Roswell's International UFO Museum and Research Center

 

I was recently in Roswell for an update on some of the investigations from a few years ago. It was an opportunity to gather additional information, check out some sites, and verify or answer a couple of questions. I hadn’t been to Roswell in several years, so, of course, I made a trip to the International UFO Museum and Research Center. The changes there have been extraordinary.

The International UFO Museum and Research Center.

The original concept was a creation of several people including Walter Haut, Glenn Dennis and Max Littell, with input from Don Schmitt and me. It began with few exhibits and gradually grew into a somewhat impressive place, complete with some science fiction aspects, a major library of UFO books and other materials. It has also become something of a commercial enterprise, which, of course, it not necessarily a bad thing. That aspect has brought in donations that have allowed for the expansion and improvement of the Museum.

From the left, Don Schmitt, Walter Haut and Max Littell.

The displays are of professional, or maybe I should say, museum quality. A great deal of effort went into the creation of those displays. Some of them are scientifically oriented and others find their home in science fiction. There is a huge statue of Gort, the robot from the original The Day the Earth Stood Still. In contrast, there is a display of a dead alien in a hospital or morgue setting from the ShowTime original movie Roswell. It could be argued that the display is based on eyewitness testimony.

Gort from The Day the Earth Stood Still.

The alien from the movie Roswell.

There is an enclosed “spaceship bridge” that is very impressive that takes you on a visit to the cosmos but there is also a UFO landing scene that isn’t quite as impressive. It has been there for years and it does, periodically, emit smoke and loud noise.

One section covers some of the more notable UFO cases including abductions. I wish they had done more with the Hickson-Parker abduction. As I noted in an earlier post, Calvin Parker had died recently.

If I have one complaint, it is simply a small display about MJ-12. Most of the UFO community accepts the theory that the MJ-12 documents are a hoax. One of the first recipients of those documents, including the Eisenhower Briefing Document and the Truman Memo, had said that he had been thinking about creating some documents to further his research. That comment, among other evidence, suggests that MJ-12 is a hoax. I hope the Museum puts up a qualification about the documents suggesting their dubious nature.

Just one of the many new displays in the Museum.

And, of course, there is a gift shop filled with almost everything Roswell you can think of. And again, when was the last time you went to a museum that didn’t have some sort of gift shop. This is not a bad thing.

All in all, the Museum is now quite impressive. While it is not as large as the Smithsonian or some of the Museums of Natural History around the country, it is as professional done as those. I don’t suppose I have to say this, but if you find yourself in Roswell, a trip the museum is worth your time.