The Farmington Armada

For three days in March 1950, the town of Farmington, New Mexico witnessed one of the largest mass UFO sightings in history. Hundreds of objects performed aerial maneuvers witnessed by roughly half the town’s population.

The Town

Farmington, New Mexico:

• Population ~10,000
• Four Corners region
• Near Aztec
• Oil and gas industry
• Quiet community

Day One - March 16

First sightings:

• Objects appeared
• Multiple witnesses
• Talk spread
• Anticipation built
• More expected

Day Two - March 17

The main event:

• Around 11:00 AM
• Mass appearance
• Hundreds of objects
• Over the town
• Impossible to miss

What They Saw

Witnesses described:

• Disc-shaped objects
• Silver and metallic
• Flying in formation
• Performing maneuvers
• Hundreds visible

The Display

Objects reportedly:

• Hovered in groups
• Flew in formation
• Made sharp turns
• Changed altitude
• Spectacular show

Duration

The display:

• Lasted about an hour
• Midday visibility
• Clear conditions
• Perfect observation
• Extended event

Witness Estimates

Numbers reported:

• Between 200-500 objects
• Some said more
• Filling the sky
• Mass presence
• Overwhelming

Community Response

Town reacted:

• Businesses emptied
• People outside
• Looking up
• Discussing
• Shared experience

Day Three - March 18

Continued activity:

• More sightings
• Smaller numbers
• Same type objects
• Three-day wave
• Then stopped

The Newspaper

Farmington Daily Times:

• Front page story
• March 18, 1950
• “Huge Saucer Armada”
• “Jolts Farmington”
• Extensive coverage

The Reporting

Newspaper documented:

• Multiple witnesses
• Varied backgrounds
• Consistent descriptions
• Named sources
• Serious coverage

Official Response

Military reaction:

• No explanation given
• Some claimed Skyhook balloons
• Didn’t fit descriptions
• Numbers impossible
• Inadequate answer

Witness Credibility

Those who saw:

• Business owners
• Professional workers
• Law enforcement
• Ordinary citizens
• Hundreds agreed

Skeptical Explanation

Some suggested:

• Cotton from cottonwood trees
• Balloon clusters
• Mass hysteria
• None satisfactory
• Witnesses disagreed

The Aztec Connection

Notably:

• Near Aztec, NM
• Alleged 1948 crash site
• Same region
• Some connection?
• Speculation continues

Physical Evidence

None recovered:

• Only eyewitness testimony
• Newspaper documentation
• No photographs known
• Visual only
• But mass witnessed

Significance

Farmington significant for:

• Mass witness event
• Three-day duration
• Contemporary documentation
• Community-wide
• Historical record

Legacy

The Farmington UFO Armada remains one of the largest mass sightings in UFO history. When half a town watches hundreds of objects for three days, dismissing it as misidentification becomes difficult.