General Descriptions

The most popular "Halloween" attraction in Clark County, Arkansas must be the "Gurdon Light", a mysterious phenomena that has been appearing here for generations. Over the last several decades, hundreds of witnesses have observed the light. It has been seen on local television stations and has been photographed by students at nearby Henderson State University. There is no doubt that the light exists.... although what it is and what legends are behind its existence remains to be seen. Gurdon, Arkansas is located on south of Little Rock and is a small, sleepy little town of only about 2,000 people. It is said that many of the local people have Gurdon have seen the "light" more than one hundred times in their life and while it is an accepted fact of this place, those same people still have no idea just how to explain why the light exists. There is a legend, which will come as no surprise to "ghost light buffs", that tells of a railroad worker who was working along a stretch of tracks outside of town. He accidentally fell into the path of an oncoming train and his head was severed from his body. Of course, the ghost of this railroad worker is said to walk the tracks at night and the "ghost light" is the light from his lantern as he searches for his missing head. The only thing that makes this story a little different from other tales of the "phantom brakeman" is that a real-life murder did take place here and may explain why the light was seen a short time later. This light cannot be seen from the highway, so if you have plans to visit the place, be prepared to do some hiking! You must leave your car at the road and walk approximately two-and-a-half miles to reach the place where the ghost light has been seen. You will pass by two trestles before it is seen and and the spot is marked by a slight incline in the tracks and then a long hill. According to Mark Evans, who provided this information to GHOSTS OF THE PRAIRIE, he has seen the light on several occasions. It is white and blue and sometimes orange in color and it has a very distinct border, almost as if it is shining through a plastic lens. It always sways back and forth and stays in motion, probably explaining why the legend of the railroad lantern was started. The light is frequently seen on the darkest nights and best when it is cloudy and overcast. The light never reflects off the tracks and because of its remote location cannot be a reflection from passing headlights or anything else that is easily explainable. Gurdon, Arkansas is located about 75 miles south of Little Rock on Interstate 30 and is located just east of the Interstate on Highway 67. The location of the light is outside of town and along a stretch of railroad tracks. It takes at least a couple of hours to reach the location and exact directions may be obtained in Gurdon. Return to the Main Page Copyright 1998 by Troy Taylor (http://www.prairieghosts.com/gurdon.html)

This mysterious light appears on railroad tracks outside of the small town of Gurdon, Arkansas. Hundreds of people have seen the light since the early 1900s. It is described as white, blue, or orange/yellow and bobs back and forth. The light moves along the tracks for about 50 yards before it disappears. This motion is consistent with other ghost lights, and so is local legend, which attributes the light to a ghostly railroad worker searching for his head. Apparently there was a real murder at one time along the tracks, so perhaps the light really is ghostly in origin. The Gurdon Ghost Light Information from Ghosts of the Prairie The Gurdon Light Information from The Spooklight Page Andrew's Personal Info A teen comments briefly on the ghost light (http://www.ghosts.org/ghostlights/gurdon.html)

The Gurdon Light Since we went south to see the ghost of Henderson, let's venture a little further South. Our next stop is Gurdon where we shall see the mysterious ghost light that haunts there. Unlike some of the other hauntings, it's a present phenomena and not something that's only been seen in the past. It's been seen on television, photographed by tourists and generally accepted as existing. Rather it's a ghostly marker from beyond the grave or a natural scientific phenomena is up for debate. The local people tell a legend to explain the light. The legend is actually historically accurate. A railroad worker was working outside of the town one night. He accidently fell into the path of a train and was killed. His head was severed from his body and never found. Local people say the light is actually the light from his lantern as he walks the tracks searching for his missing head. The death of the railman is a documented fact. It is also true that the light appeared shortly after his death. Are the two related? The townspeople say yes. This light cannot be seen from the highway. You have to go to it. It's a two and half mile hike to the place where you can view the mysterious lantern. You will pass by two trestles before it is seen. The spot is marked by a slight incline in the tracks and then a long hill. The light is an eerie white-blue light which sometimes appears orangish. The light sways back and forth and moves around on the horizon. The light is frequently seen on the darkest nights and best seen when it is cloudy and overcast. The light never reflects off the tracks and there are no roads or buildings nearby so it isn't a reflection from passing headlights or anything else that is easily explainable. There have been investigations into the phenomena and nobody has come up with an explanation. However, there is a theory that suggests stress on the quartz crystals underneath Gurdon causes them to emit electricity and produce the light. Gurdon, Arkansas is located about 75 miles south of Little Rock on Interstate 30 and is located just east of the Interstate on Highway 67. The light is outside of town and along a stretch of railroad tracks. It takes a couple of hours to reach the location. You can ask for directions in Gurdon. Ask at any gas station. Everyone in this small town knows what you mean (they call it "ghost light bluffs"). This one I've actually seen for myself. It's quite bizarre but I don't think it looks like a lantern. It's a very crisp, clear light that you can see moving around. My friend and I tried to get close enough to it to see what it was, but that is impossible, it keeps moving around and once you get to where it was, it's gone. This a popular spot for kids on Halloween. (http://littlerock.about.com/citiestowns/southeastus/littlerock/library/weekly/aa070200g.htm)

