Within Duhamel Marks
Why could investigators not close the case?
The official Duhamel inspection was serious enough to involve defence personnel, but the site had already been disturbed by visitors and vehicles.
On this page
- How defence linked investigators reached the field
- What public traffic did to the evidence
- Why the final record stayed unresolved
Page outline Jump by section
Introduction
The central mystery of the Duhamel landing-mark case is not simply what created the circles in a Camrose County pasture in August 1967. It is why an official investigation, carried out through Canadian defence-linked channels, could not produce a satisfactory answer despite an on-site inspection, measurements, radiation checks and detailed observations. The Duhamel case occupies a distinctive place in Alberta’s UFO history because investigators treated the reported traces as a physical evidence problem rather than a mere sighting report. Yet by the time the inspection occurred, the scene had already been altered by curious visitors, amateur investigators and vehicle traffic. The result was an investigation that generated substantial documentation but left key questions unresolved. [The Experiencer Support Association]experiencersupport.orgThe Experiencer Support Association🇨🇦 📃 🛸 Onsite Inspection of UFO Landing Marks at…August 11, 1967 — Local reports and opinions were…
How defence-linked investigators reached the field
The official response originated within the Canadian defence research system. On 11 August 1967, personnel at the Defence Research Establishment Suffield (DRES), a major Defence Research Board facility in Alberta, were instructed to inspect reported landing marks near Duhamel. The surviving inspection report records that the assignment came through DRES management acting under Defence Research Board authority, demonstrating that the report had advanced beyond local rumour and reached federal scientific and defence channels. [The Experiencer Support Association]experiencersupport.orgThe Experiencer Support Association🇨🇦 📃 🛸 Onsite Inspection of UFO Landing Marks at…August 11, 1967 — Local reports and opinions were…
The logistics described in the report are revealing. Rather than relying solely on second-hand accounts, an investigator travelled from Suffield to the Camrose area using Royal Canadian Air Force support in order to examine the site directly. The report devoted considerable attention to measurements, ground conditions, vegetation damage and possible mechanical explanations. This was not a broad search for extraterrestrial evidence; it was an attempt to determine whether unusual physical traces could be explained through ordinary causes. [The Experiencer Support Association]experiencersupport.orgThe Experiencer Support Association🇨🇦 📃 🛸 Onsite Inspection of UFO Landing Marks at…August 11, 1967 — Local reports and opinions were…
That approach reflects a wider pattern in Canadian UFO investigations of the period. Federal agencies generally focused on whether a report posed an aviation, defence or scientific question rather than assuming a paranormal explanation. The Duhamel marks were unusual enough to warrant inspection, but investigators still approached them as a practical field problem. [Digital Collections]digitalcollections.trentu.caA History of Canada s UFO Investigation 1950 1995Digital Collectionsa history of canada's ufo investigation, 1950-1995Apr 7, 2022 — his research, funding Canada's first official UFO inve…
What public traffic did to the evidence
The greatest obstacle facing the investigation was timing.
According to the inspection record, the farmer who discovered the marks discussed them with neighbours before official personnel arrived. News spread quickly. Local visitors examined the circles, photographs were taken, samples were collected and vehicles entered the area. By the time the DRES inspection occurred, the site was no longer a controlled scene. [The Experiencer Support Association]experiencersupport.orgThe Experiencer Support Association🇨🇦 📃 🛸 Onsite Inspection of UFO Landing Marks at…August 11, 1967 — Local reports and opinions were…
This mattered because the most important question was whether the rings represented original traces or whether later activity had altered them. Investigators noted signs of disturbance and had to separate possible primary evidence from damage caused by subsequent visitors. Once people begin walking through a site, collecting samples and driving nearby, it becomes much harder to determine which impressions, compressed areas or surface changes belong to the original event. [The Experiencer Support Association]experiencersupport.orgThe Experiencer Support Association🇨🇦 📃 🛸 Onsite Inspection of UFO Landing Marks at…August 11, 1967 — Local reports and opinions were…
The timing problem was compounded by uncertainty over when the marks had actually appeared. The landowner reportedly stated that he had not visited that section of pasture for some time before discovering the circles. Because the marks may have existed for days before anyone noticed them, investigators lacked a precise event window. Rainfall, livestock activity and natural weathering could therefore have affected the scene before inspection even began. [The Experiencer Support Association]experiencersupport.orgThe Experiencer Support Association🇨🇦 📃 🛸 Onsite Inspection of UFO Landing Marks at…August 11, 1967 — Local reports and opinions were…
In modern forensic terms, the chain of custody was weak. No one had secured the area, documented its original condition immediately after discovery or prevented contamination. The official investigation inherited a site that was already partially compromised.
