Whether or not you believe in UFOs (Unidentified Flying Objects), they have been part of recorded human history throughout time. UFOs have been seen and reported by everyone from high-level government officials, airline pilots, military pilots, law enforcement officials, to the average citizen the world over. Depending on how open your mind is, UFOs are even part of the Bible (not trying to offend anyone). Most UFO sightings can be debunked as lights, reflections off of windows/water, weather phenomenom, satellites, or a cry for attention. Approximately 90% of all UFO incidents can be successfully explained; however its that other 10% that have people scratching their heads and wondering.
Currently there are 4 levels of evidence that UFOlogists (people who study UFO events) use in order to classify an encounter:
1) Close encounters of the 1st kind = Sightings of something in the air or photographic evidence;
2) Close encounters of the 2nd kind = Physical evidence such as crop circles, cattle mutilations, or radiated areas on the ground where objects may have landed;
3) Close encounters of the 3rd kind = Actual interaction with flying objects or beings; [Yep - I know about the MOVIE!!!!]
4) Close encounters of the 4th kind = Actual abductions.
Depending on your sources, some say that this rating scheme is no longer used while others say it is still used.
Also, there are some very well known UFO events - the Roswell incident of 1947; a UFO crash in the Kecksville, PA, area in the 1960s; a major sighting of UFOs at a U.S. air base in England; Shag Harbor in Canada that deals primarily with USOs (Unidentified Submersive Objects); Gulf Breeze in Florida; an encounter of a UFO and a police officer in Socorro, NM; the list goes on to include a UFO landing/sighting in the small town of Delphos, KS.
UFOs in Delphos, KS??? Yep, there was a major event in that town in the early 1970s.
This cache HONORS one of those well known UFO events in the UFO community, but probably not that well known in the state of Kansas.
On or about the night of November 2, 1971, a local 16 year old farm boy was tending sheep on his farm when something caught his attention. The object was described as a mushroom-shaped metallic object with multi-colored lights and was hovering above the ground roughly 75' or so among some trees from where the farm boy was standing. The farm boy estimated the diameter of the metallic object to be between 6'-8'.
The farm boy tried to get a closer look, but the brightness of the lights from the object kept him from making out any further details, thus blinding him some. Also, there was a loud sound emanating from the object that was reported to "sound like an old washing machine when it vibrates".
The light glow from the bottom of the object increased as it ascended into the night sky, thus temporarily blinding the farm boy. After he regained his sight, the farm boy ran to his house to tell his parents. The farm boy and his parents rushed outside in time to see the object as it disappeared from sight.
Everyone was shocked to see a glowing ring on the ground where the object had been hovering. Also, there was some glowing material in the nearby trees. Everyone said that the area on the ground where the craft was hovering "felt strange, like a crust, as if the soil was crystalized".
The boys mother had touched the soil and she reported that her fingers went numb as if she had an anesthetic applied to them.
The next morning, the family returned to the sight of the ring on the ground and it was still there. The inside and outside of the ring was reported to to be damp and muddy from a recent rain shower; however the soil of the ring itself was dry. The ring was said to have a crusty appearance and dry, as if the rain had run off of it.
About a month later, when it had snowed in the area, the ice and snow had melted from the interior and exterior of the ring but the snow and ice did not melt from the ring itself. Investigators of all sorts descended onto the farm and conducted numerous experiments. They discovered that the soil would not allow water to pass through it when poured upon. Also, the soil of the ring was roughly 1 foot wide and the soil was crusted up to 12" deep with a white appearance. The diameter of the ring was said to be roughly 8' across. Also, there was a rather large tree nearby that had been knocked down from the object either when it landed or when it took off that was giving off some strange readings.
Soil samples were taken and some the findings were that the soil was more acidic than normally would be, resistant to water, contained more calcium and soluable salts, and there was also an unidentified hydrocarbon and an organic material composed mainly of white crystal-like fibers.
The incident was also verified by a gentleman living in the Minneapolis, KS, area that reported seeing a bright light ascend into the night sky from the direction of Delphos.
To this day, the Delphos UFO incident has never been debunked. Supposedly the soil of the ring still retains it properties, though after 40+ years its strengths have grown weaker somewhat; and the soil samples taken from the site are still studied and still baffle scientists. Also, the UFO incident is still considered one of the best documented "ground trace" cases ever.
Sources:
http://www.ufoevidence.org/cases/case192.htm
http://www.ufocasebook.com/Kansas.html
http://wwwassociatedcontent.com/article/340870/ufos
About the cache: The container that you are looking for is a camoed PILL BOTTLE with a secondary container inside to help protect the log from the weather. Finding the cache should be relatively easy, though be forewarned that overhead cover may affect your GPS, apps, smart/cell phones, or whatever electronic devices that you may use in the area - you have been warned!! Tried to get coordinates as accurate as possible. Coordinates should place you on edge of the road directly opposite cache container. Yep - in that Kansas jungle, but not too far inside. Roughly 10' to the north and slightly east of GZ, there is a WEIGHT LIMIT sign. NOT on/under/in/near/on top of/or any other weird ways near a bridge or the sign. DO NOT search bridge!! DO NOT search bridge to the south, if you do you may have a bad day.
However, due to closeness of POISON IVY, do suggest wearing long sleeves, long pants, and/or gloves during retrieval/return processes. Flip-flops not recommended.
I wanted to do something different and present a part of some seldom known Kansas history. Also, you can see TV shows on the History Channel, The Learning Channel, and others. There is supposed to be a new TV channel coming soon dedicated just to UFOs so I am sure that this incident will be covered. Also, any respectable UFO books/magazines have covered this incident in great detail.