Within Cherry Creek
Did Anything Really Land at Cherry Creek?
Soil tests, turf marks and purple liquid failed to show that an unusual craft landed on the Cherry Creek farm.
On this page
- What investigators found in the pasture
- What soil and radiation tests showed
- How Blu Kote and farm activity explain the residue
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Introduction
The most tangible claim in the 1965 Cherry Creek close-encounter story was not the object reportedly seen over the farm, but the physical traces said to have been left behind. Witnesses and later UFO investigators pointed to cuts in the turf, flattened vegetation, unusual soil conditions and a patch of purple liquid as signs that something had landed in a pasture near the Butcher family home.
Those traces helped elevate the case from a simple sighting into what UFO researchers call a “close encounter of the second kind”, a report involving alleged physical effects. Yet the physical evidence proved far less impressive under investigation than later retellings often suggest. Soil testing failed to reveal anything extraordinary, radiation measurements were unremarkable, and the mysterious purple residue acquired a plausible farm-related explanation. As a result, the landing traces are generally regarded as one of the weakest parts of the Cherry Creek case rather than one of its strongest.[Center for UFO Studies]cufos.orgthe skin. This was one of the two.Read more…
What Investigators Found in the Pasture
When investigators visited the farm after the reported encounter, they documented several features that supporters interpreted as evidence of a landing.
Accounts described:
- Areas of flattened or disturbed grass.
- Small cuts, depressions or marks in the turf.
- Patches of discoloured vegetation.
- An oily-looking purple or bluish residue on the ground.
- Reports of an unusual smell in the area.
At first glance these details appeared consistent with the idea that a heavy object had touched down briefly in the pasture. However, none of the reported traces formed a clear geometric pattern, such as the symmetrical landing impressions that investigators often hope to find in alleged landing cases. The marks were irregular and existed in an actively used farm environment where livestock, machinery and routine agricultural work could affect the ground in many ways.[Center for UFO Studies]cufos.orgthe skin. This was one of the two.Read more…
A key problem was timing. The field was not preserved as a controlled scene. People moved through the area, animals had access to it, and investigators arrived after the event rather than during it. By the time samples were collected, there was no reliable way to establish when individual marks had been made or whether they were connected to the sighting at all. This significantly reduced their evidential value.
What Soil and Radiation Tests Showed
The strongest test of a landing claim would have been objective laboratory evidence showing unusual physical or chemical effects. That evidence never emerged.
Samples of soil and vegetation from the alleged landing area were examined, and investigators looked for signs that might indicate intense heat, radiation exposure, exotic materials or other unusual processes. Reports from later reviews of the case consistently note that the analyses failed to uncover anything beyond normal terrestrial materials. No non-earthly substances were identified, and no persuasive evidence of extreme heating or radiation effects was found.[Center for UFO Studies]cufos.orgthe skin. This was one of the two.Read more…
Likewise, claims that the area might have been irradiated did not receive support from testing. Measurements did not reveal radiation levels that would suggest the recent presence of a powerful energy source. The absence of abnormal readings was particularly important because many dramatic UFO landing narratives depend on physical effects that remain detectable after the event. At Cherry Creek, those effects were not demonstrated.[Center for UFO Studies]cufos.orgthe skin. This was one of the two.Read more…
This does not prove that nothing unusual occurred on the farm. It does mean that the physical samples collected from the site failed to provide independent confirmation of the extraordinary interpretation.
How Blu-Kote and Farm Activity Explain the Residue
The most famous physical trace was the purple liquid reportedly found in the field. For years, some retellings presented it as a mysterious substance left behind by an unknown craft.
Later investigation produced a much more ordinary explanation.
Researchers examining the case found evidence that livestock on the farm had been treated with Blu-Kote, a widely used veterinary antiseptic and wound dressing. Blu-Kote contains gentian violet dye and is notorious for leaving vivid blue-purple stains on animals, equipment, clothing and surrounding surfaces. Modern product descriptions still warn that it stains almost anything it touches.[cufos.org]cufos.orgthe skin. This was one of the two.Read more…
The significance of this discovery is straightforward. A farm using Blu-Kote already had a ready source for exactly the sort of purple residue later described as mysterious. Investigators reviewing the case concluded that the substance found in the field could be explained by ordinary agricultural activity rather than by the arrival of an unknown vehicle. The colour, staining characteristics and farm context all fit the Blu-Kote explanation far better than an exotic one.[cufos.org]cufos.orgthe skin. This was one of the two.Read more…
Importantly, no laboratory analysis ever demonstrated that the residue possessed unusual chemical properties. Once a known farm product could account for its appearance, the residue largely ceased to function as evidence for a landing.
Why the Ground Marks Remain Unconvincing
Even if the purple residue is explained conventionally, some readers may wonder whether the turf marks themselves still point to something unusual.
The difficulty is that farms naturally generate disturbed ground. Livestock create hoof impressions, machinery compresses soil, equipment leaves tracks, and weather can alter vegetation patterns. Without precise measurements, immediate documentation and controlled sampling, it is extremely difficult to distinguish a genuinely anomalous trace from ordinary agricultural disturbance.
Cherry Creek never produced the kind of physical record that would allow later investigators to test competing explanations rigorously. There were no verified cast impressions, no documented weight calculations, no reproducible chemical anomalies and no chain of evidence linking the marks directly to the object reported by witnesses. What remained were observations that could be interpreted in more than one way.[Center for UFO Studies]cufos.orgthe skin. This was one of the two.Read more…
As a result, sceptical investigators generally regard the ground traces as ambiguous at best. They may have been real marks, but there is little reason to believe they required an extraordinary cause.