Why ordinary explanations remained unsatisfactory
The inspection did not simply conclude that nothing unusual had occurred. Instead, investigators found features that complicated straightforward explanations.
The rings showed compressed vegetation and pressure effects consistent with a heavy load. Some observations suggested a resemblance to the action of a heavily loaded rubber-tyred wheel moving in a tight circle. Yet investigators also reported an absence of obvious approach and departure tracks that would normally accompany a vehicle capable of producing such marks, especially given recent wet conditions. [The Experiencer Support Association]experiencersupport.orgThe Experiencer Support Association🇨🇦 📃 🛸 Onsite Inspection of UFO Landing Marks at…August 11, 1967 — Local reports and opinions were…
At the same time, the evidence did not support dramatic UFO-landing narratives. Investigators reported no scorching, no blast effects, no significant soil disturbance and no strong physical indicators of a powered craft descending into the field. The marks were intriguing, but they were not accompanied by the sort of secondary evidence that might strongly support an extraordinary interpretation. [The Experiencer Support Association]experiencersupport.orgThe Experiencer Support Association🇨🇦 📃 🛸 Onsite Inspection of UFO Landing Marks at…August 11, 1967 — Local reports and opinions were…
This left the investigation in an awkward middle ground:
- A simple vehicle explanation did not fit all observations.
- A hoax could not be conclusively demonstrated.
- An aircraft-related explanation lacked supporting evidence.
- An extraordinary explanation remained unsupported by direct proof.
The result was a case that resisted easy classification rather than one that pointed clearly in any particular direction. [The Experiencer Support Association]experiencersupport.orgThe Experiencer Support Association🇨🇦 📃 🛸 Onsite Inspection of UFO Landing Marks at…August 11, 1967 — Local reports and opinions were…
Why the final record stayed unresolved
The Duhamel case is often remembered because it demonstrates a recurring problem in UFO investigations: physical traces are only as useful as the conditions under which they are documented.
The official inspection generated measurements and observations, but it could not reconstruct the site as it existed before public attention arrived. Investigators were forced to interpret evidence that had already been exposed to visitors, vehicles, weather and uncertain timing. As a result, they could identify anomalies without being able to establish a reliable cause. [The Experiencer Support Association]experiencersupport.orgThe Experiencer Support Association🇨🇦 📃 🛸 Onsite Inspection of UFO Landing Marks at…August 11, 1967 — Local reports and opinions were…
Later historical reviews of Canadian UFO investigations have continued to classify Duhamel as unresolved rather than solved. The surviving records show neither a convincing conventional explanation nor evidence strong enough to support extraordinary conclusions. Instead, the case stands as an example of how potentially valuable physical evidence can lose much of its investigative value once a site is disturbed before professional examination. [Digital Collections+2De Gruyter Brill]digitalcollections.trentu.caA History of Canada s UFO Investigation 1950 1995Digital Collectionsa history of canada's ufo investigation, 1950-1995Apr 7, 2022 — his research, funding Canada's first official UFO inve…
Within Alberta’s UFO history, that may be the most important lesson of the Duhamel marks. The official investigation was serious enough to involve defence-linked personnel and detailed fieldwork, yet the very process of public discovery and curiosity undermined investigators’ ability to reach a definitive answer. The unresolved status of the case reflects not only the unusual nature of the marks themselves, but also the practical limits of investigating physical evidence after the scene has already changed. [The Experiencer Support Association]experiencersupport.orgThe Experiencer Support Association🇨🇦 📃 🛸 Onsite Inspection of UFO Landing Marks at…August 11, 1967 — Local reports and opinions were…
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Endnotes
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Source: experiencersupport.org
Link: https://www.experiencersupport.org/declassified/onsite-inspection-of-ufo-landing-marks-at-duhamel-camrose-county-in-albertaSource snippet
The Experiencer Support Association🇨🇦 📃 🛸 Onsite Inspection of UFO Landing Marks at...August 11, 1967 — Local reports and opinions were...
