6 Conspiracy Theories In Arizona That Will Make You Question Everything

When “The X-Files” first premiered in 1993, I vividly remember spending many Friday nights watching the show with my mom just a few inches away from me in case things go too scary (I was nine, afterall). I never knew much about aliens or conspiracy theories until I started watching the show and I think for a lot of people, it provided both an introduction and outlet into those ideas.

Today we’re going to look at a few conspiracy theories that have gained attention both within our local communities and, in some cases, even gained national attention.

Rool Paap/Flickr

Theories about the streaked contrails seen across the sky actually diffusing unknown chemicals on the public isn't particularly specific to Arizona. While scientists have explained that these are just water vapors interacting with a specific temperature and humidity, it hasn't stopped some people from questioning these claims.

In fact, their apparent threat and concern from the community was enough for State Senator Kelli Ward to host a public meeting in Kingman to discuss their existence in 2014.

John Menard/Flickr

In 2015, there was quite a bit of online chatter about Sunset Crater becoming active once again, with some even claiming a plume rose from the volcano in June of that year. The National Park Service quickly debunked this theory, however. They confirmed that Sunset Crater is an extinct volcano and will not erupt again. However, they also said that the volcano field in the Flagstaff area is still active but eruptions aren't expected to happen for another millenium or two. I think we won't have much to worry about until then.

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Kevin Dooley/Flickr

Perhaps one of Arizona's most famous alien encounters is one that took place in 1975 near Snowflake. Walton disappeared for five days after a logging trip and claimed to have undergone testing from aliens during this time. However, over the years (and even within a short time period of the incident), Walton's story changed, which caused some people to assume the entire encounter was imagined. Whether or not the events actually occurred are unknown, but Walton and his supporters continue to believe the events as true.

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U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School/Flickr

Last summer, the military operated a multi-state training exercise that led to quite a few questions about why this was happening. Plenty of Arizonans and other people living in Western states expressed concern over the heightened presence of the military, a degree of interruption in their daily lives, and, of course, led to a large number of speculations about what the training entailed.

Alan Levine/Flickr

Here's a popular one that is widely accepted and continually spouted each year from conservative news outlets with little evidence to prove it. A number of politicians have claimed it to be a state-wide problem and spent an enormous amount of time and money to prevent undocumented immigrants from voting in elections but the numbers indicate it's a rare occurrence. Even the Arizona Republic, which leans slightly right in their news interpretation, reported there has been a total of two cases in which undocumented immigrants attempted to vote fraudulently since 2005.

Michael/Flickr

Although these were witnessed by people across the state, they earned the nickname the "Phoenix Lights" after huge numbers of people in the Phoenix area claimed to watch them fly over the night sky. While some experts have said they were simply planes, flares, or balloons, the public demanded answers from government and military officials but none were able to provide a definitive answer, which only led to more speculation.

What other conspiracy theories in Arizona do you know of?