McMinnville Photographs

Updated

Dec 11, 2024

By Enigma Labs

View on map

Author

Enigma Labs

View on map

Have a topic or sighting to suggest?
Submit here

Paul Trent’s first UFO photo – link here

Magnification of the second photo – link here

Summary

The McMinnville UFO photographs, which are also known as the Trent UFO photos, refer to two photographs of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP). They were taken by farming couple, Paul and Evelyn Trent in Yamhill County near the city of McMinnville, Oregon, in the north-eastern United States on 11 May 1950.

The photos are often considered by some to be among the most famous photographs ever taken of UAP. A scientific investigation commissioned by nuclear physicist Edward U. Condon determined the photographs to be consistent with witness testmimony, and that they had indeed seen an extraordinary flying object.

Background

At around 7.45pm on 11 May 1950, Evelyn Trent claims to have spotted an unknown object in the sky.

She had been feeding the family rabbits in the yard of the couple’s farm. After doing so, Evelyn was walking back towards the house when she looked up and saw a flying metallic disc moving in her direction¹. Describing what she saw, Evelyn said the object was, “like a good-sized parachute canopy without the strings, only silver-bright mixed with bronze.”²

Later, she would recall, “it was as pretty as anything I ever saw.”

Evelyn then ran into the house to find her husband, Paul Trent. After finding Paul, Evelyn then picked up their Kodak camera from the car and raced into the yard. Paul described seeing “a round, shiny, wingless object” hovering in the sky.

It was then that Paul, a 43-year-old farmer, took two photographs of the object before the UAP disappeared.

Recounting what occurred after the UAP disappeared, Evelyn when speaking to her husband, Paul, said:

''After you took the picture of it coming in, and then going back out, the wind that came down (had) no motor or no smoke or no nothing – just the wind.''³

Despite the photographs being taken in May, they were not developed until weeks afterward, when the roll of film had been entirely used up.⁴

After developing the photographs, the Trents hid the photographs, thinking they had captured secretive military aircraft, which may get them in trouble.

But the Trents did mention the photographs to some friends, which led one of them to obtain and put them in the window of McMinnville’s United States National Bank. It was then that a reporter spoke to the couple and persuaded them to provide the negatives, so they could be published.

Two local Oregon newspapers, ‘The McMinnville Telephone Register’ and ‘The Oregonian’ published the photographs in June 1950, a month after Paul Trent took them.⁵ The McMinnville Telephone Register, which published the story first on 8 June 1950 added an Editor’s Note to accompany the photographs, which stated:

‘...in view of the variety of opinion and reports attendant to the saucers over the past two years, every effort has been made to check Trent's photos for authenticity. Expert photographers declared there has been no tampering with the negatives.

‘[The] original photos were developed by a local firm. After careful consideration, there appears to be no possibility of hoax or hallucination connected with the pictures. Therefore the Telephone Register believes them authentic...’⁶

The photographs quickly grabbed national attention when Life magazine published the photographs on 26 June 1950. During this time skeptics called the Trents liars and poked so much fun at the couple that community leaders from the area offered to sign affidavits swearing to the Trents' character.⁷

Soon after the photographs were published, United States Air Force (USAF) and FBI investigators visited the Trent’s farm to interview the couple. Paul Trent recalls telling the USAF investigator, “the object was coming in toward us and seemed to be tipped up a little bit.”

Trent added, “it was very bright -- almost silvery -- and there was no noise.”⁸ According to the Trents, the UAP was estimated to be "20 or 30 ft" in diameter.⁹

The Trents became celebrities for a brief time following the coverage. They were flown to New York City to appear on a television show named ‘We the People’, and loaned the photograph negatives to the International News Service, which circulated them worldwide.

The Trents apparently never received any money for the photos and the negatives were not returned to them for decades, supposedly having been misplaced.

Condon Investigation

In 1967, the USAF commissioned nuclear physicist Edward U. Condon to lead an exhaustive UAP study. The study’s 950-page report, titled ‘Scientific Study of Unidentified Flying Objects,’ (also known as the Condon Report) dismissed most of the reported sightings covered, but, it stated, referring to the McMinnville photographs, that “at least one, showing a disk-shaped object in flight over Oregon, is classed as difficult to explain in a conventional way.”¹⁰

In 1966, a panel headed by Condon had sent an investigator named William K. Hartmann to review the Trent sighting. Hartmann had been known for debunking many purported UAP images. But he couldn't explain the case.

Hartmann wrote that the McMinnville case was ''one of the few UFO reports in which all factors investigated . . . appear to be consistent with the assertion that an extraordinary flying object, silvery, metallic, disk-shaped, tens of meters in diameter, and evidently artificial flew within sight of two witnesses.''

