UFO near 3M Oakdale, MN
The UFO that flew over Oakdale and Maplewood probably had nothing at all to do with the 3M corporation. But a flying saucer was apparently seen by multiple witnesses in the neighborhood of the famous corporation’s Maplewood campus. Maybe it was checking out our Magic Scotch Tape technology, or maybe it was just passing by.
Minnesota corporation 3M is famous for research and development of a wide range of products including abrasives, adhesives, synthetic rubber (used by astronauts), household products, Scotch tape, and the Post-it note. They also produce components for consumer-electronics, solar energy, medical devices, and lots more. In 1962 they established their global headquarters in Maplewood, MN, and in 1978, a flying saucer cruised the neighborhood near the 3M Campus.
The UFO had red lights extending all the way around.
UFOdays.net reader Jay Washburn of Chippewa Falls, WI submitted his story, hoping he might find other witnesses who can corroborate:
This happened on a summer evening in 1978, before I moved to Baldwin, WI. We were selling the family house in Oakdale, MN, just north of Tanner’s Lake. I was driving the Gremlin, and my friend was with me. We were coming up the street by my house when we noticed a huge disc-shaped craft floating above the house on top of the hill across the street. Instead of turning into the driveway, I decided to follow to see if I could get closer and get a better look. I got the car around the corner and took a right.
The UFO had red lights extending all the way around. There was no sound. It shot straight up, made a 90° right angle turn, and headed over toward Saint Paul. Then it stopped, made another 90° right angle turn, shooting straight up and disappearing from sight in seconds. It was completely silent.
The late 1970s were a busy time for UFO sightings in Minnesota and Western Wisconsin. That’s when the Elmwood sightings occurred and the significant 1979 flap investigated by Bradley Ayers of CUFOS.
This would be a significant piece of local UFO history.
Washburn doesn’t remember the date of his sighting beyond saying that it happened on “a summer evening in 1978,” but he claims to remember a story or notice of some type in the Saint Paul Pioneer Press that included accounts by additional witnesses. If so, this would be a significant piece of local UFO history. We need to get a copy of that article! That’s where we need your help. If someone can obtain a copy of the original article from 1978 to which Mr. Washburn refers, we’ll post it here as a follow-up to his story and reward you with your very own highly-coveted UFOdays.net collectible coffee mug and a pound of damn-fine coffee from Dunn Brothers, Saint Paul.
If you want to obtain your collectible mug and damn-fine cup of coffee, you will want to note that back in 1978 the Pioneer Press operated in tandem with its sister paper, the Saint Paul Dispatch. (The papers merged into the Saint Paul Pioneer Press in 1985.) Researchers looking for the Oakdale UFO story should start with the summer issues of the Pioneer Press but not neglect the Saint Paul Dispatch. The archives of both papers can be explored at the Minnesota History Center in Saint Paul, just as soon as the media library reopens after Coronavirus restrictions are relaxed. What more do you need? Now get crackin’!
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