McMinnville, Oregon UFO:Festivals and Hoaxes

by Regan LeeSummer 2008

Vol. 1

Introduction

This is a small collection of articles I wrote about the 1950 Paul and Evelyn Trent UFO sighting in McMinnville, Oregon. A few other items from different sources are also included.

The Trent sighting has its place in UFO history mainly because it is among the handful of cases that remain a mystery. The two photographs Paul Trent took of the UFO on May 11 in 1950 have been scrutinized by UFO researchers and skeptics alike. The photos have made their way around the world, have been published in mainstream publications like Look magazine and Popular Mechanics. Those two images of a “typical” 1950s flying saucer have become icons in UFO culture.

Living in Oregon, and not so far from McMinnville, I have a special fondness for this event. This little book isn’t meant to be an expose -- or a revelation -- just a very small, and personal, glimpse into one of the more well known UFO cases in both UFO and esoteric Oregon history.

The town of McMinnville has an annual UFO Festival in May. I attended my first one last year, and was there again this past May. It was a lot of fun. I had the pleasure of having a wonderful discussion with Richard and Karyn Dolan over a long lunch (Richard was the keynote speaker) the last time. Naturally, we’re booked for next year!

There’s much more to be said about this case, and I’m sure I’ll write more about this interesting case in the future.

I hope you enjoy it.

Regan LeeEugene, Oregon2008

Still a Mystery, and a Big Question: The Trent Farm/McMinnville Oregon Case

The "Trent farm" UFO event (May 11, 1950 McMinnville, Oregon) is a well known case. Photos of the UFO witnesses Paul Trent and his wife saw that day can be found all over the internet and in many UFO books. It's a familiar case to anyone studying UFOs.

Living in Oregon, and just a little over an hour away from McMinnville (McMinnville UFO Fest 2007 here I come!) I have an affection for this case, as I do all Oregon UFO cases.

On May 11, 1950, at approximately 7:00 p.m., Mrs. Trent was outside checking on her hens and rabbits. She saw a flying saucer; naturally excited, she called for her husband, Paul, to come outside. Paul Trent took two snapshots of the flying saucer.

Plenty of efforts to debunk this sighting have been made by skeptics, debunkers and anti-UFOists, but the case holds its own. No one has successfully proven the photos to be hoaxes.

But more than that, for myself, what makes me believe the case to be a genuine UFO event are the witness, Paul and Evelyn Trent. Recently, I

watched a DVD about this case. Simply titled The Trent Photos,the DVD is a blend of reenactments and interviews with Evelyn Trent along with the newspapermen who wrote about the story at the time, and Dr. Bruce Maccabee. I was impressed by the matter of fact way Mrs. Trent told what happened that day decades ago. And while she was straightforward, a glimmer of wonder, of quiet amazement, came through. I had the feeling Mrs. Trent was still wondering, after all these years, just what it was that flew over their farm that day. Dr. Bruce Maccabee,2 who interviewed the Trents after his analysis of the two UFO photos, was convinced of their honesty, as were other UFO researchers and journalist who interviewed the Trents.

Before Maccacbee's analysis, the photographer and newspaperman for the Telephone Register, Bill Powell, did his own analysis from the negatives. Powell didn't find any signs of tampering or hoaxing with the images, and remains convinced the Trents did not fake the photos.

One thing that happened in the weeks following their sighting was the visit of 'military' men to their home. Mrs. Trent's accounts of their visits and their behaviors has a ring of truth to them. There wasn't any over the top hysteria, but Mrs. Trent's feelings, after all these years, about these thuggish men going through their possessions, making threats, and demanding information, were clear: She didn't like it much. As reported in Leonard Stringfield's , Situation Red Paul Trent was anxious about giving his photos to anyone. 'I'm afraid I'll get in trouble with our government.' 3 (Paul Trent considered that what he saw might have been a classified military object. In the DVD The Trent Photos, Mrs. Trent reiterates this concern.)

There's something else about the Trent Farm UFO sighting: the date. Western Oregon was experiencing a 'flap' of UFO sightings from roughly 1959 to about 1961. (Another subject but an interesting side note: there were quite a number of UFO sightings seemingly in connection with Bigfoot encounters in Oregon at during this time.) This flap was also nation wide. 4

The Trents did not make any money off of this sighting. The images we're familiar with are in the public domain; neither the Trents or the newspaper

made any legal claim on the images, and so no money changed hands. Their lives were forever disrupted by visits from government agents, who seemed to drop in whenever they felt like it, flying saucer investigators and researchers, reporters, and the curious.

