Balloon Sighting Near Black Water Lake, BC

This document details a historical report of an aerial sighting near Black Water Lake, British Columbia, in July 1896. The account originates from a report in the Victoria, B.C. Semi-Weekly Colonist dated August 13, 1896, and is referenced in the work of Loren E. Gross. The core of the report concerns a hunting party of Kitapiox Indians, led by their paramount chief, Chief Ghail. Upon returning to Hazelton from a hunting expedition, Chief Ghail reported to the local Indian affairs office that he and his warriors had observed an object in the sky on the evening of July 3, 1896. The object was described as displaying very bright lights and moving in a northerly direction. The witnesses believed the object to be a balloon associated with a Swedish expedition to the North Pole, which had been publicized as being sent in the summer of 1896. A note provided by UFO*BC clarifies that while the Swedish government had indeed announced plans for such a balloon, the actual departure was delayed until July 1897, at which point it crashed on pack ice far from Canada. The note suggests that many sightings in Canada and the United States during 1896 were erroneously attributed to this specific Swedish balloon project.