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The Unsolved Mystery
of the Marfa Ghost Lights
The ghost lights of Maria are as mysterious as they were when they were first seen by early settlers who drove their cattle into the Maria area in 1883.
Who can explain their source? Where are they actually located? How long have they been in existence? The mystery is no closer to being solved now than when they were first seen.
Robert Ellison came to Maria in 1883 and off-loaded his cattle in Alpine He then drove the herd west and on the second night out, while camped just west of Paisano Pass, he saw strange lights in the distance. At first, he feared that they were Apache signal fires. Ellison searched the countryside by horseback, and finally realized that the lights were not man-made. Other early settlers assured him that they had also seen the lights and had never been able to identify them.
The lights appear almost every night. They seem to come from somewhere east of the Chinati Mountains, but just where exactly has never been determined. Those who have searched for their source during the day have found nothing: no buildings, no campfires, no evidence of human activity, no evidence of mineral deposits or swamp areas.
The lights appear in different ways. Some people swear they have seen them divide and form separate balls of light. Others claim that they have seen them move up and down. All agree that they glow as softly as a star at times, then brighten to the intensity of a spotlight Sometimes they pop off and on As they fade they seem to be receding There are verifiable accounts of people being pursued by the lights.
There are many theories about the lights, both scientific and fantastic. The possibility that they are caused by “bent light” has been proposed, but a century ago there were no sources brighter than a campfire or lantern. A favorite theory has been that the lights come from swamp gas, but there have been no swamps in West Texas for several million years.
The possibility that temperature inversion might be responsible has been considered. The warm, dry climate of the lower side of Chinati Peak coupled with the higher, cooler Marfa plateau and the mixing of the two climates might explain the phenomenon. It is also possible that static electricity or St. Elmo’s fire might be a factor, except that this condition does not exist except before and during electrical storms. Another theory is that the lights are a reflection of the moon shining on a mica vein, but no such vein has been found. Also, the ghost lights shine even on the darkest nights.
A Marfa Lights Viewing Site has been provided for the public on the south side of Hwy 90, eight miles east of Marfa. Ghost light watchers can park in the area and scan the southwestern horizon, looking toward Chinati Peak.
Courtesy Marfa Chamber of Commerce