Marfa, Texas is a small west Texas ranching community of about 2,000 folks, located near Big Bend National Park. Marfa is known primarily for two reasons. The classic movie "Giant", with Rock Hudson and James Dean«, was filmed in Marfa. Marfa is also home of the semi-famous Marfa Mystery Lights.

The Lights, which most people describe as spherical, appear south of Marfa each evening. They appear to bounce around, vanish, then re-appear elsewhere. According to the legend, these lights have been observed since the 1800s. The Lights have become an important tourist attraction in Marfa, a town that has seen much better days. On a nice evening, dozens of people will stop and view the Lights at the "official" viewing area, about 10 miles east of town on Highway 90.

To the uncritical viewer, the Lights are indeed a mystery, and a number of descriptions have appeared on the Web detailing personal experiences with the Lights. Many of the folks viewing the Lights are stumped as to their true nature. Spooks, "swamp gas", uranium - all have been proposed as answers to the "Mystery" Lights. Unfortunately, the human will to believe the outlandish often outweighs critical examination of the facts.

The Marfa Mystery Headlights

The best way to view the Lights, according to the "experts", is to go to the viewing area east of Marfa. Soon after dusk, the lights will appear, just to the right (west) of a radio tower. If you go, you'll easily see them if the weather is fairly clear. The Lights will indeed appear to move around, disappear, then suddenly reappear. During this spectacle, the crowd at the viewing site will give a few hearty "wows" and "didja see thats" to liven things up. If you wish to believe the "Mystery" Lights are mysterious, don't go with a pair of high-powered binoculars. Because if you do, you'll soon realize that the Lights are nothing more than the headlights and taillights of cars driving U.S. 67 between Marfa and Presidio, on the crest of the Chinati Mountains.

One question you may be asking yourself: "The lights have been reported since the 1800's. This means the Lights can't be from cars. Right?" Perhaps. But perhaps not. This particular story has been passed on by those who deny the mundane reality of the Lights. Are there indeed written accounts of the lights, written in the 1800's, that describe these Lights? If so, cite them - not second-hand references. And if people did indeed report mysterious, unexplained lights, were scientists brought in to decide that the lights were unexplainable?

A Typical Account

The following is a typical account of the Lights:

"...a bright white (not red like the tower) point of light appeared at the base of the mountains near the tower, and could obviously be seen to move clockwise along the mountains. After about 10 seconds, (and already about one third of the way along the mountains) the light disappeared. In less than a minute, another light appeared and repeated the motions of the first...This turned out to be just the beginning. From then until midnight there was a nearly constant stream of Lights."

Of course the lights trickle down after Midnight - traffic on the road between Presidio and Marfa is almost nil during those hours. These white lights appear to repeat their motions because there are numerous cars driving in the same direction, and the lights disappear when the car crests the mountain or the road dips into a gully.

Harmless Fluff

The Marfa "Mystery" Lights are a harmless diversion, and bring in desperately-needed tourist revenue to a town that needs all the money it can get. With the Lights, Marfa has joined other communities, such as Inverness, Scotland (home of Nessie), and parts of Washington ("Sasquatch"), that desperately need a revenue source.

There is indeed a mystery out in Marfa, but it has nothing to do with foo-fighters or swamp gas. The mystery is discovering how gullible human beings can be. And I will remain a skeptic of the Lights until someone can present valid proof that these lights are anything more than car headlights.

Would you like to read more on the Marfa Lights?

The Marfa Lights - An article that appeared in Texas Highways.

James Dean« doing what most folks do at the Marfa Lights viewing area while waiting for sunset.

An unintentionally funny account of the lights. Why is it funny? Because the person who re-posted this article doesn't realize that it was written tongue-in-cheek. Check out the article, Marfa Lights Revisited.

An interesting article written for Big Bend Quarterly.

Here's a poem about the Marfa Lights if you're into that sort of thing.

Another good reference is The Marfa Lights: A Viewer's Guide, by Dennis Stacy, available in Marfa, or through Seale & Stacy, Box 12434, San Antonio, Texas 78212.

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