The most popular "Halloween" attraction in Clark County, Arkansas must be the "Gurdon Light", a mysterious phenomena that has been appearing here for generations. Over the last several decades, hundreds of witnesses have observed the light. It has been seen on local television stations and has been photographed by students at nearby Henderson State University. There is no doubt that the light exists.... although what it is and what legends are behind its existence remains to be seen. Gurdon, Arkansas is located on south of Little Rock and is a small, sleepy little town of only about 2,000 people. It is said that many of the local people have Gurdon have seen the "light" more than one hundred times in their life and while it is an accepted fact of this place, those same people still have no idea just how to explain why the light exists. There is a legend, which will come as no surprise to "ghost light buffs", that tells of a railroad worker who was working along a stretch of tracks outside of town. He accidentally fell into the path of an oncoming train and his head was severed from his body. Of course, the ghost of this railroad worker is said to walk the tracks at night and the "ghost light" is the light from his lantern as he searches for his missing head. The only thing that makes this story a little different from other tales of the "phantom brakeman" is that a real-life murder did take place here and may explain why the light was seen a short time later. This light cannot be seen from the highway, so if you have plans to visit the place, be prepared to do some hiking! You must leave your car at the road and walk approximately two-and-a-half miles to reach the place where the ghost light has been seen. You will pass by two trestles before it is seen and and the spot is marked by a slight incline in the tracks and then a long hill. According to Mark Evans, he has seen the light on several occasions. It is white and blue and sometimes orange in color and it has a very distinct border, almost as if it is shining through a plastic lens. It always sways back and forth and stays in motion, probably explaining why the legend of the railroad lantern was started. The light is frequently seen on the darkest nights and best when it is cloudy and overcast. The light never reflects off the tracks and because of its remote location cannot be a reflection from passing headlights or anything else that is easily explainable. Gurdon, Arkansas is located about 75 miles south of Little Rock on Interstate 30 and is located just east of the Interstate on Highway 67. The location of the light is outside of town and along a stretch of railroad tracks. It takes at least a couple of hours to reach the location and exact directions may be obtained in Gurdon.( http://www.ipa.net/~brianedx/gurdon.htm)

From: Vlfriscia@aol.com Date: Mon, 16 Aug 1999 02:54:32 EDT Subject: Crossett Light To: obiwan@ghosts.org Having read on your website about the Gurdon Light, I must tell you that that same story is prevalent in the Crossett, Arkansas, area (southeast corner of the state). I grew up in that area and yes, I did make one trip while I was in college - right before I moved to California - and yes, I did see lights. It was incredibly spooky, and if there hadn't been a whole bunch of us I would have made sure we got out of there really fast. Considering the relative isolation of the area at the time (1969-70), I really don't know what other explanation there could have been. Certainly there were no other cars in the area, nor was the area lit by streetlights. Brrrrrrrr! (http://www.ghosts.org/ghostlights/crossetlight.html)

