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  Category 2, Close Encounters 
 
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A Hynek Classification of Close Encounter is usually an incident involving an object less than 500 feet from the witness.  The size of the object,  viewing conditions, or stereoscopic vision (depth perception)  may render the object in greater detail and still qualify the sighting as a Close Encounter even though the object may have been beyond 500'.  The incident depicted in the logo was encountered during an intense storm near Princeton, IN,  Aug. 1973.

Snake River Case
Aug. 13, 1947
Snake River, Idaho


Brad Sparks:
Aug. 13, 1947; Snake River, Idaho (BBU)
1:00 p.m. Snake River is 6 miles W of Blue Lake Ranch, 9 miles NW of Twin Falls, Idaho.  A. C. Urie on land and two sons, Billy and Keith, 300 ft away in a boat, all on the South side of the river or river bank looking to the N, saw a squeezed or elongated straw-hat shaped sky-blue object about 10 x 10 x 20 feet, with pods on the side emitting flames, about 1/2 mile away fly towards them down the canyon at 1,000 mph E-W at 75 ft height, with a contour following motion up and down over uneven terrain, trees swaying underneath with a circular motion, disappearing with a swish sound. Urie was about 300 ft from the object which was about level with him about 75 ft above the river, and silhouetted against the canyon wall 1,200 ft away, disappearing behind a hill about 1 mile away. Object was at about 45° elevation to the boys on the river below him, disappearing behind trees. 5-secs? (Battelle Unknown No. 9)

Dr. J. Allen Hynek:
Snake River Canyon I think it was, where a man and his two sons saw a metallic object come swirling down the canyon which caused the top of the trees to sway. In my attempt to find a natural explanation for it, I said that it was some sort of atmospheric eddy. Of course, I had never seen an eddy like that and had no real reason to believe that one even existed. But I was so anxious to find a natural explanation because I was convinced that it had to have one that, naturally, I did in fact, it wasn't until quite some time had passed that I began to change my mind.

Detailed reports and documents
reports/470813snakeriver_report2.htm (Loren Gross/Fran Ridge)
reports/470813snakeriver_report.htm (Dan Wilson)
UFO in Snake River Canyon: Prosaic Explanations & The Failure of UFO Skepticism (Bruce Maccabee)


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