Alien Abduction A Tourism Draw?

cobalt123 / Flickr

If this little guy looks familiar to you, it's thanks in large part to Betty and Barney Hill, who helped make the gray alien image iconic. This figure stands at the entrance of the Red Planet Diner in Sedona, CA.

If you haven’t heard of Betty and Barney Hill, you either weren’t born–or very old–before the 1960’s, or you’re not terribly interested in (alleged) alien abductions.

I promise, this really (might) have to do with business.

Anyway, the Hills were a Portsmouth couple who were driving through the White Mountains in 1961 when they claimed to have seen a cigar-shaped UFO.  They said they were abducted, poked, and prodded by gray aliens.  When the story got out in 1965, it was the first “widely-reported” alien abduction in American history.

And now, Lee Speigel of the Huffington Post reports the state has put up an historical marker near the Indian Head Resort to commemorate the (alleged) event.

So is this a bid to draw Roswell enthusiasts and other True Believers to the Granite State?