Published: August 11, 1967
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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.pdfSource snippet
Digital Collectionsa history of canada's ufo investigation, 1950-1995Apr 7, 2022 — his research, funding Canada's first official UFO inve...
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Source: Wikipedia
Title: Defence Research Establishment Suffield
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defence_Research_Establishment_SuffieldSource snippet
Defence Research Establishment SuffieldThe Defence Research Establishment Suffield was the name of the military research facility loca...
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Source: degruyterbrill.com
Link: https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/9780228012290-009/html?srsltid=AfmBOoqYhvPscuEpHelUDTTpnDSxeiK8luvPGtL22GzMqjs–2v6IHqcSource snippet
4 Three Cases of High Strangeness, 1967This chapter explores three ufo cases in 1967 that produced physical evidence: Stefan Michalak's e...
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Source: majorprojects.alberta.ca
Link: https://majorprojects.alberta.ca/details/CFB-Suffield-Defence-Research-Centre-Lab/11496Source snippet
Suffield Defence Research Centre LabThe new laboratory complex will consolidate many of the existing facilities and provide safe and mode...
Additional References
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Source: warmuseum.ca
Link: https://www.warmuseum.ca/collections/archive/3174801Source snippet
Defence Research Establishment SuffieldScope and Content: Collection of three postcards featuring aerial photographs that document the De...
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Source: publications.gc.ca
Link: https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2025/rddc-drdc/DR52-2-7-1986-eng.pdfSource snippet
unclassifiedDEFENCE RESEARCH ESTABLISHMENT SUFFIELD. SUFFIELD SPECIAL PUBLICATION NO. 100. DEFENSIO PER. SCIENTIAM. A BRIEF HIStory of dr...
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Source: reddit.com
Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/nzbfq4/the_duhamel_alberta_canada_case/ -
Source: theatrenetwork.ca
Link: https://theatrenetwork.ca/events/we-are-not-alone-by-damien-atkins/ -
Source: facebook.com
Title: the province has a storied history with the mystery including the countrys first
Link: https://www.facebook.com/yycherald/posts/the-province-has-a-storied-history-with-the-mystery-including-the-countrys-first/466676905503707/Source snippet
Canada's first reported crop circle near Edmonton in 1967The province has a storied history with the mystery, including the country’s fir...
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Source: revenantjournal.com
Link: https://www.revenantjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/13_REVIEW_Search-for-the-Unknown_FINAL.pdfSource snippet
summary of the highlights of the little-known Canadian government UFO archive that includes some unique insights...Read more...
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Source: archive.org
Title: Canada FOIA Part 18 Pages 5101 5400 djvu.txt
Link: https://archive.org/stream/CanadaUFO/Canada%20-%20FOIA%20Part%2018%20-%20Pages%205101-5400_djvu.txtSource snippet
UFO sighting on the 20 May, 1967 is familiar to your study group. Attached for your information are portions of the IND invest- igation w...
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Source: thewalrus.ca
Link: https://thewalrus.ca/what-ufo-fears-tell-us-about-government-trust/Source snippet
What UFO Fears Tell Us about Trust in GovernmentFeb 17, 2023 — There were three cases from 1967 that defied explanation: Stefan Michalak'...
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Source: facebook.com
Title: Official Opening of UFO Landing Pad in St
Link: https://www.facebook.com/oldcanada/posts/official-opening-of-ufo-landing-pad-in-st-paul-alberta-in-1967/1350357550458571/Source snippet
Paul, Alberta...Did you know? Canada's warm welcome to aliens started in 1967!... In 1967, Canada created the world's first UFO landi...
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Source: facebook.com
Link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/albertastorm/posts/1005516020961037/Source snippet
INTRODUCTION At 0900 hours on Friday, 11 August...Read more...
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