Folklorist Examines Story of Shag Harbour UFO

Memorial University of Newfoundland student, who works on his Ph.D. in folklore, is investigating the mystery surrounding the UFO crash incident 49 years ago in Shag Harbour.

Noah Morritt is different from most UFO enthusiasts who went to the small village. He is less interested in the UFO itself and more in the effect of the mysterious event in the town.

On October 4, 1967, many people in Shag Harbour noticed a light drop from the sky that hovered over the water and eventually disappeared into the harbour. Most of the witnesses assumed a plane had crashed.

According to Morritt investigations, RCMP officers in the area also reported a plane had crashed in the water. However, no airplanes were reported missing, and no wreckage was ever discovered. Divers were sent into the harbour in hopes to find remnants, but they all came up with nothing.

The mystery led to changes in Shag Harbour. A group of volunteers, called the Shag Harbour UFO Incident Society, is focusing on the promotion and preservation of materials connected to the crash.

The small town now has a mini museum that showcases the incident and home to the annual UFO symposium.

Tourists flock to the alleged crash site to get a closer look.

Morritt has stayed in Shag Harbour for five weeks in his research about the incident and how people in the area responded to it.

He said that most residents consider the UFO crash story as part of the history of their town, but would still like answers about what transpired in 1967.

Morritt said the object that allegedly crashed into the harbour has been elusive, so there’s desire for closure.

Laurie Wickens was one of those who witnessed the strange event, and like many other witnesses, she still likes answers to what took place.

Wickens said they always thought it was an airplane, but after thinking it over again, they realized that there was nothing conventional that could fly that slowly.

The UFO symposium this year included a bus tour for the first time that traced the route Wickens and other witnesses followed after seeing the lights from the UFO back in 1967.

The bus tour ended on the shoreline of the harbour where witnesses stopped and observed the lights hovered over the water.

Wickens, who is one of the organizers of the event, said 28 people took part of the tour. The tour, according to Wickens, was a test for next year 50th anniversary of the incident in Shag Harbour.

Noah Morritt hopes to come back for the 50th anniversary with his doctoral thesis rough draft.