Even the magazine Popular Mechanics, which has published many an anti-UFO article, considered the Trent Farm UFO event as a genuine UFO case. 5

Dr. Bruce Maccabee, physicist and UFO researcher, analyzed the two photographs. Maccabee determined that the photos were genuine; not hoaxes of any kind: "The bottom line, from my point of view, is that they are real," he said. "Now, what do we do about it." 6

More than fifty years later, we're still asking that question. (But that's another topic for another day.) UFOs are real. That's a fact. What they are , is a different question. In the Trent's case, they saw - and photographed -- something real and solid, something that withstands analysis and disproves any fakery. The fact of the thing exists, and yet, we are still left with a mystery; what was it the Trents saw that day?

Other questions persist: why was the government so interested? Was it because the UFO was one of theirs? Either a man-made object, or one of "theirs" meaning a recovered alien craft? Or because it was as unknown to them as it was to the Trents and others?

We may never know. We probably won't ever know. In typical Trickster fashion, when it comes to UFOs (and Fortean phenomenon in general) we are witness to a binary opposition, a tension, between two opposites: the solid evidence of the UFO on film, as well as eye witness (solid craft, machine, object, etc.) vs. the unknown. A UFO is what?, objects, machines, craft -- what are they, what's their origin, their purpose?

We have solid evidence, but no answers. We have solid evidence of something, but what that something is, still eludes us today._______________________________Notes:

1 - DVD: The Trent Photos TK Productions, Oregon

2 - Interview with Dr. Bruce Maccabee: News-Register, McMinnville, Oregon, USA on May 13, 2000.

3 - Leonard Stiringfield,:Situation Red: The UFO Siege!, 1977 p 57

4 - Richard Hall:Signals, Noise, and UFO Waves The International UFO Reporter, Winter, 1999,

5 - Stephen J. Spignesi:The UFO Book of Lists, Citadel Press 2000 p32

6 - Interview with Dr. Bruce Maccabee: News-Register, McMinnville, Oregon, USA on May 13, 2000

January 25, 2007 UFO Digest

A “Lost” Trent Farm Photo Surfaces?

According to the bloggers of the UFO Iconoclast (s) blog, they have in their possession a third, "lost" Trent photo. In 1950, Paul Trent took two photos of a UFO over his property in McMinnville, Oregon. Many UFO investigators have determined the photos to be genuine; or at least, no evidence of fakery has been found. There are skeptics who to this day insist the photos are fake of course. Either way, all these years, the case’s authenticity fell on the two photographs, along with the genuine nature of the Trents themselves.

Now, more than 50 years -- 50 years!-- after the Oregon sighting, a third, “lost,” photograph has surfaced.

The writers on the UFO Iconoclast blog (which, it needs to be noted, is a somewhat notorious anti-UFO/chronic skeptic blog) say they have a third photograph, which was “obtained by SMC in Phoenix, Arizona.” Who, or what “SMC,” is, is not revealed.

The photograph is close to the ground, which causes the writers of the blog to ask if this means that “the object (or model?) nearer to the ground, and at an angle precluding a bona fide aerodynamic craft?”

They promise us “more to come” on this subject. The blog entry has numerous comments, including comments to the comments by the blog writers, who attempt clear up some of the obvious questions.

There is no proof this is a third, “lost,” photo. Why would someone wait fifty years to come forward? Other questions: who is this “SMC,” where did the photo come from, where is the negative, has it been analyzed, (if so, by who and what are the results?) and so on.

We are assured that the photo “predates any digital manipulation programs.” and that “It is not computer generated.” At this time, all we have is their word on this, with more promises of further information.

The “Lost Photo?”It’s possible this “lost” third photo is a hoax. Like many revelations of “hoaxes” decades past the original event, it’s often just as hard to prove the supposed hoax was indeed a hoax, as it is or was to prove the original sighting or encounter wasn’t.

If this photo turns out to be exactly what they say it is -- a “lost” third Trent photo taken by Paul Trent -- then what? Does it prove the Trent’s were lying and made up the whole thing? How can any of this be proved at all?

Obviously analysis needs to be made on this “lost” photo, and a negative would be a good start.

Like other so-called exposes and revelations of UFO hoaxes, a lot of care needs to be taken before accepting anything new as true.

