The University of Manitoba Archives and Special Collections has received piles of UFO-related materials, including thousands of Canadian government documents and sighting reports, gathered over the past 30 years. The Daily Express reports that the collection was donated by ufologist Chris Rutkowski and is now awaiting digitisation.
When it is ready, the public and researchers will have access to 10,000 Canadian government papers, 20,000 UFO reports, as well as 1,000 UFO-themed books from the researcher’s personal library. People will also be able to have a look at photos and publications dedicated to suspected extraterrestrial encounters.
“This unique and intriguing historical collection will greatly add to our understanding of the study of UFOs, and will attract students and researchers to study these phenomena for a whole range of reasons”, the University of Manitoba Archives and Special Collections’ Shelley Sweeney said, adding that it “puts Winnipeg on the map as the preeminent destination for the study of the paranormal".
Among other sightings, Rutkowski’s collection has a profile on one of the most famous and debated UFO cases in Canada – the 1967 Incident at Falcon Lake, where geologist and prospector Stefan Michalak claimed that he witnessed two UFOs and was even burned by one of them. While the man insisted that the UFO had scorched him with hot gas, many doubted his story, claiming that it might have had something to do with his love for alcohol.