Area 51, located in Southern Nevada is one of the most mysterious and controversial places on the planet. Conspiracies regarding the strange piece of government land are almost endless, and numerous websites, documentaries, and civilian organizations exist to unearth its mystifying landscape.

Believe it or not, the Mount Rushmore State has its own peculiar equivalent to Area 51, and it's hiding in plain sight. Sort of...

South Dakota's version of Area 51 doesn't get nearly as much media coverage as its Nevada counterpart, but there is no denying that a number of baffling things have occurred there over the decades.

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Welcome to Ellsworth Air Force Base

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Ellsworth Air Force Base, located just 15 minutes from South Dakota's most populous West River City, Rapid City, is home to some of the most courageous residents the Mount Rushmore State has to offer. Its long history is steeped in an honorable military tradition that dates back to 1941.

That being said, Ellsworth Air Force Base is also home to a number of mysterious events that have taken place over the decades.

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According to Only in Your State South Dakota, in the early 1950s, the appearance of an unidentified flying object (UFO) was spotted flying around the Ellsworth Air Force Base vicinity. Despite several eyewitness accounts, those in charge deemed the event as "not suspicious", giving a number of reasons why.

However, a number of other UFO-related events have taken place in or around the base in the years since, leading many to believe that something is going on there that the greater public is not aware of.

You can read more about this possible UFO sighting, and see a photo gallery from Only in Your State South Dakota here.

Story Source: Only In Your State South Dakota,

4 South Dakota Stories Featured on 'Unsolved Mysteries'

I am a longtime fan of the television show Unsolved Mysteries. The classic version from the 80s/90s. I remember a few times the late Robert Stack introduced a mystery in South Dakota

Looking through their archives, we found four South Dakota mysteries that were featured on Unsolved Mysteries. Do you remember these cases that still have a lot of unanswered questions?

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