The Hornet Spook Light

On almost any evening in the small hamlet of Hornet, MO, curious onlookers, and paranormal investigators can observe the Hornet Spook Light. The light bobs and bounces along a dirt road in northeast Oklahoma, near the town of Quapaw, but since it is most often seen from the east, it has been attached to the tiny village of Hornet, and the larger town of Joplin, MO.

People who see the Spook Light, most often describe it as an orange ball of light. This dancing light travels from east to west along a quiet four-mile gravel road most identified as the Devil's Promenade by area locals.

According to the old-timers and legendary tales, Native Americans first discovered the Spook Light along the Trail of Tears in 1836. Then, in 1881, a story appeared around the strange phenomena in a publication titled, "The Ozark Spook Light."

The Spook Light varies in size. When the Spook Light appears, some say it is the size of a baseball, others a basketball. The light dances, bobs, weaves, and spins. It zips from one spot to another, often rising and hovering above the treetops. The orange orb has been making appearances for well over one hundred years. Locals suggest looking for the spook light between 10:00 pm and midnight but be warned. The spook light tends to shy away from large group gatherings and loud sounds.

Various theories have been posed, trying to explain this peculiar anomaly. A couple of the most common paranormal explanations are this light represents the spirits of Native American Tribes, specifically from the Quapaw Nation or it is the ghost of a miner, swinging his lamp as he searches for his wife and child kidnapped by Native Americans over a century ago. People in the scientific realm have suggested possibilities as well. Some say it could be swamp gas; others believe the Spook Light appears because of minerals in the air. Others say the light appears because of electrical or sub-atomic disturbances caused by the New Madrid Fault. Truthfully, no one really knows.

In 1942, students from the University of Michigan, camped around the Spook Light for two weeks. They spent many hours studying the light and documenting its behavior. As a part of this scientific experiment, they fired high powered rifles at the Light. They returned to school without any concrete evidence about its source. In 1946, members of the Army Corps of Engineers, based at Camp Crowder, studied the Light and could not find a cause for it. They dubbed it "a mysterious light of unknown origin." In the 1950's, an amateur sleuth and retired Army Captain set out to unveil the mystery behind the Light. He speculated that the headlights of cars on the nearby interstate passed through layers of air of differing density or temperature. In other words, the Light could be attributed to refraction. However, that does not explain the Light's appearances well before automobiles were invented. One of the more outlandish theories is that the Light serves as a portal to another dimension.

When my mother was a child, her family traveled to see the Hornet Spook Light. Not only did they see the Spook Light, but the light interacted with them, prancing on the interior of the car on the dashboard. Spooky! A couple of decades later, my buddies and I drove out to the isolated spot and beheld the Spook Light ourselves. The Light did not give us a close encounter, but it did skitter about in the treetops a few yards away.

The Hornet Spook Light is one of America's greatest mysteries. If ever traveling in the region of the Spook Light, building this into the itinerary is a must. Though many theories exist as to the Light's origins, no one really knows. For more information on the Hornet Spook Light, you can check out the Ghost Research Society online.