Allen, Kansas

USA / Kansas / Allen /
 Upload a photo
The village of Allen was, from 1929 until 1931, called Alien, following one of the earliest documented 'alien contacts' in the US.

In fall 1898, farmer Hugo Vischmann claimed that, while he was harvesting hay, the sky became suddenly foggy. A vast metal machine descended "with a terrible noise and smell of burning. I was terrified; I had never seen such a thing". The noise abated and, minutes later, "a door opened with a sound like a shotgun. I saw a figure emerge. It was silent but I think watchful. It jumped to the ground. I was not far away [now believed to be c100 metres] and it saw me and ran to me".

The 'alien', said Vischmann, was the size of a "fat child" and carried a "stout metal box. It pointed the box to me, then ran back to the machine. I felt so tired, I think I fell asleep right away in the field. When I awoke, it was raining but everything had gone."

Vischmann suffered no apparent ill effects, but told friends of his experience. Years later, during the Depression, the area - by then a small village - voted to rename itself Alien in the hope of boosting visitor numbers. But, pre-Cold War, few had any idea of what was on offer. A visitor center closed after less than a year, and the village reverted to its previous name shortly afterwards.
Now is a town in Lyon County, Kansas with 177 people.
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allen,_Kansas
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   38°39'16"N   96°10'9"W

Comments

  • Allen also has a great bar & grill!
This article was last modified 10 years ago