1950 Trent UFO Sighting, Trent, Oregon (1950)

📍 Location

📝 Description

The Trent UFO sighting of May 11, 1950, near the Trent farm southwest of McMinnville, Oregon, produced two famous black-and-white photographs of a large metallic, disc-shaped object. Evelyn and Paul Trent reported the object approaching from the north-northeast; Paul retrieved a folding camera and captured two frames within about 30 seconds as the object hovered with its flat underside toward them and then accelerated away to the west, disappearing over the horizon. Times reported range around 7:20–7:30 PM PST. The event garnered immediate media attention (reported in The Oregonian the next day and later in Life magazine) and has since become a landmark case in ufology, subject to extensive debate and various analyses. There is no official government conclusion; the photographs have been scrutinized for decades, with differing opinions on authenticity. The case helped inspire the annual McMinnville UFO Festival and remains a touchstone in discussions of early US UFO sightings.

🔍 Circumstances

Evening sighting on May 11, 1950. Evelyn Trent was feeding rabbits at the Trent farm (near Sheridan, Oregon, about 9–13 miles southwest of McMinnville) when sheSaw a large metallic disc in the sky to the north-northeast. She summoned her husband Paul Trent, who retrieved a folding Kodak camera and watched the object approach. Paul took two photographs about 30 seconds apart as the object hovered with its underside facing the observers, then sped away to the west. Witnesses describe a gust of wind associated with the object. The event occurred circa 7:20–7:30 PM PST; the object disappeared over the horizon. The Oregonian reported the sighting the following day, and Life magazine published the photos later that year.

👤 Physical Description

A large metallic-looking disc-shaped object with a flat undersurface; described as hovering with its underside toward the observers, later moving away rapidly. The photos show a round disc-like shape of unknown scale, leading to ongoing debate about size and distance.

ℹ️ Additional Details

Two photographs became widely circulated and discussed; the Trents reportedly did not seek publicity or payment; the case stimulated extensive ufology analysis (including by NICAP and other researchers) and inspired the McMinnville UFO Festival. The Trent photos are often cited as some of the clearest UFO imagery, though interpretations vary and there has never been a definitive, universally accepted explanation. See also: coverage in The Oregonian (1950), Life magazine (1950), and ongoing festival commemorations.

🔗 Sources (7)

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