Was the Duhamel Site Already Compromised?

Introduction

The strongest criticism of the Duhamel landing-trace case is not that investigators proved the marks were fake, but that the scene had already been badly disturbed before a formal inspection took place. Between the discovery of the unusual circular impressions in early August 1967 and the arrival of the official inspection team on 11 August, the pasture attracted neighbours, journalists, UFO enthusiasts and other curious visitors. Vehicles crossed the field, people walked around the marks and soil samples were removed independently. By the time Canadian defence personnel examined the site, they were no longer looking at an undisturbed scene but at one that had been altered by a week of public attention.[gc.ca]gc.caLibrary and Archives Canada Onsite inspection of reputed UFO landing marks at Duhamel, AlbertaLibrary and Archives CanadaOnsite inspection of reputed UFO landing marks at Duhamel, AlbertaJanuary 8, 2018

This matters because physical-trace cases depend heavily on preserving the original context. The circular impressions themselves remained visible, but many of the surrounding clues that might have helped explain how they were formed had already been compromised. As a result, the Duhamel case remains unresolved rather than persuasive: investigators documented genuine ground traces, yet they could not reconstruct the site with confidence.

Was the Duhamel Site Already Compromised?

The seven-day gap before the official inspection

The first ring was noticed by farmer Edgar Schielke on 5 August 1967. News spread rapidly through neighbours, local investigators and the press before reaching the Department of National Defence. Official messages requesting an investigation were issued on 9 August, but the scientific inspection by Defence Research Establishment Suffield scientist G. H. S. Jones and Captain Walker did not occur until 11 August.[Digital Collections]digitalcollections.trentu.caA History of Canada s UFO InvestigationDigital CollectionsA HISTORY OF CANADA’S UFO INVESTIGATION, 1950-1995…

Jones himself made clear that the delay had consequences. He described the location as having become “literally, a seven day wonder” before the inspection team arrived. Rather than finding an isolated pasture preserved in its original condition, the investigators encountered a site that had already become a local attraction.[Library and Archives Canada]gc.caLibrary and Archives Canada Onsite inspection of reputed UFO landing marks at Duhamel, AlbertaLibrary and Archives CanadaOnsite inspection of reputed UFO landing marks at Duhamel, AlbertaJanuary 8, 2018

The delay was not entirely avoidable. Jones’ report records that travel arrangements required military clearance and aircraft coordination before he could reach the area from Defence Research Establishment Suffield. Even so, the practical effect was that the evidence had continued changing while officials were still travelling to the site.[Library and Archives Canada]gc.caLibrary and Archives Canada Onsite inspection of reputed UFO landing marks at Duhamel, AlbertaLibrary and Archives CanadaOnsite inspection of reputed UFO landing marks at Duhamel, AlbertaJanuary 8, 2018

Vehicle traffic, foot traffic and removed samples

The most obvious contamination came from visitors entering the pasture.

According to Jones’ report and later historical studies based on the original government files:

• Numerous vehicles drove across the pasture, leaving tyre tracks unrelated to whatever had originally created the circles.
• Large numbers of people walked around the impressions, destroying or obscuring smaller ground features.
• Local investigators and visitors collected soil and vegetation samples before the official investigation, meaning the government team could not examine all material in its original position.
• Journalists and photographers visited before the defence inspection, increasing disturbance even while documenting the case.[Library and Archives Canada]gc.caLibrary and Archives Canada Onsite inspection of reputed UFO landing marks at Duhamel, AlbertaLibrary and Archives CanadaOnsite inspection of reputed UFO landing marks at Duhamel, AlbertaJanuary 8, 2018

These activities did not necessarily alter the large circular depressions themselves, but they complicated every attempt to interpret the surrounding evidence. In physical-trace investigations, approach marks, secondary impressions, displaced vegetation and subtle soil disturbances can be as important as the main feature. Once vehicles and pedestrians have crossed a field repeatedly, distinguishing original traces from later damage becomes extremely difficult.

The contamination also reduced investigators’ ability to test competing explanations. If agricultural machinery, a hoax device or an ordinary vehicle had produced additional faint marks leading towards the circles, those clues may have been obscured before the official inspection. Equally, if genuinely unusual secondary traces had existed, investigators could no longer be certain they were seeing the original scene.

What evidence remained reliable after the disturbance?

Despite the contamination, not everything was lost.