While all this hoaxing, or non-hoaxing, is annoying, and only injects more confusion into an already confused realm, it's to be expected. UFO and Fortean phenomena are full of hoaxers, liars, pranksters, disinformation artists. It's a given these things exist; it's a natural part of the phenomenon itself. And so, while it is irritating and confusing, it is also to be expected. It's just another aspect out of many in the Trickster world of UFOlogy.

Notes:UFO Iconoclast(s) blog - http://ufocon.blogspot.com

The Trickster and the Paranormal, George P. Hansen

Still a Mystery, and a Big Question: The Trent Farm/McMinnville Oregon Case, Regan Lee on UFO Digest.

Originally published on-line at UFO Digest, March 11, 2007

Trent TempestRecently, a flurry of activity was swirling around a supposed "lost" photograph of the 1950 Trent farm UFO. (In 1950, farmer Paul Trent took two photographs of a UFO on his property in McMinnville, Oregon.)

Since then, every so often, debates flare up surrounding the photos. Do the photos show a hubcap flung up in the air, and were the Trents full of it? Or did Paul Trent photograph something truly unknown? Skeptics (namely the late Phillip Klass) of course prove the photos were not of a true UFO while others determined the photos showed a genuine UFO; Dr. Bruce Maccabee among those who believed the photos to be not faked. According to the Trents, they were visited and sort of psychologically roughed up by government agents, and the Trents have always seemed sincere and straightforward in telling their story.

But in recent days, thanks to a blog that writes consistently against UFOs and all things UFO-ish (often in ponderous pedantic outmoded verbiage) they wrote about a third, lost photo that was on the roll of film Trent used that day. This photo came to them by way of someone named SMC out of Arizona. The blog's comment section was full of opinions about this. Questions were raised, such as: who is this SMC person, why now, photo analysis, etc. (See my previous article: A Lost Trent Farm Photo Surfaces?)

I was sent an e-mail by the writers of the blog UFO Iconoclast(s):

Regan,

Please take a look at the analysis of the so-called lost Trent photo by Denver Page (not an RRRGroup member) at the blog --

It's interesting we think.

And yes, there is more to come.

Peter (for Rich Reynolds)RRRGroupThe UFO Iconoclast(s)

It seems it was all a tempest in a teapot. For it's been revealed that the

photo reputing to be a third, "lost" Trent photo is nothing of the kind, but

a photo taken in Germany in 1977:

March 3, 1977 Walter Schilling took this photograph in Hamburg, Germany. The object possessed a strange rotating effect with a glowing fluorescent mast. The UFO was close enough to the ground to create a 30 foot shadow. (source: UFO Casebook)

That bit of news was posted on the same blog.

My initial, intuitive response to the first blog post that this was a previously unknown Trent photo was that the thing was a hoax. Either from the person who sent the photo to the blog (and why them? they are of the chronic skeptic school) or that the entire thing was a hoax, set up by the bloggers.

I admit I'm a bit more paranoid -- though I prefer the word cautious-- when it comes to things like this. But it doesn't matter, as I wrote in the previous piece here on UFO Digest, hoaxing of all degrees is an inherent part of UFOlogy and Forteana. You can't have one without the other.

And this all has shown everyone the need to consider the source when pursuing UFO stories.

Originally appeared on-line at UFO Digest

The Trent Trickster ThreeIn 1950, in McMinnville, Oregon, Paul Trent took two photographs of a UFO flying above his property. While there’s been the usual attempts at debunking this case over the years, it’s held up pretty well, and is considered one of the classic UFO cases that seems genuine.

Recently, the UFO Iconoclast (s) bloggers posted an entry that revealed they had in their possession a “third, lost” Trent photo.

And after all this time, more than fifty years later, the UFO Iconoclast (s) bloggers receive an alleged “third, lost” Trent photo. One of the first questions that I had when coming across this was why them? That blog is “anti” UFO. They’re known for hyperbole, debunking, mocking, and all the rest. Their basic philosophy seems to be: whatever UFOs are, and we admit they are, who cares anyway? Anyone who does is a pathetic mentally deluded moron.”

So anyway. Someone from Phoenix, Arizona, going by the name “SMC” gives them this third photo. No analysis, source, reasons, story -- just the photo.

No surprise the whole thing turned out to be a mini-hoax. The photo was no lost, third Trent photo. I don’t know if there was ever really an individual in Arizona who sent them the photo, or if they made the whole thing up. My intuition tells me they made the entire thing up.

And the photo? Turned out to be taken from the UFO Casebook website. It’s a photo of a UFO taken in Germany in March of 1977 by witness Walter Schilling.

