The Black Mail Box

 

The Black Mail Box 

At first glance at the above picture, and reading the title, my first question was, “If this is the black mailbox, why is it white?”  Could this be a conspiracy with Area 51?!  With later investigation, I found out why.

Let’s start with the facts.  The Black Mailbox is located on State Route 375, otherwise known as Extraterrestrial Highway.  It belongs to a local rancher, who owns the only ranch in Tikaboo Valley.  Because it is located so close to top-secret Area 51, most people began to associate it with Area 51.  Rumors began to spread that it WAS the mailbox of Area 51.  Many travelers also began to report sights of UFO’s and lights in the sky around the Black Mailbox. 

The original Black Mailbox was actually black.  Because of the assumptions and rumors, people would rummage through the owner’s mail, and often there were bullet holes in the mailbox and mail.  These tourists were searching for Area 51 information, only to find normal bills and advertisements.  The original mailbox was auctioned off to a UFO enthusiast for $1000.  The owner then bought the white mailbox, bullet proof and equipped with a padlock. 

Some implications to having this mailbox on his ranch, not only having his mail searched, and shot at but people actually camp out right next to the mailbox.  Tourists have even been known to leave graffiti on the once white mailbox.  It is now covered with people’s initials, sayings, dates and times of visits.  But thanks to the Black Mailbox, and its popularity, many other restaurants and businesses have taken an “alien theme” to cater to the many tourists each year. 

There are many theories as to why people claim to see UFO’s at the Black Mailbox.  One of which is due to the fact of Area 51 using the airspace for test flights, it is quite possible that people would see “flying aircraft” in the skies.  There are many training flights, that use flares in their demonstrations, and many UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicle) that, to the untrained eye many look very exotic and unusual.

-Jenny Robertson