* Background on the light The Gurdon Light is a "spook light" seen on the railroad tracks near the town of Gurdon, Arkansas. Gurdon is located south of Interstate Highway 30 in the south western part of Arkansas, near Arkadelphia, south of Hot Springs. The Gurdon light has been seen frequently on the tracks since the 1930s. The TV show "Unsolved Mysteries" did a story on it. Nobody knows what the Gurdon light is. Some people claim it is the ghost of Will McClain, a railroad foreman who was killed in the 1930s by an employee he had just fired because McClain suspected him of causing a derailment a short time before. McClain's head was severed and the legend is that the Gurdon light is his spirit swinging a railroad lantern, out looking for his head. Some think that the light is caused by electricity generated by geological pressure along the New Madrid fault on underground quartz crystals that are common in the area. Few if any think it's swamp gas. Though the area is somewhat swampy, the light has been observed on windy nights. There was too little information on the Web about the Gurdon Light for me to feel I knew where to go looking for it. With the help of some current and former Gurdon residents I found the information I needed and more. I've tried to put together enough of it here for a person who wants to try to see the light to know where to go and to have an idea of what he will encounter. You will need is some old clothes. If you cross trestle 432.1 your pants are likely to get stained at the bottom, but not otherwise. You will need some good tough soled shoes for walking on ties and gravel, and a couple of flashlights. Bring a friend or two if you can. Go on a dark night, preferably without moon light. Keep an eye out for snakes and the occasional train. You may want to dust yourself with sulpher to discourage chiggers and other pests if you venture off the track at all. There have been few mosquitoes when I've been there despite the swanpy conditions. Don't expect to see the light your first trip. Some people do, some don't. (Trains are rare on the track. Put your ear to the rail to hear if one is coming.) You will hear train whistles occasionally, but they are usually on the track that runs through Gurdon, not on this track. * Land/Track Marks The Track Map is a result of my pacing off most of the length of the track from the Sticky Road to Highway 53. Run the mouse along the tick marks for links to pictures taken from the location to which you are pointing. Below the picture is a list of what you'll see walking in from Highway 53, which is the end at which you'll want to start.