Threes and the TricksterThree is a magic number in the Western world. It appears in folklore, legends and myth all the time. We say that “death comes in threes,” that there are “three magic wishes,” that things come in threes. Usually angels, strange beings, odd visitors, magical beings in fairy tales come in threes. In stories and jokes we almost always have two “set-ups” before the third, the punch line. Things in threes, from the mundane to the mystical, are prevalent in our culture, religions, entertainment --simply everywhere.

The Trickster, being an innate part of UFOlogy and Forteana, was having some fun with this “third” Trent photo. A reminder that there will always be pranks, hoaxes and tricksters about, playing with out minds, while we try to slog away at the truth. Which in itself seems pointless, since I happily admit we’ll never get there.

The chronic skeptics and the like see this as a criminal waste of time, and almost clinically insane, especially when people, like myself, admit we’re never going to get to the truth or find the Big Answer.

Some of us are more process oriented, I suppose, and find the mystery and journey exciting . We do get little glimpses here and there, and that’s enough to keep us going.

Even when the Trickster puts in its obligatory appearance.

NotesRegan Lee:Still a Mystery, and a Big Question: The Trent Farm/McMinnville Oregon Case, on-line at UFO Digest: http://

A “Lost” Trent Farm Photo Surfaces?, UFO Digest

The Trent Tempest, on-line at UFO Digest: http:

The lost Trent/McMinnville photo?, UFO Iconoclast blog

UFO Casebook

Originally appeared on-line on Binnall of America on my Trickster’s Realm column, March 26, 2007.

Hoaxing the Trent Hoax TheoryIn going over some of my articles and data on the Trent flurry, (The Trent Tempest) I discovered something.

Awhile ago, the somewhat trollish UFO-Dadaists at the UFO Iconoclast blog posted an article about a “third, lost” Trent photo. Allegedly this photo, submitted by someone in New Mexico, was taken by Paul Trent in 1950.

A little bit of background on the Trent case:

Paul and his wife Evelyn saw a UFO above their farm in McMinnville, Oregon; Paul ran inside their house, took two snapshots of the craft before it zoomed off. Despite efforts of persistent debunkers, the photos stand up to this day as appearing legitimate. Adding support to the possibility what the TRents saw was a “true UFO” (either military or from outer space) is that there was a UFO flap in 1950 that was not just national, but global. At the time, the story made both national and international news; Life, Look and Popular Mechanics did pieces on the event, and the Trents appeared on the television program. The Trents never received money from their story and had their home searched by FBI and Air Force personnel on more than one occasion.

Anyway, it turned out that this so-called third, lost “Trent” photo was not taken by the Trents, or anyone else in McMinnville or Oregon. Nor was it taken in 1950. The photograph was taken in 1977 in Hamburg, Germany by Walter Schilling.

When I wrote the articles on the Trents, and this attempt at hoaxing, I noted the source of the third photo -- to a point. A comment left on the UFO Iconoclast blog led readers to the UFO Evidence website, where one can view the photo. End of story. But in going over my notes, I realized i hadn't looked deeply enough.

The photo seems to have originally appeared in Michael Heseman’s 1988 "The mystery of the Unidentified Flying Objects", though the photo can be found on many sites, including Euro UFO.

This is the item that provided the inspiration and entertainment for the

hoax attempt:

Because the close up indicates at least some resemblance to the famous Paul Trent photographs in McMinnville, 1950, this resemblance with the McMinnville photograph is sometimes quoted as reason to believe the picture is a hoax or on the contrary that it is not a hoax. (italics mine.)

The news surrounding this gets even more interesting, as well as tragic:

Actually, Michael Heseman, a highly controversial german character who published UFO literature "as journalist, not ufologist," admitted in his book "The mystery of the Unidentified Flying Objects", 1998) that Walter Schilling had sent him a good dozens "primitive Fotocollagen" in 1981 and 1983. In June 1982 Heseman had already learned Ground Saucers Watch's opinion that the photograph show a small model. It was not easy to contact Schilling in 1984, because he was in a psychiatric hospital following legal charges for sexual misbehaviour, however, it seems that on August 11, 1983, he met with Michael Heseman and told him that the photograph show a small model he built and photographed, adding that it was "a very good joke, my friend."

