The Paulding Light, also known as the Lights of Paulding or the Dog Meadow Light, is a mysterious light that appears in a valley near Paulding, Michigan. People have seen the light since the 1960s, and some stories suggest it might be caused by ghosts, earth activity, or gas from swamps.
In 2010, students from Michigan Tech did a scientific study of the light. Using a telescope, they saw car headlights and tail lights that were visible from the light. They made the same light appear by driving a car on a part of US Highway 45.
Location
The light is located in a valley near Paulding, Michigan, in the Upper Peninsula. It is found close to Watersmeet, off US 45, along Robbins Pond Road, which is also known as Old US 45.
Folklore
The first time the Paulding Light was seen was in 1966, when a group of teenagers told a local sheriff about the light. Since then, many people have reported seeing the light, which is said to appear almost every night at the same place.
Stories about the light are different, but the most common one is about a railroad brakeman who died. The story says that the valley once had railroad tracks, and the light is the lantern of the brakeman, who was killed while trying to stop a train from crashing into railway cars that were stuck on the tracks. Another story says the light is the ghost of a mail courier who was killed, while another claims it is the ghost of a Native American dancing on power lines that run through the valley. According to John Carlisle of the Detroit Free Press, one story says the light is a grandparent searching for a lost grandchild with a lantern that needs to be relit often, which is why the light appears and disappears.
Scientific investigation
Popular stories suggest that the light seen in Paulding, Michigan, has supernatural causes. However, scientific studies have found that the light comes from car headlights on US 45, a highway that runs north to south. This happens about five miles (8.0 km) away from where people usually watch the lights. In October 1990, a group of researchers used telescopes, spectroscopes, and timing analysis to study the lights. They discovered that the lights were actually the headlights and taillights of cars traveling on US 45 north of the observation area.
In 2010, students from the Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) at Michigan Tech used a telescope to examine the lights. They saw vehicles and objects on the highway, including a specific Adopt a Highway sign. They also reproduced other observations, such as colorful patterns (from police lights) and changes in brightness (from high and low beams). The students suggested that a stable inversion layer in the air helped make the lights visible from a distance of about 4.5 miles (7.2 km).
Paranormal researcher Ben Radford explains that similar light reports happen across the United States. However, there is no single explanation for all these lights. Some remain unexplained, while others come from sources like car headlights, campfires, airplanes, reflections of city or vehicle lights in clouds, or insects. Radford says, "In the end, it’s more fun to imagine the distant glimmer is a ghostly railroad brakeman’s phantom lantern than the headlights of a 2005 Honda Civic."