The Ward Colorado UFO Photograph

In April 1929, photographer Edward Pline was at work photographing a sawmill in Ward, Colorado, when he heard a “terrible, thunderous bellow” from above. Looking up, he witnessed a huge, circular craft moving steadily across the sky. While he was the only one to see the object directly, sawmill workers heard the commotion and felt the ground shudder. When Pline developed his photograph, the mysterious object appeared in the image - potentially making it one of the earliest UFO photographs in existence.

The Encounter

The Setting

That day in Ward:

• Date: April 1929
• Location: Ward, Colorado
• Activity: Photographing sawmill
• Witness: Edward Pline, photographer
• Routine work interrupted

The Sound

What alerted Pline:

• “Terrible, thunderous bellow”
• Came from above
• Loud enough to startle
• Felt as well as heard
• Ground shuddered

The Object

Visual Observation

What Pline witnessed:

• Huge circular craft
• Moving steadily across sky
• Clear enough to observe
• Substantial size
• Not a conventional aircraft

Physical Effects

Additional evidence:

• Ground shuddered
• Vibrations felt by workers
• Sound carried distance
• Physical presence confirmed
• Multiple sensory impressions

The Photograph

Capture

The image was taken:

• During Pline’s routine work
• Object appeared in frame
• Developed later
• Object visible in photograph
• Permanent record created

What It Showed

The developed image revealed:

• The circular craft in the sky
• Documented during event
• Photographic evidence
• Corroborated witness account
• Historical record preserved

Significance

Why this matters:

• One of earliest UFO photographs
• Pre-”flying saucer” era
• Contemporary documentation
• Physical evidence exists
• 1929 technology captured 1929 mystery

Corroborating Details

The Sawmill Workers

Other witnesses:

• All heard the commotion
• Felt ground shudder
• None saw the object directly
• Confirms something happened
• Sound and vibration verified

Daughter’s Account

Hetty Pline later recounted:

• “None of the sawmill workers saw the thing in the photo”
• “But they all heard the sound”
• “And felt the ground shudder”
• Family kept the story
• Passed down through generations

Analysis

Photographic Evidence

The image suggests:

• Object was real enough to photograph
• Not optical illusion
• Solid, physical presence
• Captured by camera
• Permanent documentation

The Sound Problem

Why workers didn’t see it:

• Working inside or focused on tasks
• Sound prompted them to stop
• But object may have passed quickly
• Only Pline looked up in time
• Camera happened to be pointed right direction

Physical Effects

The shuddering ground implies:

• Massive object
• Low-frequency vibration
• Significant displacement
• Real physical presence
• Not just visual phenomenon

Historical Context

1929 Photography

Equipment of the era:

• Large format cameras
• Slow shutter speeds
• Required careful setup
• Object would need to be slow-moving
• Photographer skilled professional

Pre-Modern UFO Era

The timing matters:

• 1929 - 18 years before Arnold sighting
• No “flying saucer” concept existed
• No template to fake
• No motive for hoax clear
• Genuine event or genuine imagination

The Question

In April 1929, Edward Pline heard something impossible.

A “terrible, thunderous bellow” from above Ward, Colorado. The ground shook. He looked up.

A huge circular craft. Moving across the sky. Silent now except for that initial roar. Massive enough to make the earth tremble.

His camera was in his hands. He was there to photograph a sawmill.

He photographed something else.

When he developed the image, there it was. The craft. In the sky. Caught on film.

The sawmill workers heard it. They felt the ground shake. But they didn’t see it.

Only Pline saw it.

And only Pline’s camera captured it.

One of the earliest UFO photographs in existence. Taken in 1929. Eighteen years before flying saucers entered public consciousness. Before Roswell. Before Kenneth Arnold. Before any of it.

A photographer at a sawmill in Colorado.

Pointing his camera at lumber.

And catching something from the sky.

The Ward Colorado UFO Photograph.

Edward Pline knew what he saw.

He knew what he photographed.

His daughter remembered the story.

The workers remembered the sound.

The ground remembered the shaking.

And somewhere, perhaps, that photograph still exists.

Evidence from 1929.

A circular craft.

A thunderous sound.

A moment captured.

Still unexplained.