On a normal night, there were usually 15 to 20 cars parked along the road. During the summer, he observed, there were sometimes one hundred cars parked, waiting. He interviewed a farmer named Tracey who claimed, â€œIâ€™ve been studying it for four years and the more I watch and study it, the more puzzled I am about it.â€ Thousands of cars, Tracey said, had passed his home in search of the light. McDonald of the Kansas City Star published his own account, â€œThe Mystery Light of the Ozarks on â€˜The Devilâ€™s Promenade.â€™â€ McDonald and a handful of locals from Neosho drove out to the area to search for the source of the light. Louis, she tried to research the phenomenon for an answer, but failed to say if she believed in one theory or another. â€œWe remained at the place two hours,â€ Gordon recalled, â€œand during that time the lights came at intervals of from four to seven minutes and remained shining for that long, then vanished or faded away regularly.â€ She noted that the light was â€œnever a white light or natural color but usually of orange or a greenish hue.â€ Upon her return to St. The group jumped back in their car and sped toward the area where they saw the light, but did not find it. Right after they got out of the car, â€œan orange-colored light appeared in the center of the road about three hundred feet beyond.â€ They walked toward the light, but it disappeared. The Gordons, the camp owner, and two guides set out for the Spook Light. The proprietor suggested they go out and see the â€œIndian Lightsâ€ south of Joplin. Louis after visiting the Grand Canyon and Mesa Verde when they stopped at â€œIdle-a-While Campâ€ just off Route 66 in Carterville.

Gordon and her family were on their way home to St. Much of the recent press surrounding the Spook Light has been rehashed from earlier accounts, so we will focus our attention to early published accounts.

Even though the Spook Light no longer draws in hundreds of cars during the summer, ask any native of the Four States about the Spook Light and theyâ€™ll probably have a story, or can share a story that they heard from one of their friends. While Wall Avenue no longer extends into the 32nd block, it is possible the house still survives on Oak Ridge Drive.Īlthough the Spook Light is not located within the city limits of Joplin, itâ€™s worth recounting some of the folklore and first-hand accounts of the strange phenomenon. Apparently pleased with the results, Freeman told the Globe that lead and zinc ore could be used as economically as out-of-state gravel, although it is unknown if other local residents chose to use it instead of other alternatives. Five hundred pounds of lead was used on the porch columns. He then decided to use lead and zinc ore â€œinstead of gravel as a splash for the walls.â€ After the â€œcracked ore was screened to eliminate the finer particlesâ€ the entire six room bungalow was covered in a ton and a half of zinc ore. The Globe reported, â€œAs one drives past it on a sunny afternoon, little beams of light twinkle first here, then there in the walls, until the spectator is led to believe the house is studded with diamonds.â€ While his stucco house was under construction, Freeman found out that gravel typically used in stucco house construction cost $40 to $80 a ton and had to be transported from Michigan or Ohio. Freeman Trust Company, built a unique residence at 3215 Wall. In the fall of 1924, South Joplin became home to the â€œHouse of a Thousand Shines.â€ Paul W.

A finer focus joplin