Case file · Close encounter
Edwin Fuhr, Langenburg
A Saskatchewan farmer saw five spinning saucers hovering just above his field, which left five flattened rings.
1974 CE · 50.84, -101.71 · status: unexplained
The account
On 1 September 1974 Edwin Fuhr said his swather stalled as he watched the objects for about 15 minutes before they shot away, leaving grey vapour. The RCMP found five circles matching his description, with no sign anyone had driven in to make them. In 2024 the Royal Canadian Mint marked the case with a coin.
The sceptical view
No explanation was established.
The researched reading
Five real rings and one witness. Natural processes or a hoax are plausible but none is established.
| Explanation | Weight | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A known natural phenomenon | 30% | Fungal fairy rings and small whirlwinds near sloughs can create circles of flattened or altered vegetation. |
| Genuinely anomalous | 18% | The rings matched his description closely and were found the same day. |
| Undetermined | 17% | The share the reading had given to fabrication on doubt rather than evidence: the record does not settle it either way. |
| A poorly understood natural phenomenon | 16% | A rare vortex phenomenon could explain the rings and the vapour. |
| Something known, misidentified | 6% | Dust devils or other moving objects may have been seen as saucers. |
| Perception, memory or mind | 6% | A startled farmer might misread a natural event. |
| A hoax or fabrication | 5% | One witness and rings that could be made by hand; but the RCMP found no access tracks. |
| Secret human technology | 2% | No programme fits. |
Official position: The RCMP documented five rings and reached no conclusion.