100 years ago, the Johnstown meteorite fell to Earth

DENVER ( KDVR ) — On July 6, 1924, an extraterrestrial object fell to Earth and landed in Colorado, interrupting a nearby funeral.

The object was cool to the touch when it was dug up less than an hour after it fell and has been officially dubbed the “Johnstown meteorite.”

The meteorite fall

According to a paper written by Edmund Hovey and published by the American Museum of Natural History in 1925, around 200 people witnessed the meteorite fall in Weld County.

Some accounts described the noise during the fall as “shrill screeches” or “the exhaust of an aeroplane,” and that at least four large fragments were seen falling.

Hovey said the first piece that was unearthed fell in the road around 30 feet from a church in Elwell, west of Johnstown, where a funeral was being held. After the funeral, the undertaker began digging where it had fallen and found it buried less than two feet under the ground.

The name of the meteorite is simple: “Johnstown meteorite.” According to Hovey, it had to be named after Johnstown because Elwell did not appear in the post office directory.

Other fragments of the meteorite were recovered in various areas, with the farthest fragment being found in Mead.

Pieces of the meteorite are housed in several locations across America, including the American Museum of Natural History in New York City where the largest piece lives, along with the Denver Museum of Natural History and the Chicago Field Museum.

The Johnstown Historical Society will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the meteorite’s fall on July 6 . Festivities kick off at Johnstown Cemetery where a memorial space and historical marker commemorating the event will be dedicated.

The commemoration will also include events at Roosevelt High School later that day. Festivities will end with the town’s first-ever drone show, according to the historical society.

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