After a series of thunderstorms, sheep rancher Mack Brazel, went out to inspect his property, when he came upon some suspicious metalic debris.   When he brought it to the attention of his neighbors, they suggested that the strange discovery could be extra-terrestrial.  Brazel took the debris to the County Sheriff who turned it over to authorities at Roswell Army Air Field (RAAF).   The area at Brazel’s ranch was soon cordoned off and recovery of “the wreckage” commenced.  On July 8, 1947, the Roswell newspaper ran the unbelievable headline, “RAAF Captures Flying Saucer On Ranch in Roswell Region.”  The RAAF had issued a press release saying that they had discovered the wreckage of a flying disc and the story was picked up by other newspapers.  However, they quickly revised their story to say that they had recovered remnants of a weather balloon.  A cover-up was suspected.   The story did not die and Roswell has never been the same. 

The city of Roswell now lives on as a site for UFO enthusiasts. There is no doubt that the “International UFO Museum and Research Center” will be of interest to some baby boomers. It is currently located at 114 N. Main St. in downtown Roswell. A new and expanded museum will open in its new location in town soon. The museum is open 7 days a week from 9am to 5pm.  Admission is just $2. They are dedicated to preserving and collecting all materials and information relating to UFOs.