One of the most compelling details highlighted by Hartmann involved photometric analysis of the images. He noted that the brightness of the underside of the object appeared to be lighter than the underside of the oil tank seen in the images. The analysis suggested the object was further from the camera than the tank which can be seen in the photographs, not small, local objects.

Hartmann wrote in his report:

‘If the object is a model suspended from the wire only a few meters away, its surface is some 37% brighter than that of the tank, and the shaded side is probably more than 40% brighter than the shadow on the tank.

‘But this is nearly impossible to maintain in the face of the photometry. Although the distant house's surface is roughly twice as bright as the tank's surface, its shadows can be only a few percent brighter, intrinsically, than those on the tank. This is basically the problem that was suggested by initial inspection of the photos: the shadowed side of the UFO appears to be so bright that it suggests significant scattering between it and the observer.’¹¹

Although refusing to rule out the possibility of a hoax, Hartmann concluded that his tests ''argue against a fabrication.''¹²

The Condon Report reached this conclusion despite Evelyn Trent’s history of seeing strange objects in the sky, having told The Oregonian in 1950 that she had seen flying saucers by the coast on three separate occasions, “but no one would believe me.”¹³

Skepticism

UAP skeptic Philip J. Klass disagreed with the conclusions made by Hartmann within the Condon Report. Klass poured doubt on the Trent’s story, by claiming that details associated with sunlight showed the photographs were taken in the morning, not in the evening. Klass added that he found it curious that the couple waited weeks to develop such extraordinary film.

In 1969, skeptic Robert Sheaffer wrote a paper regarding the McMinnville case, which he claimed, ‘caused the Condon Report's chief investigator of that case to reconsider his conclusion.’¹⁴

Sheaffer made several points in his paper which disputed the Trent’s story and Hartmann’s own analysis within the Condon Report, which included:

1.Weather conditions at the time of the sighting: Sheaffer contended that the sky was not overcast at the time, as claimed by the Trents, and that the Weather Bureau station at McMinnville observed clear skies on 11 May at 6pm and 7pm.

2.Illumination in the photographs: Despite the Trents stating the photographs were taken of an overcast sky after sunset, Sheaffer claimed shadows could be seen on the garage wall, metallic tank, a distant barn, and a post. Sheaffer claimed the shadows are all consistent in direction, indicating a light source approximately due east.

3.Maximum size of the illuminating body: Sheaffer claimed that because of the small maximum angular size of the illumination body and its intense brilliance, there can be no doubt whatsoever that the shadows in the Trent photographs are cast directly by the Sun.

4.Time of day: Accounting for analysis suggesting the Sun caused shadows in the photos, Sheaffer determined that the time of day was 8.20am, not at around 7.45pm, as claimed by the Trents.

5.Distribution of sky brightness: Sheaffer asserted that the distribution of sky brightness is also consistent with a daylight photo taken when the sun is due east, contesting with William Hartmann’s assessment that densitometric measurements indicated the sky is brighter toward the west than it is toward the north at the right of the photographs – something which led Hartmann to believe the photographs were taken after sunset. Sheaffer argued that Hartmann’s measurements of sky brightness are exactly what would be expected in the morning when the Sun is due east, and that the northern sky to the right is considerably less bright than the ‘anti-solar region to the left’.

6.Densitometric measurements of object surface brightness: Due to the high surface brightness of the shaded bottom of the UAP in the photographs, compared with other shaded regions, Hartmann had concluded that the object appeared to be at a great distance. But Sheaffer argued that atmospheric scattering would cause dark objects to appear brighter when seen at great distances. Furthermore, he contended that smudging of the lens could cause bright regions to spill out into adjacent dark regions.

7.Relative size and position of the object in the two photographs: Despite Hartmann finding in his investigation that the object appeared to be in the same position with respect to the telephone wires above it in both photographs, even though the camera had changed positions, Sheaffer contended that while it is conceivable that the motion of the object could exactly cancel that of the photographer with respect to the nearby wires, that this suggests very strongly the possibility of fabrication. Sheaffer added: “Measuring the size of irregularities in the wires reveals that they are about 10% farther away in Plate 24, but this value is less certain than the other. Thus the change in the distance to the object from plate 23 to plate 24 just happens to very closely match the change in the distance to the overhead wires, another factor that strongly argues in favor of a fabrication.”*

*Note that ‘Plate 23’ refers to the first Trent photograph, whereas ‘Plate 24’ refers to the second Trent photograph.

