Weld County phenomena

* July 7, 1947: A Greeley man working on a hay grinder north of Lucerne said he saw three flying saucers at 10 a.m. They were traveling at a high speed to the southwest. The next day, the most famous of all UFO incidents was announced -- the reputed crash of flying saucers in Roswell, N.M.

* On Aug. 25, 1949, a 12-year-old girl who lived northeast of Greeley reported a "flying disk" over her house in the early evening. She said it was flying far above a small plane. About the same time, some men were flying their small plane in the area, but the girl insisted what she saw was a disk above the plane.

* In 1952, although the exact date is unknown, a Weld County farmer reported he saw five "flying saucers" pass over his farm north of Greeley about 6 p.m. He said he also saw five fighter jets come through the area, possibly searching for the flying saucers, but the "speed of the saucers was immensely greater than the jets." The Tribune story also stated "Women folks were frightened by the terrible noise."

* Also in 1952, people reported a small flying disk was found in the 800 block of 5th Street in downtown Greeley. It was smoking when found, and a neighborhood boy later admitted to making the disk out of a phonograph record, wire and a burning fuse.

* Throughout the 1970s and into the 80s, cattle mutilations grabbed headlines throughout Weld County, and Colorado and other western states. Ranchers reported their cattle were found dead in fields, no tracks around them, their eyes, udders and anal parts removed with scalpel-like incisions. Some ranchers said they saw lights in the sky on the nights before the dead cattle were found. Veterinarians at Colorado State University said the wounds were caused by coyotes or other predators. Some say the mutilations continue, but ranchers stopped reporting them because they weren't taken seriously.

* Early 1970s, a family living in the Hillside area of south Greeley began watching the silent, moving lights over their house for several nights. At one point, neighbors and the family sat atop their houses to watch the lights. They never found an explanation.

* 1991: Residents in northern Weld County -- Pierce, Nunn and Ault -- reported a bright blue light in the sky that lit up the entire area around the plains. Officials said it could have been a meteor, but the blue light was unlike other meteor sightings.

* 1999: North of Greeley and south of Eaton, six people reported seeing a bright green light fill the sky, between 8:30 and 9 p.m. Again, some said it was a meteor.

* June 22, 1993: A northern Weld County rancher found one of her horses, named "Supercharger," dead in a field not far from the ranch house. The horse appeared to have smooth cutting marks on the head, with one eye and ear removed. There were cuts around the jaw, and the tongue was removed. The rancher was angry when told by CSU veterinarians that it was caused by coyotes and birds. "Coyotes with scalpels," the rancher remarked sarcastically.