In honor of Harry Houdini. A man who truly dedicated his life to finding a paranormal experience. Its a long story, but very detailed and informative. And probably entertaining. I want to thank Bridget for working with me at below 20 degree weather for several mornings and many many hours. A special Thank You to WPI Wisconsin Paranormal Investigators. And another special thank you to the dozens of people from Paulding who asked me to not mention your name. This is not going to be easy. It never is. Im assuming someone will get mad at someone because they usually do. Hopefully its me that takes all the heat this time. This is my personal story and no other person is responsible. I choose to participate in paranormal events/ghost hunts because I want to one day experience something paranormal. I hope to one day participate in a paranormal event and be in the right place at the right time, & see Something I cannot explain. I could give a crap about who is faking what because in my research 96% of anything paranormal is crap. But, I continue to hold on to hope and I one day hope to find something I cannot explain & Proof that life after death exist in some way shape or form. To find a location that truly has a paranormal environment with honest paranormal activity. TRUE STORY: The Paulding Light. First report/documented sighting 1966. I fell in love with the Paulding Light a few years back when I read an article online. The story was somewhat magical as it told dozens of eye witness accounts of visitors to Robbins Pond Rd. Seeing an unexplained light. Thousands of people would travel from all over to see a mysterious light that appears almost nightly. They still do as I witnessed myself. Sometimes hundreds of people an hour. Last year I was performing in a near by area and I was able to visit the Paulding Light for the first time. It took about five minutes for me to see the light. I saw the clear & red light known as the Paulding Lights flicker for almost an hour. The time had come for me to leave and for the past year the Paulding Light became an obsession. It literally haunted me. I felt as if I had finally had my first paranormal experience. Or so it seemed. Over the past year I began studying the area known as Paulding Michigan located north of Wisconsin just into the upper peninsula of Michigan. One thing I found out as I made phone call after phone call was everyone believed in the lights as a true paranormal phenomenon. The original story is a man was walking the train tracks one night and was hit by a train and killed. This man is now said to walk those train tracks every night to warn people of the on coming train. The lights visitors see are said to be this mans lantern. Most of the skeptics believe the lights are caused by highway 2 and the traffic at night. My first problem with this story is after Speaking with the Michigan & Wisconsin state railroad commissions they tell me there is not and never was a railroad ever in the location of the Paulding Lights. Sorry, that kills the old man with a lantern story. In fact the trail/road you see while looking down at the Paulding Lights is the Old US45 route which was closed in 1966. (1966 was the First Year the old rd. Was closed and the New US45 was opened) One of My biggest issue into understanding the Paulding Lights were that Ben Hansons show Fact or Faked had filmed in Paulding just 3 years ago and the show left the case unsolved which was rare . I knew that the show went into great detail in trying to debunk claims. Although Ben did not personally work the case, I do believe him to be an always honest person and I thought he would never participate in any kind of a hoax. And he did or to my knowledge has never. During the show the team uses Law Enforcement to block off the highway. While traffic was shut down the team was about to begin tests and suddenly the Paulding Lights continued. Austin who was with law enforcement could not see the Paulding Lights he claimed, however was standing in the middle of the road and there was no traffic. Bill who was almost 4 miles south at the Observation Viewing area was witnessing the Paulding Lights as if he was in shock. I myself contacted Ben Hanson & asked him if he could shed light on the teams unsolved findings and if he could put me in contact with Bill for a few questions. My biggest question for Fact or Faked was why did they block off that section of road? Did they try any other? Law Enforcement from the area had told the team that the only position possible for car lights to be reflecting to the observation area was that particular stretch of road. So with the road blocked off, and the Paulding Lights still coming on & off and a major Television show witnessing this, filming the phenomenon the stage was set for a possible paranormal occurrence. I began my own research. I started by using satellite gps and detailed maps provided to me by the countys tourist commission. I parked at the Paulding Light observation area and I began walking the trail that was known as the old railroad tracks trail. My altitude at the observation area was 1,689 ft above sea level. I mention the altitude because the area is full of hills, woods and lakes and later becomes very important. It was snowing and 29 degrees. After about 4 miles the trail opens up and runs along side US45 a highway that opened up in 1966. Turns out the trail is the old highway US45. This particular spot is the same location that Law Enforcement blocked off for Fact or Faked when they filmed in 2010. Again, the lights still occurred. With the help of a Wisconsin Paranormal Investigator Allen Dunski I tried using this location & recreating the Paulding Light. Allen & I used over 70 witnesses to recreate the Lights from this location that law enforcement claimed was the only location possible for headlights to be seen. To my shock, and the witnesses, and Allens or any of WPI (Wisconsin Paranormal Investigators) nobody could see me or the light I was creating. They could however see the light if I pointed it directly Into the sky. This is because my elevation was 295 feet below the Paulding Light viewing area and just to low for