Sheaffer concluded that considering his own analysis, the Trent’s story could not be accepted at face value. Although he added that analysis could not prove that the photographs do not show an extraordinary flying object.

Another skeptic named Joel Carpenter suggested that the photographs may be a mirror of an old truck.¹⁵ And investigators Antoine Cousyn, François Louange and Geoff Quick¹⁶ concluded that based on geometric and radiometric analysis, a hypothesis that the McMinnville photographs show a small object hanging below a power wire Is the most convincing.

Legacy

The photographs remain contentious, with skeptics continuing to argue that they were hoaxed or faked, whilst believers contend that the photographs show evidence of real UAP. It is claimed that the Trents never changed their story¹⁷ up until their deaths – Evelyn died in 1997 and Paul died in 1998.

The interest in the case led to an annual UAP festival being established in McMinnville, which is reportedly the second largest such festival in the USA, after the one held in Roswell, New Mexico.¹⁸

References

1. Killen, John (12/5/2015) ‘Past Tense Oregon: UFO photos taken near McMinnville in 1950 still raise questions’ Past Tense Oregon: UFO photos taken near McMinnville in 1950 still raise questions - oregonlive.com

2. Perry Douglas, (12/10/2017) ‘Local UFO photos fascinated Air Force; farmer wants to forget them’ Oregon Live Local UFO photos fascinated Air Force; farmer wanted to forget them: Throwback Thursday - oregonlive.com

3. Denson, Bryan & Long, James, (22/6/1997) ‘1997 Story: Fifty years on UFO, the truth is still out there’ Oregon Live 1997 story: Fifty years of UFO, the truth is still out there - oregonlive.com

4. Denson, Bryan & Long, James, (22/6/1997) ‘1997 Story: Fifty years on UFO, the truth is still out there’ Oregon Live 1997 story: Fifty years of UFO, the truth is still out there - oregonlive.com

5. Perry Douglas, (12/10/2017) ‘Local UFO photos fascinated Air Force; farmer wants to forget them’ Oregon Live Local UFO photos fascinated Air Force; farmer wanted to forget them: Throwback Thursday - oregonlive.com

6. Condon Report Condon Report, Photographic Case Studies: Cases 46 - 59 (ncas.org)

7. Denson, Bryan & Long, James, (22/6/1997) ‘1997 Story: Fifty years on UFO, the truth is still out there’ Oregon Live 1997 story: Fifty years of UFO, the truth is still out there - oregonlive.com

8. Perry Douglas, (12/10/2017) ‘Local UFO photos fascinated Air Force; farmer wants to forget them’ Oregon Live Local UFO photos fascinated Air Force; farmer wanted to forget them: Throwback Thursday - oregonlive.com

9. Condon Report Condon Report, Photographic Case Studies: Cases 46 - 59 (ncas.org)

10. Perry Douglas, (12/10/2017) ‘Local UFO photos fascinated Air Force; farmer wants to forget them’ Oregon Live Local UFO photos fascinated Air Force; farmer wanted to forget them: Throwback Thursday - oregonlive.com

11. Condon Report Condon Report, Photographic Case Studies: Cases 46 - 59 (ncas.org)

12. Denson, Bryan & Long, James, (22/6/1997) ‘1997 Story: Fifty years on UFO, the truth is still out there’ Oregon Live 1997 story: Fifty years of UFO, the truth is still out there - oregonlive.com

13. Perry Douglas, (12/10/2017) ‘Local UFO photos fascinated Air Force; farmer wants to forget them’ Oregon Live Local UFO photos fascinated Air Force; farmer wanted to forget them: Throwback Thursday - oregonlive.com

14. Sheaffer, Robert, (10/9/2014), ‘The Trent UFO Photos McMinnville, Oregon – May 11, 1950’ The Trent UFO Photos - (debunker.com)

15. Sheaffer, Robert, (10/9/2014), ‘The Trent UFO Photos McMinnville, Oregon – May 11, 1950’ The Trent UFO Photos - (debunker.com)

16. Cousyn, Antoine; Louange, François; Quick, Geoff (1/3/2013) ‘The McMinnville pictures’ ReportMcMinnville.pdf (ipaco.fr)

17. Killen, John (12/5/2015) ‘Past Tense Oregon: UFO photos taken near McMinnville in 1950 still raise questions’ Past Tense Oregon: UFO photos taken near McMinnville in 1950 still raise questions - oregonlive.com

18. Davis, Michael ‘The day the Earth stood soaked at Oregon UFO Festival’ USA TODAY and UFO Festival in McMinnville | The Official Guide to Portland (travelportland.com)

Have a topic or sighting to suggest? Submit here

Loading related articles