The Paulding Light
At the end of a forest road in Michigan, a light appears in the distance at night, glows and fades. Legend says it's an old railwayman's lantern.
What was reported
Since the 1960s, people have driven to a viewing spot on a forest road near Paulding, in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, to watch a light that appears in the valley at night: a white or red glow that brightens, wavers and fades away. A sign at the spot tells the local legend that it is the lantern of a railwayman killed on the line.
Crowds gather on summer nights to see it.
Explanations offered
In 2010, students from Michigan Technological University studied the light with a telescope and found they could see car headlights and tail lights on a highway several kilometres away, distorted by the hills and the air. They timed lights to passing cars. Most researchers accept this explanation.
- When
- Reported since the 1960s; tested in 2010
- Where
- Robbins Pond Road, near Paulding, Michigan, USA
- Witnesses
- Visitors; Michigan Tech students
- Status
- 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.