Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
On August 15, 1950, Nick Mariana, general manager of the Selectrics pioneer baseball team in Great Falls, Montana, climbed to the top of the grandstands to see which way the wind was blowing. As was his habit, he gazed across the Missouri River at the towering stack of the Anaconda Copper Mining Company refinery, noting the direction of the smoke. What he saw next remains one of Montana’s greatest unsolved mysteries, spurring national attention, multiple United States Air Force investigations, a libel lawsuit, and accusations of government interference. In our Spring 2026 issue, historian Jon Axline explores how Mariana’s 16mm film was received amidst the UFO craze of the era. From 1947 to 1950, Americans reported nearly seven hundred UFO sightings to federal, state, and local authorities. Almost seventy-six years later, the "Montana Movie"—one of the rare pieces of footage—continues to spark interest and serve as a symbol of Great Falls and its unique tie to the flying saucer craze.
On August 15, 1950, Nick Mariana, general manager of the Selectrics pioneer baseball team in Great Falls, Montana, climbed to the top of the grandstands to see which way the wind was blowing. As was his habit, he gazed across the Missouri River at the towering stack of the Anaconda Copper Mining Company refinery, noting the direction of the smoke. What he saw next remains one of Montana’s greatest unsolved mysteries, spurring national attention, multiple United States Air Force investigations, a libel lawsuit, and accusations of government interference. In our Spring 2026 issue, historian Jon Axline explores how Mariana’s 16mm film was received amidst the UFO craze of the era. From 1947 to 1950, Americans reported nearly seven hundred UFO sightings to federal, state, and local authorities. Almost seventy-six years later, the "Montana Movie"—one of the rare pieces of footage—continues to spark interest and serve as a symbol of Great Falls and its unique tie to the flying saucer craze.