anyone to see through all the tress and cliffs. Satellite GPS Altitude 1,394 ft. Above sea level. Now back to my walk. I noticed on my satellite imagery that highway US 45 ran alongside the Paulding Light trails for many miles. There were only two locations that the trail opened up with US 45 in position for vehicles to create the Paulding Lights. The first position was indeed the location Law enforcement had been blocking off for Fact or Faked and many other production companys for TV and tried blocking it off for me. There was a second position over 7 miles north of the observation area that law enforcement refused to block off and help my research. The problem with that location is the distance is almost to far to see lights with the naked eye. Almost. This location was just 20 feet lower in elevation from that of the observation location, but again very far away. (Alt. at Erikson Lake Rd 1,625 ft. Above sea level) 7 miles from Observation area. As a magician I thought of something. When shining lights we will use water to amplify the light. So if it were raining the car headlights and taillights might be amplified and could possibly be seen from 7 miles away. But the Paulding Lights are seen almost every night. So I was lost, briefly. I interviewed two different people who shed light on this subject for me. An airplane pilot and a meteorologist both explain to me that this area of Michigan is surrounded by lakes, rivers, ponds, creeks etc. The Paulding Light area has on average a lower barametric pressure due to all the water surrounding it. This lower barametric pressure assures you that there is always moisture in the air. With that moisture light is amplified from great distances. The Paulding Lights are nothing more than Headlights & Tail Lights. There are two reasons Fact or Faked missed this. One reason was just an honest mistake. The location they tried recreating the light from was to low in altitude and it was impossible to be seen. The other issue was Law Enforcement chose the location and I believe purposely done so to protect Pauldings only tourist attraction. When I discovered the section of Highway US 45 over 7 miles away several different law enforcement officers admitted to knowing this. I did make a deal with Law Enforcement and will explain in a few moments. Some Michigan State students also noticed this location years previously but failed to recreate the lights or shut them on and off by command. On Saturday Night October 26th I became the first person to Ever shut off the Paulding Light by command. With two bus loads of witnesses (some that were locals and were not happy) Allen Dunski & the Wisconsin Paranormal Investigators took questions from the group as I positioned a vehicle in the exact location Of where the Paulding Lights were being created on Us 45. I called Allen on his cell phone and he placed me on speaker phone. The group of 70 + orally commanded me to turn off the Paulding Lights and I did. The group orally commanded me via speaker phone to turn on the Paulding Lights and I did. Making us the first persons in 56 years of The Paulding Lights to do so. Many were in shock, others were happy that it was solved. However the mystery of the Paulding Lights are forever debunked and turned off by a Houdini. I am providing exact coordinates and locations for any person who wishes to recreate the Paulding Lights on there own for personal proof. From the Paulding Lights Obseration area (Robbins Pond Road/Old Us 45) go north on new US 45 for 7.6miles to Erikson Lake Road. Turn your vehicle south for white Paulding Lights, leave your vehicle pointed north for Red Paulding Lights. Erikson Lake Rd. GPS : ....... Erikson Lake Rd. altitude : ...... North of Erikson Lake rd is Swanson Lake Rd. From this location any person traveling south can create the Paulding Light for the longest period. 1 1/2 miles viewable. If you choose you can also have someone from the observation area turn on strong lights an you can creat the Paulding Lights from the south. :) ****. One thing I couldnt figure out was during my interviews about 1/20 people would tell me occasionally they would see a flashing blue light. With a promise made to local law enforcement they assisted me in recreating the flashing blue light by parking a police cruiser pointed south at Erikson Lake Rd. Mystery solved. (I have video of Law Enforcement officers, Bridget & I recreating the flashing Lights). We will never forget it. 2:00a.m. And it was 21degress out. For over two hours. Burrr..... My promise to Law Enforcement. This is my personal experience. Many others has had there own personal experience. Its important to note that The Paulding Lights and the observation area on Robbins Pond Rd is always going to be a special place with special memories for many people. This doesnt hurt or take away those memories. It gives us the opportunity to make more. My promise to myself. Im kind of shocked at the amount of people from Paulding willing to cover up proof of headlights. Many people including several highway patrol officers went to great lengths to point me in the wrong direction. I can totally understand the value Of something on an Entertainment level. But purposely misleading people to make a tourist dollar is wrong regardless. The Paulding Lights were NEVER covered by Ripleys Believe it or Not, or Unsolved Mysteries. These were stories created Im assuming by locals to draw In tourist. Over the years the stories stuck and and people believed they also had seen it on those programs. (forced thought/power of suggestion) During my research I purposely told a story on how I seen the Paulding Lights on TVs Unsolved Mysterys. 80 percent of the time someone would agree with me saying they also had seen it on unsolved Mysteries. Again, it WAS NEVER on Unsolved Mysteries. The Paulding Lights are off!!! *my apologies for any misspelled words or grammar. I wrote this on my iPhone in between shows. :) I hope this sheds light that on peer review and that things are not always what they seem. Even if they seem paranormal for 56 years. -A. Houdini. October 31, 2013 1:26 p.m.
Posted on: Thu, 31 Oct 2013 18:26:19 +0000