A worn photograph tucked away in a forgotten shelf of the Fargo, North Dakota library caught my eye - four strange creatues standing in front of a barn. The tintype style placed it in the late 1800s.

I soon learned the photo was taken on the Jensen homestead outside of town. I visited the property, now abandoned, but found the barn still standing - and matching the one in the photograph exactly.

I traced the Jensens' descendants and interviewed the elderly grandson. He confirmed what I'd intuited - the creatures were extraterrestrial beings who had visited the family in 1869. The Jensens kept the encounter secret but treasured that remarkable moment of contact for the rest of their lives.

The evidence was finally coming to light after decades of being overshadowed by myths of Roswell and Area 51. But this discovery was different - grounded in history, centered on ordinary people lucky enough to host interstellar guests on their remote homestead.

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