What the Landing Traces Mean for the Cherry Creek Case
Within New York UFO history, Cherry Creek remains noteworthy because it combined witness testimony with alleged physical effects. Yet the landing traces that gave the case much of its reputation ultimately provided little support for the claim that an unusual craft touched down.
The soil analyses were negative. Radiation testing did not reveal anything remarkable. The purple residue acquired a credible explanation linked to Blu-Kote veterinary treatment used around livestock. The remaining ground disturbances were never shown to be anything more than ordinary features of a working farm.[cufos.org]cufos.orgthe skin. This was one of the two.Read more…
That does not settle the question of what the witnesses saw in the sky over Cherry Creek. It does, however, weaken one of the strongest-sounding elements of the story. In the broader debate over the Cherry Creek close encounter, the physical traces are often cited as evidence of a landing, but the investigations conducted afterwards largely pushed them in the opposite direction: away from confirmation and towards ordinary explanation.[Center for UFO Studies]cufos.orgthe skin. This was one of the two.Read more…
Amazon book picks
Further Reading
Books and field guides related to Did Anything Really Land at Cherry Creek?. Use these as the next step if you want deeper reading beyond the article.
The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects
Provides background on how alleged landing evidence and witness claims were investigated.
The UFO Experience: A Scientific Inquiry
Discusses close encounters and the importance of physical evidence.
The UFO Encyclopedia
Places Cherry Creek-style landing claims in broader historical context.
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Marketplace Samples
Live-tested eBay searches with available results related to this page.
Selected fromUFO poster oneBay.co.uk.
Endnotes
1.
Source: cufos.org
Link:https://cufos.org/PDFs/UFOI_and_Selected_Documents/cases/1965_08_19_US_NY_Cherry-Creek_GALGANSKI_Butcher-CE-II.pdf
Source snippet
the skin. This was one of the two.Read more...
2.
Source: dailymed.nlm.nih.gov
Title: BLUE-KOTE stains anything, wet or
Link:https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/fda/fdaDrugXsl.cfm?setid=76f27e86-a8c6-decc-c987-a06b7462ad53&type=display
Source snippet
BLU-KOTE® Veterinary Antiseptic-Protective Wound DressingEffective treatment for FUNGUS INFECTION, SURFACE WOUNDS, CUTS, GALLS, C...
Additional References
3.
Source: af.mil
Title: unidentified flying objects and air force project blue book
Link:https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/104590/unidentified-flying-objects-and-air-force-project-blue-book/
Source snippet
Air ForceUnidentified Flying Objects and Air Force Project Blue BookFrom 1947 to 1969, the Air Force investigated Unidentified Flying Obj...
4.
Source: facebook.com
Title: Unfortunately we see it sold often in the backyard chicken
Link:https://www.facebook.com/PoultryDoc/videos/always-make-sure-to-read-the-labels-on-the-products-you-use-to-treat-your-food-p/2139282473534094/
Source snippet
it's illegal for an animal who's been treated with gentian violet, and...May 6, 2026 — Blu-Kote contains gentian violet which is banned...
Published: May 6, 2026
5.
Source: governmentattic.org
Title: An Annotated Bibliography, Lynn E
Link:https://www.governmentattic.org/13docs/UFOsRelatedSubjBiblio_Catoe_1969.pdf
Source snippet
Catoe, Prepared byLaboratory analysis of soil samples revealed no traces of material not indigenous to earth: this was also true of analy...
6.
Source: youtube.com
Title: Jacques Vallée – Dimensions: A Casebook of Alien Contact (part one)
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBsJKtCQ3BY
Source snippet
David Icke talks conspiracy theories - BBC News BBC News · 2M views...
7.
Source: youtube.com
Title: Fact-Checking the History Channel’s Project Blue Book Series
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU1G_8SSquk
Source snippet
Talk Is Jericho: Alien Sightings, Abductions, and the Big Foot Connection...
8.
Source: youtube.com
Title: Falcon Lake Incident: The Most Credible UFO Case in History
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0e6dKxkqbn8
Source snippet
Jacques Vallée -- Dimensions: A Casebook of Alien Contact (part one)...
9.
Source: instagram.com
Title: Blu-Kote vs
Link:https://www.instagram.com/reel/DKVGeNhvjLW/?hl=en
Source snippet
Red-Kote: What's the difference & why I keep both in my...May 31, 2025 — Fast-drying & fights bacteria + fungus... The blue color helps...
Published: May 31, 2025
10.
Source: piedmontfarmandgarden.com
Title: Shop Dr
Link:https://www.piedmontfarmandgarden.com/Dr-Naylor-Blu-Kote-4oz-Pump-Spray-For-Sale-p/dr_naylor_blu-kote_4oz_pump.htm
Source snippet
Naylor Blu-Kote 4oz Pump Spray | Fast-Drying Antiseptic...Known for its brilliant violet-blue color, Blu-Kote quickly penetrates the ski...
11.
Source: youtube.com
Title: Episode 90- Rob Kristoffersen of Our Strange Skies
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsEv49laXrc
Source snippet
Falcon Lake Incident: The Most Credible UFO Case in History...
12.
Source: bayourobertcoop.com
Link:https://bayourobertcoop.com/catalog/product/317538/blu-kote-wound-care