(Source: http://www.euroufo.net/content.asp?contentid=521M)

So it seems that hoaxed photo from 1977 that showed a resemblance to the Trent photos was the inspiration for yet another stunt performed by the fringe dwellers of UFOlogy. These performances cause distraction, which is the goal. Any time energy is taken away from exploring personal experience and sharing data is a good thing in their eyes. But it’s not as much of a waste of time as one might think. In fact, Trickster like antics like this are a given in things UFOlogical and Fortean. It just can’t be escaped. And in taking time off for a bit to peruse things like this, you often find the man behind the curtain. In this case, not only was there no “third, lost, Trent” image, but the inspiration for the obvious prank was discovered. A hoaxed photo, stated that it’s similar to one of the classic, famous UFO cases that still holds up (in spite of the relentless efforts of debunkers to prove that it was a hoax), is used in a blog post in 2008 to

attempt to cause a swirl of controversy and excitement in the UFO field.

Nice try.

Trickster reminds us here that it’s good to dig a little and not take things so seriously. Despite the intentions of the pranksters.

Notes:UFO Digest: http://www.ufodigest.com/news/0308/hoaxing2.html

Euro UFO.net: http://www.euroufo.net/content.asp?contentid=521M

First appeared on-line at UFO Digest, March 23, 2008

UFO Oregon: The Trent CaseOne of the classic UFO cases is the Trent/McMinnville UFO sighting. On May 11, 1950, approximately 7:00 pm, Evelyn Trent was outside feeding their rabbits when she spotted a flying saucer, or UFO, above their tiny farm in McMinnville, Oregon. She ran and called to her husband Paul, who came out, armed with his camera. He managed to take two photos of the object before it sped off.

This event made news around the world. Popular Mechanics determined the photos appeared genuine, as did the local newspaper, the Telephone Register's Bill Powell, who did his own analysis of the photos. Years later, Dr. Bruce Maccabee, well known in the UFO field as an investigator who analyzes photos and images of UFOs, has also determined the event to be genuine.

More than fifty years after this UFO event, the Trents stick to their story, despite the usual efforts by the skeptics to disprove or debunk the photos. There is a good DVD about this case. It's entitled, simply, The Trent Photos, and includes interviews with Mrs. Trent. It is clear that Evelyn Trent saw something unusual that day, and the memory of that event has stayed with her all these years.

One interesting aspect of this case is the appearance of government spooks. On more than one occasion following the publication of the photos, the Trents were visited by men who said they were "from the government." No warrants of any kind, just walked in and searched their home. Watching Mrs. Trent relate this experience on the DVD, one is touched by her emotions, after all this time, their presence and attitude still makes her uncomfortable. And of course we have to wonder why was "the government" so interested? Paul Trent thought the UFO might have been a classified military object, which of course is possible. He told UFO researcher Leonard Stringfield (as reported in his book Situation Red) that he was nervous about given his photographs to anyone. "I'm afraid I'll get in trouble with our government," he told Stringfield.

The Trents, naturally enough, have been accused of hoaxing. But there were witnesses to UFOs with a similar description in the area at the time Trent took the photos. which are in the public domain, and neither one of

them wrote a book about the experience. In fact, their lives were

disrupted from intrusive visits by government agents, UFO investigators, debunkers attacking their character, and the plain curious.

We can be sure that the Trents saw and photographed something unusual that day. That is not in question. As Dr. Bruce Maccabee says "The bottom line, from my point of view, is that they are real. . . now, what do we do about it."

Whatever it was was interesting enough to get the attention of the U.S. government. Classified military craft, as Paul Trent once suspected, or something other worldly? Either way, the Trent UFO case remains one of Oregon's mysteries.

Notes:Regan Lee; Associated Content: UFO Oregon: The Trent Case(December 10, 2007)http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/472810/ufo_oregon_the_trent_case.html?cat=8

First appeared on Associated Content, December 10, 2007

Saucer Gossip: A Bit of History and Silliness About the Trent CaseSaucer Gossip: The Trent News That Wasn't

In my previous article for ACI wrote about the Trent UFO case in McMinnville, Oregon. (1950, Paul and Evelyn Trent saw, and took two photos, of a UFO or "flying saucer' above their small farm.) The photos made global news. Popular Mechanics and Life magazine featured their photos and their story. Newspapers everywhere picked it up. It was the topic of discussion for some time, making the mainstream news, and it's a case that is still alive among those crazy enough to delve into UFOlogy in any serious way. (That includes me.)

