Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

Arkansas Granny

(32,265 posts)
4. The Hornet Spook Light.
Wed Aug 2, 2017, 02:27 PM
Aug 2017

I grew up just a few miles from this natural phenomenon and saw it often while I was growing up. It has been studied many times, but is still a mystery. Some of the old folks that lived in the community then recalled their parents and grandparents talking about the legends that grew up around it.

------------

Bobbing and bouncing along a dirt road in northeast Oklahoma is the Hornet Spook Light, a paranormal enigma for more than a century. Described most often as an orange ball of light, the orb travels from east to west along a four-mile gravel road, long called the Devil's Promenade by area locals.

The Spook Light, often referred to as the Joplin Spook Light or the Tri-State Spook Light, is actually in Oklahoma near the small town of Quapaw. However, it is most often seen from the east, which is why it has been "attached” to the tiny hamlet of Hornet, Missouri, and the larger, better-known town of Joplin.

According to the legend, the spook light was first seen by Indians along the infamous Trail of Tears in 1836; however, the first "official” report occurred in 1881 in a publication called the Ozark Spook Light.

The ball of fire, described as varying from the size of a baseball to a basketball, dances and spins down the center of the road at high speeds, rising and hovering above the treetops, before it retreats and disappears. Others have said it sways from side to side, like a lantern being carried by some invisible force. In any event, the orange fire-like ball has reportedly been appearing nightly for well over 100 years. According to locals, the best time to view the spook light is between the hours of 10:00 pm and midnight and tends to shy away from large groups and loud sounds.

http://www.joplinmo.org/575/The-Spook-Light

Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

We have a 'secret' bamboo forest - in Prattville, Alabama! yallerdawg Aug 2017 #1
Love it! Baitball Blogger Aug 2017 #7
There was a stand like that in Havana, FL. Lochloosa Aug 2017 #15
You remained fairly ambitious. yallerdawg Aug 2017 #17
Let's just say, I had a built in clientele. Lochloosa Aug 2017 #32
A small nook, in the middle of nowhere. Xipe Totec Aug 2017 #2
. Baitball Blogger Aug 2017 #8
for me it was an erupting volcano Brainstormy Aug 2017 #3
And not one picture to see? Baitball Blogger Aug 2017 #9
... Lochloosa Aug 2017 #16
Look at that shimmer across the lake! Baitball Blogger Aug 2017 #21
too lazy to dig 'em out. n/t :) Brainstormy Aug 2017 #33
The Hornet Spook Light. Arkansas Granny Aug 2017 #4
This could be elevated with video. Baitball Blogger Aug 2017 #11
This seems to be a decent video starting at about the 11 minute mark. Arkansas Granny Aug 2017 #22
Very cool! Baitball Blogger Aug 2017 #23
There's rocks aplenty in that area, but there's no crystal and no mountain. Arkansas Granny Aug 2017 #24
Well, it is excting. Baitball Blogger Aug 2017 #25
One of my sons and his friends MuseRider Aug 2017 #37
This message was self-deleted by its author Glorfindel Aug 2017 #5
The tiny " bar" in the back of Caffe Florian fierywoman Aug 2017 #6
Anything about Italy is magical. Baitball Blogger Aug 2017 #12
my son was stationed there for 3 or 4 years, we visited onethatcares Aug 2017 #50
The Little Grand Canyon aka Providence Canyon Outdoor Recreation Area in GA. Lochloosa Aug 2017 #10
Red Clay always captures my imagination. Baitball Blogger Aug 2017 #13
This is not the red clay your used to. This is sand. The pics don't capture the amount of pink. Lochloosa Aug 2017 #14
That place is so cool! yallerdawg Aug 2017 #19
Beautiful! Baitball Blogger Aug 2017 #20
That looks like a watercolor painting. Auntie Bush Aug 2017 #27
Your pictures are beautiful! MuseRider Aug 2017 #36
Those are gorgeous! Lars39 Aug 2017 #39
You could spend a long day there and not see all of the canyons. Lochloosa Aug 2017 #40
Neat! Lars39 Aug 2017 #41
An abandoned access tunnel underneath the Residenz in Wurzburg, Germany. Aristus Aug 2017 #18
Jimmy Hoffa's grave jberryhill Aug 2017 #26
This is actually a state park but very few go all the way WhiteTara Aug 2017 #28
my secret location is actually a secret. unblock Aug 2017 #29
My little scuba divers group from Kansas MuseRider Aug 2017 #30
What an adventure! Post the photos if you find them. Baitball Blogger Aug 2017 #31
I will but they are not of the dive. MuseRider Aug 2017 #35
Moorea Tahiti ...Vaioro Falls yuiyoshida Aug 2017 #34
I've been in the basement of The Pentagon and I've been to North Korea MrScorpio Aug 2017 #38
One more suggestion. If you visit North or Central Florida, visit the springs. Lochloosa Aug 2017 #42
Which springs? Baitball Blogger Aug 2017 #43
There are several state park springs. Any of those are great. Lochloosa Aug 2017 #44
Here's a good website for springs in Florida. I've been to most of them. Lochloosa Aug 2017 #46
I've tried canoeing on the Wekiva Baitball Blogger Aug 2017 #47
In Forest Hills, Queens PennyK Aug 2017 #45
A nuclear missle silo MosheFeingold Aug 2017 #48
I've been inside the launch control caves, but never the silos themselves Major Nikon Aug 2017 #55
Eagles Peak, Greenfields Pennsylvania onethatcares Aug 2017 #49
I visited a relative of a relative's ranch when I was a teen. One direction and applegrove Aug 2017 #51
For me it has always been and always will be Dealey Plaza. 7wo7rees Aug 2017 #52
Bell Witch Cave... Podkayne K Aug 2017 #53
I have pictures from my last colonscopy Major Nikon Aug 2017 #54
The secret dining rooms in the Columbia Restaurant, Ybor City, Florida csziggy Aug 2017 #56
Now, that's very cool! Baitball Blogger Aug 2017 #57
Latest Discussions»The DU Lounge»Share a secret place that...»Reply #4