You know the city must be a “tourist trap” if the threat of alien abduction exists. There is at least one more reason why Great Falls, MT is so popular with traveling residents and locals alike, and it has nothing to do with golf courses. One historical episode is worth noting, and after hearing the story, you may develop your own morbid fascination with the Legion Stadium baseball field in Great Falls..

Legend has it that in August of 1950, an unidentified flying object was observed by Nick Mariana, who was the general manager of the Great Falls "Electrics" minor-league baseball team. (The event was also supposedly witnessed by his secretary) They were inspecting the empty stadium before a game and caught sight of a bright flash. Both eyewitnesses claimed to see two bright silvery objects rotating while flying at high speeds. Mariana described them as 50 feet wide and one hundred feed apart. Mariana also one-upped other dubious UFO claims at the time by actually filming the objects using a 16-millimeter movie camera. The film recorded for about 16 seconds.

The media latched onto the story and went UFO-crazy for a while. Even national media outlets began to pick up the story. The film Mariana shot is now the talk of many urban legends locally and across the country. The film can still be viewed online. To this day, Great Falls, Montana and the Legion Stadium retain a certain mystic aura thanks to this sensational story. Every once in a while, newscasts, TV programs and local documentaries will touch on this interesting tale of city folklore.

Interestingly, since the Mariana incident, over 100 other UFO sightings have been reported in the small city. This makes Great Falls one of the most active locations for UFO sightings anywhere in the country. Who says only humankind find Great Falls such an “electric” city?