Only two photos were taken of the craft that day. These photos have become iconic in the world of UFOs. Certainly there's been endless debate about them, and whether or not they're of a real UFO or something like a hubcap suspended from a string. So far, no one's been able to successfully prove that the photos have been hoaxed.

So here we, more than 50 years after the famous photos were taken, and -- gasp! -- a scoop! A revelation! There is a third Trent photo! Who knew?

According to a blog calling itself the UFO Iconoclasts, (who I've always suspected of being a combination of trollish and Dadaist UFO performance artists;, but mostly trollish) they said they had been contacted by someone with a "third, lost" Trent photo.

This was big news! Or so you'd think, but it really didn't go anywhere, to my surprise.

The photo was e-mailed to UFO Iconoclast by someone calling himself SMC, from Arizona. In the photo, the saucer is close to the ground, which had the bloggers asking if the object (or model?) nearer to the ground, and "at an angle precluding a bona fide aerodynamic craft?" They also seemed confident that the photo "predates any digital manipulation programs" and that "It is not computer generated. "A link to analysis was provided, along with promises of more to come on this news were provided.

The bloggers even sent me this e-mail:

Regan,

Please take a look at the analysis of the so-called lost Trent photo by Denver Page (not an RRRGroup member) at the blog --

It's interesting we think.

And yes, there is more to come.

Peter (for Rich Reynolds)RRRGroupThe UFO Iconoclast(s)

A question I had immediately when reading this about the "lost" photo, was why wait 50 years to reveal this? We can only assume it was truly lost and only recently discovered. But the bloggers had no further information. Why was SMC from Arizona being so cloak and daggerish about the whole thing? And who is this Denver Page; is he/she the secretive SMC?

I smelled a rat.

Well, as it turned out, shortly after the item about the "lost" photo appeared, came the news it wasn't a third lost Trent photo. (surprise!) It was a photo of a UFO taken in Germany in 1977!

Whether or not this was a stunt by the UFO Iconoclast, or a stunt by the mysterious SMC (or Denver Page) from Arizona, who knows. But this kind of thing is typical in the fields of esoterica and UFOlogy. And, a bit of the Trickster effect as well, as a reminder to not take ourselves too seriously all the time.

NotesUFO Iconoclast (s): The lost Trent/McMinnville Photo?http://ufocon.blogspot.com/2007/03/lost-trentmcminnville-photo.html

Regan Lee:Trickster's Realm of Binnall of America: The Trent Trickster Three

Associated Content:

First appeared on Associated Content (People’s Media) December 21, 2007.

Was The Trent UFO A Military Craft?The military was interested in the Trents sighting. Why? There are only two explanations that make sense.

One, the UFO as a so-called “true” UFO, meaning a craft from outer space piloted by extraterrestrials, which naturally would get the military’s attention. Another explanation is that the craft Paul and Evelyn Trent saw that evening was a military craft.

If the UFO the Trents saw that day was not either a military craft, or something from outer space, then why would the military be interested? Obviously they had a reason for being there. If they thought the whole thing was a hoax, they wouldn’t have bothered.

Paul Trent believed the UFO was a government craft. In a 1995 interview with Royce Myers (of UFO Watchdog.com) Paul Trent reiterated this belief:

ufowatchdog.com: And are the reports true that you though this was a secret government weapon…

Mrs. Trent: Yeah, we think it was…

Mr. Trent: I think it belongs to the government.

Mrs. Trent: I think so, too. I still do. I think it's a secret thing for the government.

Trent UFO Story in the NewsThe Trent sighting made international news. Local papers were the first to pick up on the story of course before the event became world famous. Here are some quotes from an article that appeared in McMinnville’s Telephone-Register June 8, 1950.

"It was getting along toward evening - about a quarter to eight," said Trent's wife, Evelyn. "We'd been out in the back yard. Both of us saw the object at the same time. The camera! Paul thought it was in the car but I was sure it was in the house. I was right - and the Kodak was loaded with film. Paul took the first picture (above left). The object was coming in toward us and seemed to be tipped up a little bit. It was very bright - almost silvery - and there was no noise or smoke."

Size? Speed? Distance? Neither Trent nor his wife would hazard a guess. "It was moving awfully fast is all I know," said Trent. Both photos clearly indicate a super-structure and the photo at right resembles the "flying submarine" seen by an airlines pilot over the Cascade mountains nearly a year ago.

Note what Paul Trent said he thought the UFO was when asked by the reporter. From the beginning, Paul Trent thought the craft he photographed belonged to us:

What are they? "Well, I think they're ours," said Trent.

