The recent wave of whistleblower claims about a U.S. government cover-up of UFO encounters is reigniting interest in some of the most bizarre alien abduction stories from the 1970s—particularly those from two Wyoming men whose alleged encounters with extraterrestrials became national headlines. Here’s a deep dive into two cases that have left investigators and skeptics baffled for decades.
1. Strange Encounters and Cattle Mutilations on a Wyoming Ranch
In the desolate plains of Wyoming, rancher Pat McGuire found himself at the epicenter of a mystery that would haunt him for years. Living near the tiny railroad town of Bosler, McGuire was a hard-working cowboy not prone to wild imaginings or exaggerations. However, the events that unfolded on his property in the mid-1970s could hardly be believed.
A Hunting Trip and a Time Gap
In October 1973, McGuire and his brother-in-law experienced an eerie orange glow in the sky while hunting. The two became disoriented and inexplicably lost time, returning to their truck hours later with no memory of what had happened. Although unsettling, the encounter was easy to dismiss until the events that followed.
The Rise of Cattle Mutilations
Cattle mutilations became a national phenomenon by 1974, with stories appearing in headlines across the country. McGuire’s experience took a sinister turn in August 1976 when he found a calf on his property with precise surgical incisions removing its nose and ears. Disturbingly, there were no tracks, blood, or any sign of a struggle.
Determined to uncover the cause, McGuire spent nights camping on his land, hoping to catch the culprit. It was during these vigils that he and his cousin witnessed strange lights moving across the Wyoming skies. On one particular night, the lights seemed to touch down, casting an ominous orange glow over the landscape. The men gave chase, armed with rifles, but the lights disappeared without a trace.
An Unwelcome Return Visit
A few days later, the lights returned, accompanied by shadowy figures visible inside hovering crafts. These visitors seemed to survey McGuire’s ranch, and while they posed no immediate threat, their presence unsettled him. Soon after, McGuire attempted to photograph one of the encounters, but the images came out blank. He knew it was futile to call for help—no one would believe him.
The strangeness intensified when a friend, Jimmy Ashley, came to assist with the nighttime vigils. In one encounter, Ashley, seemingly in a trance, approached a landed craft, touching it before being engulfed in a strange light. Though unharmed, Ashley was forever changed, a man altered by something inexplicable.
The Well that Defied Logic
In 1977, McGuire’s encounter took an extraordinary twist. After struggling for years to find a water source on his land, he suddenly “knew” where to dig, as if directed by an otherworldly force. In a last-ditch effort, he convinced a well-driller to follow his intuition. At 350 feet, they struck water, defying geological odds in an area declared barren by experts.
The success of the well was a mixed blessing. As word spread, McGuire faced mounting ridicule. Friends, family, and even local media began to view him as delusional. His story eventually attracted the attention of psychologist and UFO researcher Dr. Leo Sprinkle, who put McGuire through hypnosis sessions, revealing fragmented memories of the beings he called “Star People.”
McGuire described the Star People as human-like, with black suits and distinctive silver belt buckles. They spoke of environmental crises and guided McGuire to the water source. But the cost of these revelations was high—McGuire’s mental health deteriorated, friends distanced themselves, and he eventually lost his ranch. Yet he remained adamant that his experiences were real until his death in 2009.
2. Carl Higdon’s Journey to Ausso One’s Planet
In October 1974, just a year after McGuire’s initial encounter, another Wyoming man would face an encounter that would forever alter his life. Carl Higdon, an oil field worker, set out for a day of elk hunting in Medicine Bow National Forest. Little did he know, this would become one of the most sensational alien abduction stories of the 20th century.
The Daytime Abduction
While aiming his rifle at a group of elk, Higdon experienced something otherworldly. His bullet left the barrel in slow motion, dropping to the ground before reaching its target. As he pondered what had happened, he was struck by a force that knocked him off his feet.
Standing above him was a being unlike anything he had seen. About six feet tall with yellowish skin, three large teeth, and antennae protruding from its head, the creature introduced itself as “Ausso One.” Clad in a jumpsuit with a strange drill-like prosthetic for a hand, Ausso One communicated with Higdon telepathically, inviting him aboard a cubical spacecraft.
Despite the implausibility, Higdon accepted the invitation. He recalled entering the ship along with the elk he had been aiming at, somehow transported into a vehicle that appeared far too small for all its occupants. The craft traveled 163,000 light-years in what felt like mere moments, arriving at a planet surrounded by a sea and dominated by a tower similar to Seattle’s Space Needle.
Examinations and Rejection
Once there, Higdon underwent an examination by an alien device, which ultimately “rejected” him as unfit for their purposes. Ausso explained that the beings periodically harvested animals from Earth for food and that their exploration was limited due to environmental limitations on their homeworld. Before returning, Higdon was given a packet of pills and allowed to keep one as a “souvenir.”
Upon returning to his truck, Higdon was dazed and disoriented, found by his friends in a location the truck should not have been able to reach. He had no memory of moving it and no tire tracks leading to the site. Medical tests soon showed that his tuberculosis scars and kidney stones had inexplicably vanished.
Despite the skepticism, Higdon stuck to his story. Over the years, he passed polygraph tests, never sought to profit from the incident, and even wrote a book with his wife detailing the encounter. When asked about the experience, Higdon would often say, “It don’t mean a hill of beans to me whether anybody believes it or not. I know what happened to me.”
Reflections on Two Wyoming Legends
The 1970s were a time of heightened UFO interest, but the cases of Pat McGuire and Carl Higdon stand out for their enduring mystery and the psychological toll on those involved. Both men experienced what some experts now believe to be authentic encounters, yet they also suffered the skepticism and ostracism that followed.
Dr. Sprinkle, the psychologist who worked with both McGuire and Higdon, believed their stories were not fabrications. He found no evidence of psychotic behavior or profit motives, remarking that these encounters seemed genuine, albeit unexplainable. Sprinkle’s research underscores the uncomfortable truth that some stories remain beyond conventional understanding.
In an era where government officials are slowly lifting the veil on what they know about UFOs, these old Wyoming tales take on new significance. Could McGuire’s “Star People” and Higdon’s “Ausso One” have been early visitors from worlds still shrouded in secrecy? Whether they’re historical curiosities, cautionary tales, or precursors to modern encounters, the Wyoming abductions of the 1970s continue to intrigue and mystify as enduring pieces of the American UFO puzzle.
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