UFO Watchtower

It was in 2000 that the UFO Watchtower first opened in Hooper, Colorado. The Watchtower is located in the San Luis Valley: a spot said to be the perfect location to view UFOs. The site features a campground and a declared “Healing Garden.” It is believed two large energy vortexes are surrounding the land in the area.

The legendary viewing spot gained its attractiveness with an interesting start. It all began when Judy Messoline moved to the town in 1995. She bought some land and decided to raise cattle there. Within 5 years, she realized that her life was not going in the directions she had hoped. The land was too arid to raise cattle, vastly limiting her work. However, during her ranching time, she heard stories from her neighbors about UFO visits in the area. People would also camp on her land at night in hopes of seeing a saucer. Messoline decided to take advantage of her lands publicity, and she created a business out of it. With the money she got from selling her animals, she built the UFO site.

The San Luis Valley is rife with reported UFO action. Sightings of a variety of aircraft, all shapes, and sizes, are common, as well as out of place light formations. In 2009, cattle mutilations made the list of alien activity in the valley. Ranchers here have reported very peculiar deaths of their animals, such as encountering scenes of tortured cattle, with body parts removed in extreme precision, and no signs of blood.

Messoline opened the site in 2000 as the UFO Watchtower. The Watchtower even has a stucco-domed hut gift shop. The dome is surrounded by a 10-foot viewing platform. There is also a “Healing Garden” located behind the gift shop, which came about after twenty psychics visited the site. They informed Messoline that two vortexes had formed at the Watchtower. The vortexes are outlined with rocks and are said to be guarded by two supreme beings. Visitors are entitled to one request from these beings if they leave a personal item behind.

The area has no light pollution and sits at an elevation of over 7,600 feet. Visitors can see the stars and universe with amazing clarity from Center, Colorado. The observation tower provides a 360-degree view of the San Luis Valley. The Watchtower receives a lot of military visitors, especially from the Air Force.

Blevins, Jason. Colorado cow mutilations baffle ranchers, cops, UFO believer, The Denver Post. December 8th 2009. Accessed July 8th 2020. https://www.denverpost.com/2009/12/08/colorado-cow-mutilations-baffle-ranchers-cops-ufo-believer/.

Shannon. UFO Watchtower, Atlas Obscura. Accessed July 5th 2020. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/ufo-watchtower.

Simpson, Kevin . A writer explored Colorado’s rich UFO history and heard tales of lights in the sky, but his focus was on the people who saw them, The Colorado Sun. November 22nd 2018. Accessed July 5th 2020. https://coloradosun.com/2018/11/22/richard-estep-colorado-ufos-interview/.

The UFO Watchtower, Roadside America. July 8th 2020. Accessed July 8th 2020. https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/16782.