9th Annual McMinnville UFO Festival with Richard and Karyn Dolan

Back in Eugene from McMinnville, Oregon, where Jim and I (Jim is "George" who's finally let me use his real name on-line) spent the weekend at the UFO Festival there. This year's festival was much better than last year's. I had a fine time last year, but it was also short and stressed; the speakers were interesting but not particularly engaging, the venue was cramped and hot, the constant clanging of the ancient cash register was irritating, etc.

This year, Jim and I had the whole weekend to enjoy ourselves, we remembered our camera, the lectures were held in the community center which was larger and much cooler than the space last year; much improved. And last but not least: the speakers Robert Nicol, who made the crop circle film Star Dreams, and Richard Dolan were excellent!

The title of Dolan's presentation was The Challenge of Full Disclosure. I'll be writing more on what he had to say in a future article. One thing he said that I want to share here, for now, is about the evidence; the documents (for there are documents!) "beg to be understood and analyzed" and he encourages others to work in this area of UFO research. As he said, he doesn't want to be the "only one" doing this stuff.

One other point about Dolan's presentation: he offered his opinions, but he also had no problem in presenting ideas and questions as well, and saying he didn't know or have answers. He also encouraged us to question and to just . . . think on these theories and directions. That's one thing in particular I appreciated about his talk; he didn't tell us what the "Great Big Truth" was, because he doesn't know anymore than you or I do. He has interesting ideas about where it's all taking us, but that's different than telling us it's "The Truth."

Jim and I sat in the front row, and had made plans to meet up with the Dolans when they arrived. It was great to meet Karyn in person. (Karyn Dolan has her own radio program on the Paranormal Radio Network, and contributes to Women Of Esoterica.) Their children came with them; who

are also both very nice and obviously smart young people. (And what a great life; traveling around the country with two parents who are into all this stuff!) Anyway, it was a fun, interesting evening, even though I completely forgot to introduce Jim! The poor man is standing there; I felt like a jerk, Fortunately, he forgave me. And then I turned around and did the same thing the next day at lunch, when Richard joined us!

Richard Dolan, me, Jim, and Karyn Dolan at Hotel Oregon in McMinnville.

After the parade, where Richard as Grand Marshall and Karyn and children led the way (we sat by a large window, sipping cold ale, a nice way to enjoy things!) they joined us for lunch in the McMenamins Hotel Oregon (where we also stayed) which sponsors the UFO Festival. McMenamins is known for restoring old buildings and turning them into hotels, pubs, etc. and putting on all kinds of music, film and other festivals in Oregon and Washington. One of the very cool things they do is hire artists to paint paintings on trim, moldings, the walls, the doors, everywhere. The place is full of surreal, enchanting art, vintage photographs and antiques.

Both Richard and Karyn said the McMinnville UFO Festival (not conference; there's a difference, Richard said) was probably the most enjoyable, just for being fun and informal, as well as friendly.

I asked Richard and Karyn what makes a UFO conference a good one for the speaker. Richard said it was a combination of things; the organization, the types of speakers, and the location. Karyn and Richard both said many times how much they enjoyed this conference and the area in general. McMinnville is a small college town, with an old town

atmosphere. (Except for the sprawl on the outskirts of the town, which is ugly as it is anywhere.) It's in wine country, and very pretty. The

McMinnville area is quirky and fun and low key and the setting is perfect for a UFO Festival.

Richard said big city conferences are more "serious," some conferences, like the International UFO Congress in Laughlin where Richard spoke in February, are surrounded by casinos which brings a different vibe and type of people. Karyn said that having down time is welcome before having to speak. Sometimes they get into town, and have to get to the presentation right away which makes things hectic.

The X-Conference in March was one that they enjoyed very much, but it was also much different than McMinnville: more speakers, much larger. Another point about conferences, Karyn mentioned, was that there's often so much going on you can't get to it all, particularly if you're presenting.

We had a great conversation about all kinds of things, from crop circles to Bigfoot to ... you name it. About UFO conferences, Richard commented,"there's a difference between a UFO 'festival' and 'conferences.'" Conference are generally more serious, or straight forward -- not to say McMinnville isn't -- conferences aren't as laid back and informal. After all, the McMinnville UFO Festival includes a UFO Parade, alien costume ball, live music, and old time radio reenactments.

