The large meteorite, along with collective smaller pieces, rests in the La Paz Collection at the University of New Mexico. Other pieces went to the University of Nebraska. The blazing "ball of fire" when first sighted late afternoon of Wednesday, February 19, 1948 was seen by people in six states: New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. Most sources will only say three or four but combining all newspaper accounts and Project Blue Book files found there were reports of people seeing the ball of fire and/or hearing the earthshattering boom when it plowed into the earth on the borderlands of northwestern Kansas and southwestern Nebraska. Today the rock's official name is Norton County due to the largest sample being found there first.
Eyewitness statements by the crew of a B-29 and observant Highway Patrol, local people and more provide some interesting, and sometimes contradictory information. It was roundish, multicolored, and blazing like a ball of fire. Eyewitness accounts indicate it seemed to turn over in a "jellyroll", then straightened, and then did another jellyroll, repeating until it exploded. The explosion was reported as being seen, felt, and heard across at least three states (Nebraska, Kansas, and Colorado) closest. Other regions were concerned enough that they called out crash vehicles and emergency trucks fearing planes had gone down. No matter where they were when they looked no downed planes or exploded businesses could be located. The April issue of Sky and Telescope of 1948 has a multipage article.
Some states said the object was viewed at 4 p.m. and some said 5 p.m. and differences were blamed on time zones. Although the military time used on one report indicated the 4 pm time was most accurate.
The earliest reports appear to have come from the area of Alburquerque, New Mexico and then reports by people of the 'ball of fire' heading "southeast" of Limon, Colorado and then reports of people in Buffalo, Oklahoma and Gage, Oklahoma in the panhandle indicate a northeastern trajectory. From Buffalo, Oklahoma it is a 221 miles trip straight north to Norton, Kansas and the nearby Nebraska site.
Over Norton County, Kansas the "great ball of fire" exploded with a poweful, concussive explosion that some people said had a "mushroom" cloud and all indicated generated a great deal of white smoke.
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