'Black Mailbox' a Mecca for UFO Believers

For many, the search for extra-terrestrial life centers on a farming couple's mailbox

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Aug 21, 2008 9:15 AM CDT

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'Black Mailbox' a Mecca for UFO Believers — Some people who camp in the Nevada desert at night report seeing strange lights in the sky. ((c) AlphaTangoBravo / Adam Baker)

A faded, handmade mailbox on a lonely stretch of Nevada highway has become an unlikely tourist attraction, the Los Angeles Times reports. The "Black Mailbox," belonging to a nearby ranching couple, has become a magnet for UFO believers who suspect it is a postbox for extraterrestrials. Some spend nights camped out by the box, waiting, or communing with like-minded souls.

The box, the only landmark for 40 miles, developed a following after claims of saucer sitings turned the nearest town into a hotspot for UFO-hunters. Visitors leave bumper stickers and notes. Some try to break in, and it's been shot up a few times, resulting in the original black mailbox being replaced by a white, bullet-proof, Master-Locked version. Its bemused owners have added an "Alien Drop Box" with a slot on the side: Occasionally visitors leave dollar bills.
(Read more Nevada stories.)

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