* What I've seen My first trip to Gurdon was on April 14, 1999 with my son, Schuyler. The morning of the 15th about 4:00 a.m. we walked from "Sandy Crossing", where the tracks meet Highway 53 near Sandy Branch Creek, until we'd crossed the first 6 trestles. We saw nothing going west. On the way back we saw distant lights over the tracks. We thought the first was the Gurdon light, but since the highway can be seen as far west as the hill top west of the sixth trestle, I can't be sure it wasn't just car headlights and tail lights on Highway 53. My second trip was Friday, May 7, 1999 and I went with my wife, Linda. My friend and co-worker Robin and her husband David, and her Aunt Joyce came too. Robin and Joyce grew up in Gurdon and have seen the light before. Robin has been within 10 feet of it. Saturday afternoon Linda and I walked the track from the Sandy Crossing, at Highway 53. We did not make it to the Sticky road. Our time ran out. But we did walk about 3.5 miles west and back. Linda took some pictures, including the cemetery that is mentioned in the episode of the TV show "Unsolved Mysteries", and a particularly nice tombstone for Mary Wilson. All five of us came back that night. We did see a strange light or two in the distance. We were at the west end of the third trestle (429.9 miles I suppose) looking west (This picture was taken from that spot in the day.) We don't know what it was. Mostly it was near the horizon just above the tracks. (Simulated picture.) We would see a glow, then a light for a moment, then it would be gone. As you can see from the picture, only the top of the hill and the sky beyond are visible. I went back with a telescope in early June to make sure that traffic on Interstate 30, is not visible from there. Other lights we saw that night included a firefly sitting on the track and blinking brightly as we approached and passed him. We saw the cars passing on Highway 53. The "Unsolved Mysteries" episode has a good shot of that, though they don't tell you that's what it is. We also saw flashlights of a group of young people who were out there to scare each other. We saw their lights first then heard their voices, then a couple girls' mock screams, then they left. Here's an all night exposure that "Unsolved Mysteries" took. It probably really is the Gurdon Light. My third trip was June 4th, 1999. I went by myself. I went out on the track Friday night. I went about half way up the hill past the 6th trestle from Highway 53 and saw nothing other than thousands of fireflies. I noticed that there are two kinds. There are dim greenish ones and bright white ones. Coming back down the hill I saw a white light several times and a red light once in the general vicinity of Highway 53. I was convinced at the time that the lights weren't cars on 53 since they didn't seem to move sideways or last as briefly as a car crossing the tracks. However there are cars on 53 and from that hill one has a good view of 53, so I guess it must have been cars. When I got to the third trestle I turned around and looked west for quite some time. No light was visible where it had been the last trip. Saturday I drove to the spot where the Sticky Road and the tracks cross under Interstate 30. I walked the tracks in the 96 degree heat counting my paces and taking notes about where I could see I30 and Highway 53, where I was going up, down, or level, and where the trestles are. Here's a sketch from my notes. The horizontal scale is pretty accurate. Since I had no way to measure vertical distances the vertical scale is pretty rough, but qualitatively accurate as to where the track goes up and down. I usually took two railroad ties to a step. I took about 10,300 steps, round trip, and between the exertion and getting somewhat dehydrated, when I was through my lower legs were ready to cramp at the slightest provocation. Therefore I did not go out on the tracks that night as I had originally planned. Sunday, with my lower legs sore but no longer cramping, I drove down the cemetery access road from Highway 53 to where it meets the tracks just east of trestle 2 (429.8 miles sign). I carried a small telescope to the west end of trestle 3 (429.9 miles) and looked west to see if the I30 freeway is visible from that spot. It is not. There are small hills in the way. All that can be seen in the distance are the very tops of trees that may be in the general vicinity of the freeway. The lights we saw on the previous trip were not cars on I30. On July 26th, 1999 we went to Marfa, Texas and drove to the lights viewing area just over nine miles east of Marfa on the highway. We saw the lights of cars on Highway 67 near the two red lights of an antenna to our right (west). We saw two blue-green lights south of us, in a direction perpendicular to the highway. We were told by two locals that these were not the Marfa lights. After a while we saw a yellow-white light like a street light come on. It stayed put at least till 11:30 p.m. when we left. We also saw a light that appeared to this lights left and then moved to the right and disappeared. One local resident said as we watched that these were "Marfa Lights". Another resident said the next day after hearing my description that they might have been "Marfa Lights". We didn't see anything terribly unusual looking in any event. The next night we were occupied at the nearby McDonald Observatory and the next morning we left. I hope to go back there within the next year, bring my video camera, and try several nights to see the lights. I'll put pictures up here if I get any. On May 19th, 2000 Linda and I went to Gurdon again. We arrived in time to visit the Hoo-Hoo Museum. Beth and her husband J.R. were there and Beth gave us a nice tour. The only information she had on the Gurdon Light was a newspaper clipping about Will McClain, and it had been misplaced. Beth did tell us a couple interesting thing. She said that just before Will McClain was killed some men had been blowing up trestles to make work for themselves and others, repairing the railroad. Will McClain was about to, or maybe did, find out who they were when he was killed. Beth also mentioned that she believed her husband's father or grandfather, I don't remember which, had seen the Gurdon light some years before Will McClain was killed. Friday night we did not go out on the tracks. Linda had been sick and so had I. We were just too tired. Saturday we went to the Clark County Library in Arkadelphia on a tip that they had some information on the light. We could not find anything. We wenk to the library of Ouichita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, but summer break had started and the library was closed. The same was true at Herderson State University, also in Arkadelphia. Saturday night we were out on the track from 9:30p.m. to about 12:15. We met some people coming back as we were going out. We saw a few lightning bugs, and that was it. Sunday morning we had to come home. We hope to try again later in the year. "Stay tuned." * Where to Stay If you are going to see the Gurdon light you will probably want to stay in Arkadelphia. There are several chain motels where highway 7 meets Interstate 30. My son and I stayed in one. There was a fair amount of freeway noise there. Take a look at Hotel Search There's also a lovely bed and breakfast in Arkadelphia (Freeway exit 73). There's a train track about half a mile away, but unless you're a very light sleeper I doubt it will be a problem. The sound is no louder than, and not continuous as, that in the motels along the interstate. The Buckelews, who own the bed and breakfast, are very nice people and the breakfasts are wonderful. This is an unpaid advertisement placed here because I think if you're going to stand out on a railroad track in the middle of the night you ought to have a very nice place to sleep afterward. Buckelew's Bed and Breakfast 921 Walnut Arkadelphia, AR 71923 (870) 246-4262 * Links The Gurdon Light from Ghosts of the Prairie. the Tri-State Spooklight from the Missouri state government. The Marfa Lights The Spooklight Page the Gurdon Light from Andrew, a Gurdon resident. Gurdon Historic Preservation Association has a picture of the Gurdon Light tracks at Highway 53. A different background and story about the Gurdon Light on O'Neal's Ghostories Shadows Ghostly Library (Contrast on the top of this page is poor, making it hard to read. Search for "gurdon" to skip over some nearly illegible material and other stories.) "I went down ol' Bragg Road, Went from end to end. I'm not superstitious, But I ain't going back again." James Autrey Bragg Rd Ghost Light, Saratoga: Obiwan's Ghostlights Welcome To Kountze, Texas - Bragg Rd Ghost Light, Saratoga: Spooklight Directions Bragg Rd Ghost Light, Saratoga: From a National Geographic article Bragg Rd Ghost Light, Saratoga: Poem & Short blurb. Bragg Rd Ghost Light, Saratoga: Preserving the haunted road I was told at the Clark County Public Library that the Hoo Hoo Museum in Gurdon has some documentation on the Gurdon Light. It turns out they do NOT. Still, it's an interesting place to visit if you're there on a week day. The address is 207 Main Street. Phone (870) 353-4997. Garr Lystad: lystad@iglobal.net (http://www.iglobal.net/lystad/curiosity-shop/gurdon-trips.html)

Copyright (C) 2001 Dr. Sten Odenwald