 25 January under the heading 'A Strange Phenomenon'. Martin said it was 'about the size of a large saucer' and compared its shape to a balloon.
Why it matters (2/5)
An early use of 'saucer' for something seen in the sky; a reminder that such reports predate 1947.
Caveats
'Saucer' described its apparent size, not its shape, so this is not a flying-saucer report in the 1947 sense. The account is one newspaper item with no follow-up, and Martin's own balloon comparison allows a conventional explanation. The original newspaper page was not seen; the quote comes from a secondary page.
Sources
- Denison, Texas, 1878 (Patrick Gross) (Patrick Gross (ufologie.patrickgross.org)), context
- Close Encounters of the Lone Star Kind (Texas Monthly), context