Jones and Captain Walker were still able to document several observations that appeared reasonably secure because they involved large, persistent features rather than delicate surface traces. They recorded multiple circular impressions, measured their dimensions, photographed them and examined their general characteristics. Laboratory testing also failed to detect abnormal radiation or other obvious physical anomalies associated with the site.[Library and Archives Canada]gc.caLibrary and Archives Canada Onsite inspection of reputed UFO landing marks at Duhamel, AlbertaLibrary and Archives CanadaOnsite inspection of reputed UFO landing marks at Duhamel, AlbertaJanuary 8, 2018

The surviving evidence therefore supports several limited conclusions:

• Distinct circular impressions genuinely existed in the pasture.
• The marks were sufficiently well preserved to be measured and photographed by government investigators.
• Officials could not determine with confidence how the impressions had been created.
• No confirmed physical evidence linked the marks to an aircraft, experimental vehicle or unidentified object.[Library and Archives Canada]gc.caLibrary and Archives Canada Onsite inspection of reputed UFO landing marks at Duhamel, AlbertaLibrary and Archives CanadaOnsite inspection of reputed UFO landing marks at Duhamel, AlbertaJanuary 8, 2018

What became much less reliable was the broader reconstruction of events. Questions such as whether there had originally been approach tracks, fresh disturbances beyond the rings, or other subtle physical indicators could no longer be answered with confidence because the surrounding pasture had already been heavily disturbed.

Why contamination matters when judging the Duhamel case

The compromised condition of the site explains why Duhamel occupies an unusual place in Alberta’s UFO history. It is stronger than many cases because physical traces were inspected by qualified government personnel rather than relying solely on witness testimony. At the same time, it falls short of providing compelling physical proof because the evidence chain had already been broken before that inspection occurred.[Library and Archives Canada]gc.caLibrary and Archives Canada Onsite inspection of reputed UFO landing marks at Duhamel, AlbertaLibrary and Archives CanadaOnsite inspection of reputed UFO landing marks at Duhamel, AlbertaJanuary 8, 2018

This distinction is often lost in later retellings. Some accounts emphasise that defence scientists found unusual rings, while sceptical summaries stress the possibility of a hoax. The official record supports a more cautious position. Jones did not conclude that the marks proved an extraordinary landing, but neither did he demonstrate that they were fabricated. Instead, the disturbed state of the pasture meant that key forensic questions could no longer be answered.

The site contamination therefore weakened the evidential value of the Duhamel traces without eliminating it altogether. The surviving records document a real set of unexplained ground marks, but they also show that the opportunity to examine the location under controlled conditions had already passed before the official investigation began.

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Endnotes

1. Source: canada.ca
Title: ‘s UFOs: The search for the unknown
Link:https://www.canada.ca/en/library-archives/collection/research-help/science-technology/ufos.html

2. Source: ised-isde.canada.ca
Title: ca Management of Public Reporting of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena in Canada
Link:https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/science/en/office-chief-science-advisor/sky-canada-project/management-public-reporting-unidentified-aerial-phenomena-canada

Published: June 1, 2025

3. Source: alberta.ca
Title: Explore pages in: Conta
Link:https://www.alberta.ca/contaminant-management-domtar

Published: November 15, 2023

4. Source: bac-lac.gc.ca
Link:https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/unusual/ufo/Documents/[Duhamel-inspection

Published: January 8, 2018

5. Source: digitalcollections.trentu.ca
Title: A History of Canada s UFO Investigation 1950 1995
Link:https://digitalcollections.trentu.ca/_flysystem/fedora/2022-04/A_History_of_Canada_s_UFO_Investigation_1950_1995.pdf

6. Source: scribd.com
Title: A History of Canada s UFO Investigation 1950 1995
Link:https://www.scribd.com/document/817127658/A-History-of-Canada-s-UFO-Investigation

Published: September 1, 2019

7. Source: batadora.trentu.ca
Title: etd 776
Link:https://batadora.trentu.ca/objects/etd-776

Additional References

8. Source: youtube.com
Title: The Shag Harbour UFO Incident
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPbDa5D7IUE

9. Source: youtube.com
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oL4E6YRuvN0

10. Source: recherche-research.bac-lac.gc.ca
Link:https://recherche-research.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/public/list/43130

Published: September 26, 2024

11. Source: cdd.publicsafety.gc.ca
Link:https://cdd.publicsafety.gc.ca/dtpg-eng.aspx?cultureCode=en-Ca&dynamic=false&eventId=776&normalizedCostYear=1

12. Source: experiencersupport.org
Link:https://www.experiencersupport.org/declassified/onsite-inspection-of-ufo-landing-marks-at-duhamel-camrose-county-in-alberta

13. Source: globalnews.ca
Link:https://globalnews.ca/news/3761270/canadas-best-documented-ufo-sighting-still-intrigues-50-years-on/

14. Source: gatewaygazette.ca
Title: Province Takes Precautionary Action to Protect Public Health – Gateway Gazette
Link:https://gatewaygazette.ca/province-takes-precautionary-action-protect-public-health/

15. Source: youtube.com
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbIILun9ZfM

16. Source: youtube.com
Title: The Shag Harbour UFO Incident
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4zxYPh4dVw

17. Source: youtube.com
Title: Canada’s First Reported Crop Circles
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAAE9Q7ysqM