Roswell, Cape Girardeau, and Piedmont: The Local Origins of Modern UFO Lore

To the point

Fascination with UFOs started in 1947 with Roswell and Kenneth Arnold and spread to places like Cape Girardeau and Piedmont, where locals reported a gleaming disc and eerie lights, while Dr. Harley Rutledge led Project Identification—the first systematic UFO study that logged about 174 sightings and argued that something real happened in Roswell despite Air Force doubts, keeping Roswell and Piedmont connected in UFO lore and fueling later events such as the 1997 UFO Encounter festival.