The Hornet Spook Light
On a gravel road on the Missouri–Oklahoma border, a ball of light rises, bobs and fades before anyone gets close.
What was reported
On a stretch of road locals call the Devil's Promenade, people have long reported a light the size of a lantern that appears ahead, sways or splits, and retreats when approached. Stories link it to a lost miner or a pair of separated lovers.
It became a local attraction in the 20th century, with a small museum nearby.
Explanations offered
Studies, including one by the US Army Corps of Engineers in the 1940s, linked the light to car headlights on a highway miles to the west, which line up with the road and appear to float because of the hills and the atmosphere. Some people say it was seen before cars, which the studies cannot answer.
- When
- Reported since the late 1800s
- Where
- Near Hornet, Missouri, on the Oklahoma border, USA
- Witnesses
- Generations of locals and visitors
- Status
- Mostly explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.