My husband Jim (left) and Richard Dolan

Karyn said the McMinnville Festival reminded her of Roswell, just not as hot, although, lately, it seemed to her there's an undercurrent of

"desperation" with the Roswell Festival, a push to be fiscally successful. Also, according to both Richard and Karyn, it's hot, hot, hot there. It was

in the high 80's in McMinnville, a bit unusual for the time of year -- last year it rained -- but it was tolerable. Lots of great McMenamins micro brews helped with that though!

After McMinnville, the Dolans leave on Monday for the MUFON LA conference in Studio City, California. In June, Richard and Kayrn will be at the Conspiracy Con conference in Santa Clara, California June 7th and 8th. (I would love to go to that one!) And, both Richard and Karyn will be speaking at the Roswell Festival in July.

Finally, something about McMinnville itself, as the location of the UFO Festival. It was in McMinnville, in 1950, that Paul and Evelyn Trent saw and took two photographs of, a UFO. That case made world news and is a classic in UFO history.

I mentioned McMennamin's restoring old buildings and using artists in their work. Whenever the McMenamins take over a building, they try to keep as much of the history of that place as they can. The Hotel Oregon has names for all of its rooms, many which have to do with historical people associated with the town or hotel. They also have a Bill Powell room, the editor of McMinnville's Telephone-Register newspaper, who broke the Trent story, the Bruce Maccabee room, the UFO Room, which is decorated with Trent UFO historical information, and a painting of Evelyn Trent with her rabbits, looking up at the UFO above their farm in 1950.

Next year's McMinnville UFO Festival's main speaker will be Linda Moulton Howe. And yes, we're already booked!

First appeared on Tim Binnall’s Binnall of America site, for my Trickster’s Realm column, May 19, 2008.

Back in the room; tired after a long day of parade watching and drinking McMenamin’s fantastic Ruby Ale in the hot sun. The headboard is a restored antique piece; McMenamin’s is known for their restoring old buildings and keeping much of the original furnishings and flavor of the places they refurbish. According to Susan Smitten’s Ghost Stories of Oregon, Hotel Oregon is said to be haunted. I didn’t feel anything of a paranormal nature there; just an overall good vibe, which, according to Smitten, wouldn’t be unusual, since the ghost (s) there are friendly. I attribute the happy feeling to the overall positive atmosphere there. However, while staying at the McMenamin’s in Troutdale ( a beautiful place!) I very definitely felt the presence of ghosts. No wonder, as it used to be a work farm, as well as a home for the aged.

Notes:For information on the McMinnville UFO festival, visit UFOFest.com:Through the Keyhole with Karyn Dolan:

Richard Dolan: Keyhole Publishing

Trent Newspaper articles: Telephone-Register:Binnall of America:

Ghost Stories of Oregon: Susan Smitten

First appeared on Tim Binnall’s Binnall of America site, for my Trickster’s Realm column, May 19, 2008.

Sources:

Richard Dolan: UFOs and the National Security StateChronology of a Cover-Up, Hampton Roads Publishing, 2002)

Forgey, Pat: Interview with Dr. Bruce Maccabee: News-Register, McMinnville, Oregon, USA on May 13, 2000

Daniel Fry.comhttp://danielfry.com/

German UFO photo:http://www.ufoevidence.org/photographs/section/1970s/Photo89.htm

Richard Hall:Signals, Noise, and UFO Waves The International UFO Reporter, Winter, 1999,

Lee, Regan:Trickster Northwesthttp://tricksternorthwest.blogspot.com

UFO Digest: http://www.ufodigest.com

Vintage UFO: http:vintageufo.blogspot.com

People’s MediaAssociated Content:http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/494571/saucer_gossip_a_bit_of_history_and.html?page=2&cat=9

Royce Meyers, Meyers, Royce: Trent Interview May 24 1995http://www.ufowatchdog.com/trent_interview.html

McMinnville, Oregon Telephone Registerhttp://ufologie.net/press/trentpress05.htm

Smitten, Susan: Ghost Stories of Oregon, Ghost House Books, 2002

Spignesi, Stephen J.: The UFO Book of Lists, Citadel Press 2000 p32

Stringfield, Leonard: Situation Red: The UFO Siege!, 1977 p 57

The Trent Photos DVD,TK Productions, Oregon

UFO Iconoclast (s) blog:The lost Trent/McMinnville photo?http://ufocon.blogspot.com/2007/03/lost-trentmcminnville-photo.html An "exegesis" of the lost Trent/McMinnville photo:http://ufocon.blogspot.com/2007/03/exegesis-of-lost-trentmcminnville-photo_11.html