Joplin Spooklight #1

by Fred Larucci

Original - Not For Sale

Price

Not Specified

Dimensions

10.000 x 10.000 inches

Title

Joplin Spooklight #1

Artist

Fred Larucci

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

(2016) "Joplin Spooklight" - Photography by F. Larucci

The Spooklight, also called the Hornet Spooklight, Hollis Light and Joplin Spook Light, is a ghost light reported to appear in a small area known locally as the "Devil's Promenade" on the border between southwestern Missouri and northeastern Oklahoma, west of the small town of Hornet, Missouri.

Even though it is named after a small, unincorporated community in Missouri, and is most easily reached from there, the light is most commonly described as being visible from inside the Oklahoma border looking to the west. The Spooklight is usually described as a single ball of light or a tight grouping of lights that is said to appear in the area regularly, usually at night. Although the description of the light is similar to that of other visual phenomena witnessed throughout the world, the term "Spooklight", when standing alone, generally refers to this specific case. Numerous legends exist explaining the origin of the Spooklight, one of which involves the ghosts of two young Native American lovers looking for each other.

According to most accounts, it has appeared continually since the late 19th century, although it was generally not well known to anyone but locals until after World War II. Some date the first encounters with the light back to the Trail of Tears in the 1830s. The first documented sighting is generally accepted to have occurred in 1881, although some report sightings as far back as 1866. The earliest published report dates to 1936 in the Kansas City Star.

In 1946, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers studied the "Hornet Light", but could not find a cause for it. In their words, it was a "mysterious light of unknown origin". Early residents of the area reported seeing lights in the woods, over their land, or even in their yards.

During the 1960s, a general store in Hornet gave out information about the light to sightseers. It included a "Spooklight Museum". Various establishments along the Missouri–Oklahoma state line have served a similar function, but have since closed. During the 1960s and 1970s, the roads where the Spooklight usually appears were often packed with parked vehicles and people hoping to get a glimpse of the mysterious light.

Aficionados say the best chances for spotting the light occur after dark when parked on Oklahoma East 50 Road, four miles south of the tri-state junction of Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma in Ottawa County, Oklahoma, and looking to the west. One must sit very silently. The light has been seen in backyards of the area and has been spotted both near to and far away from sightseers. Its color is also inconsistent: some eyewitnesses report a greenish glow, while others describe it as orange, red, yellow, or even blue. It is almost always said to be in the shape of a ball, although some say it more closely resembles a camping lantern traveling a couple of feet off the ground.

Uploaded

December 16th, 2020

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