The Piedmont Missouri UFO Wave

Beginning in February 1973, the small Ozark town of Piedmont, Missouri became the epicenter of one of America’s most concentrated UFO waves. Hundreds of residents reported strange lights, and Dr. Harley Rutledge, a physics professor, launched a scientific investigation called “Project Identification.”

The Wave Begins

In early 1973:

• Strange lights appeared over Piedmont
• Multiple witnesses each night
• Reports multiplied rapidly
• Townspeople alarmed
• Police inundated with calls

The Sightings

Witnesses reported:

• Bright, colored lights
• Objects performing maneuvers
• Hovering over the area
• Silent or humming
• Different shapes and sizes

The Community Response

Piedmont residents:

• Organized sky watches
• Multiple observers each night
• Armed with cameras
• Police participated
• Town-wide phenomenon

Dr. Harley Rutledge

Southeast Missouri State professor:

• Learned of sightings
• Visited Piedmont
• Launched scientific study
• “Project Identification”
• Seven years of research

Project Identification

The investigation:

• Used scientific equipment
• Triangulated sightings
• Photographed objects
• Documented patterns
• Published findings

The Findings

Rutledge documented:

• Hundreds of sightings
• Objects reacting to observers
• Apparent intelligence
• No conventional explanation
• Genuine anomalies

The Book

Rutledge published:

• “Project Identification” (1981)
• Detailed his methodology
• Presented evidence
• Drew careful conclusions
• Important scientific treatment

Object Behavior

The lights seemed to:

• React to observers
• Change behavior when watched
• Appear repeatedly
• Defy conventional explanation
• Show apparent awareness

Duration

The wave:

• Peaked in early 1973
• Continued for years
• Rutledge studied until 1980
• Gradual decline
• But never fully stopped

Media Coverage

The story drew:

• Regional press coverage
• National attention
• Television crews
• Magazine articles
• Scientific interest

Significance

The Piedmont wave is significant for:

• Scientific study attempted
• Massive witness numbers
• Extended duration
• Professional investigation
• Documented anomalies

Legacy

The Piedmont UFO wave and Project Identification represent a rare example of sustained scientific investigation of a UFO flap. Dr. Rutledge’s work showed that the phenomenon could be studied systematically, even if explanations remained elusive.