In this small northern community, the founding settlers reported strange lights in the sky. Was it a UFO, or just the Aurora Borealis playing tricks on them?
In the quietness of northern Ontario sits a small, quaint town called Moonbeam. For those who haven’t been up that way in a while, the community lies between Kapuskasing and Cochrane. It’s a long way from the hectic pace of southern Ontario.
Besides its colourful name, what makes Moonbeam stand out from other towns in the area is its unique extraterrestrial folklore, a story that most people in the north are all too familiar with. And that story begins like this.
>>> Welcome to Moonbeam Town, sign with Unidentified Flying Object in the Far Corner <<<The most commonly told story of Moonbeam goes like this: …The town was founded by settlers who were drawn to the area during the construction of the National Transcontinental Railway.
Some of these early settlers, while walking through the woods at night, encountered pillars of light spilling down from the sky into rivers and creeks. The reflections of the lights in the water must have strengthened their belief that something unusual was happening in the sky.
Although the story doesn’t go into much more detail, that part of the settlers’ account has stuck to this day.
Reports of unexplained lights over the small town of Moonbeam were unusual, but not isolated. Old-time residents often described flashing lights in the area, ‘almost a common occurrence.’
- Take, for example, another story from a railway passenger who described “moonlit snow in a forest clearing, giving a bright, moonbeam-like effect.”
Through research, I couldn’t find any clear timeline for these sightings. However, skeptics dismiss the tales of “fallen light beams” as nothing more than the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) playing tricks on unfamiliar eyes. Could it have been the time of year, combined with the sparkle of the northern sky, that fooled the newcomers? Maybe.
For many settlers, it would have been their first time seeing such a phenomenon. Even today, many have never experienced the splendour of the Northern Lights. And for those who have, they can only be described as both spectacular and eerie.
So, could the settlers have witnessed this natural wonder in all its glory? If not, then something unexplained was truly happening—and that’s the part of the story that continues to this day.
When Moonbeam was officially incorporated as a town in 1922, it was named in honour of the light show the settlers claimed to have seen. Could the Moonbeam UFO story be true? The townspeople must think so, they built a monument to commemorate it.
- Well folks, after doing my research and sharing this story, you can be the judge.
” Simple Thinking Explains This Phenomena”
Back in the early days, nobody knew what “ETs” or “UFOs” were like as we do today. The only description they could possibly use was: “There is something unusual in the sky.”
They described objects that looked like plates, glowing with unique colours and sparkles that seemed to fall to the ground.
A prime example of such confusion is the celestial phenomenon, a light show that was over Nuremberg, Germany, in 1561. The townspeople had no idea how to describe what they had seen. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1561_celestial_phenomenon_over_Nuremberg
*** And that’s where this story loops back.
The name “Moonbeam” is attributed to early pioneers who allegedly witnessed flashing lights falling from the sky, which they called, “moonbeams.”
***** Could They Have Been Right All Along? *****
Is there something amiss in the skies of Northern Ontario?
Another tale from the 1970s suggests so. Local legend has it that large reddish-orange discs, 15 to 20 feet in diameter, were seen in the sky. These sightings were reportedly accompanied by sudden static interruptions on local radio and television broadcasts.
As of today, and looking back, Ontario has always been active with documented cases of unexplained aerial phenomena. The Canadian Air Force base in North Bay, Ontario, for example, has had its fair share of unusual sightings over the years—many of which still continue.
One researcher, Dee McCullay, has logged more than 200 sightings in Northern Ontario dating back to 1914. He has appeared on television shows such as Paranormal Survivor and has produced documentaries on both Sasquatch and UFO encounters.
>> Most of the sightings collected by McCullay involve strange things spotted in the sky:
- Fast-moving lights
- Craft shaped like cigars, pinwheels, or saucers
- A large silver disc hovering over Thunder Bay’s Kam Power station
- A “fireball” flying alongside a train near the Raith flats in the 1970s
- A Red Rock man was nearly pulled toward his window by a green beam of light from a craft
- A couple berry-pickers near Duckbill Lake in the 1960s who saw four small figures beside a landed craft
- May 20, 1967 – Falcon Lake, Manitoba
- Oct. 4, 1967 – Shag Harbour, Nova Scotia
- Dec. 11, 1996 – Yukon
- Warwick, Ontario – October 3, 1843
- Ottawa, Ontario – October 5, 1890
- Georgian Bay – Late August 1914
*** Even campers near Black Sturgeon reported seeing a “small man with the features of a cat” wearing a gold suit in the 1990s. ***
All of this makes one wonder, “* maybe those early settlers did see something after all.*”
Conclusion
The mysterious origins of Moonbeam’s name come with many intriguing stories from settlers. None have ever been definitively proven, but when compared with more recent sightings, the possibility becomes harder to dismiss.
Today, the town fully embraces its extraterrestrial theme. At the visitor centre, you’ll find a large flying saucer monument, UFO-themed merchandise, and even an alien mascot named Cosmo to welcome you to this quirky northern stop. Inside the ship are alien look-alikes for extra fun.
So, if you’re travelling west between Kapuskasing and Cochrane, stop in at Moonbeam. Say hello to the little guys peeking out from the UFO windows.
**** If I were the mayor of Moonbeam, I’d build a walk-in UFO with airplane controls so kids and adults alike could experience the fun. ****
Did You Know?
- Moonbeam is referenced in the song Fly by Canadian rock iconsThe Tragically Hip, who mention the town in their lyrics.
- The term UFO (Unidentified Flying Object) is slowly being replaced by the modern term UAP (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena).
✨ And with that, the legend of Moonbeam continues.
In Aurora, Texas, there is another famous UFO Story that Lives On
A legend of extraterrestrial life and death continues to draw visitors to the supposed ‘gravesite’ of a ‘Martian Pilot.’
Research Address
https://www.cbc.ca/cbcdocspov/features/canadians-report-seeing-ufos-in-the-sky-at-a-rate-of-3-times-a-day
https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/article/some-of-the-best-known-canadian-ufo-sightings-over-the-years/
https://psican.org/index.php/ufological-information/ontario/955-entities-ontario
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moonbeam%2C_Ontario?utm_source=chatgpt.com “Moonbeam, Ontario”
- Extra Note. If you found my story interesting, ‘maybe a little entertaining,’ please consider buying this author a coffee.
