Some people say the mysterious light in the woods near Gurdon, Arkansas is the ghostly lantern of railroad worker who was murdered along the tracks. Others say it’s a scientific phenomenon akin to the one created by chomping down hard on Wint-O-Green Lifesavers, but all agree there’s definitely a strange light in woods near Gurdon.
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In honor of the mysterious ‘Gurdon light’ and the folksinger whose name it so closely resembles, we’ve filled this article with several references to Gordon Lightfoot songs. See if you can count them all. The answer will be provided below.
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After sundown in the woods off the carefree highway of Interstate 30 in Gurdon, Arkansas intrepid trekkers will be able to behold the eerie phantasm of a glowing and moving orb of light. The circle is small but bright and is said to possess at times either a white-blue or orange, but not a bitter green, color. Witnesses have said the orb moves throughout the ribbon of darkness among the trees near a pair of railroad tracks. There have been many guesses as to where the orb comes from. Some say it is due to an infraction of car headlights, while other more apocryphal claims involve the spirit of a slain railway worker. I’m not sayin’ any of these suggestions are valid or not but they are interesting.
OnlyInArk.com[/caption] Atlas Obscura has published an online article in which it is referenced that some scientists believe that the orb is the result of what is called piezoelectric effects. “Piezoelectricity is generated by materials such as certain ceramics and crystals, which when bent or squeezed generate electricity and sparks,” writes Obscura, “A very similar phenomenon (triboluminescence, which generates electricity and light when a material is broken rather then bent as in piezoelectricity) can be seen in the sparks of WintOGreen Lifesavers.”
Walmart.com[/caption] Check out this YouTube video to see the what the WintOGreen spark looks like if you’ve never seen it before. The area around the Gurdon Light does contain above average levels of subterranean quartz deposits, which would help explain why the light is always present at night. For those interested in seeing the phenomenon, Obscura offers the following directions. Proceed about “75 miles south of Little Rock, down Interstate 30, just east of Interstate 67, pull over at the railroad tracks, and walk down the tracks about two miles, crossing four creek bridges.” Since it may be rather tricky to find the spot from I-67, get off at “I-30 at state road 53 and turn right on a dirt road just before where the tracks cross 53, about half-way from I-30 to down-town Gurdon.” Go go around this spot and look “for the unlabeled tracks crossing 53 on Google maps. There’s also a small pull-over on the left (if you’re coming from I-30) close to where the tracks used to cross the road (which are now invisible from 53).”
All scientific explanations aside, it’s worth believin’ that the same old obsession of lovers of the paranormal will keep them making the pilgrimage to Gurdon. If you go, remember to stay loose and feel free to send us a picture when you are home from the forest. So how many Gordon Lightfoot references did you find? There were a total of eleven. PS It’s not clear whether or not the lights can be seen in the early morning rain. 12!