The Bennington Triangle: The Gateway to Another World?

Imagine taking a hike on Glastenbury Mountain in Vermont. Sounds like a dream, right? Don’t get too excited, though, there’s a catch. If you decide to tackle the Long Trail, don’t go alone. Why? Well, let’s just say that if you wear red, you might end up being the star of a real-life vanishing act.

Glastenbury Mountain, nestled in beautiful Bennington County, Vermont, is a part of the Green Mountain National Forest. Its summit, though, is where things get a bit... well, peculiar. For starters, the surrounding region was dubbed “The Bennington Triangle” and for good reason. All sorts of strange things happened here on the mountain and in the nearby towns. We’re talking about spaceship sightings, encounters with the legendary bigfoot, mysterious lights dancing in the sky, and even the vanishing of five people between the years nineteen forty-five and nineteen-fifty.

According to the locals, there is some sort of explanation, but it’s not because of the weather, rough terrain, or wild animals. Legend has it that this region is home to a treacherous Man-Eating Stone. Apparently, this rock had a serious appetite and would trap anyone unfortunate enough to step on it. As you can imagine, people did their best to steer clear of this stone. But of course, humans being humans, some early settlers couldn’t resist the temptation. The towns of Glastenbury and Somerset used to be bustling logging towns, supplying lumber and trees. But as time went on, the industry took a nosedive and the forest started thinning out.

Glastenbury had a brief stint as a summer tourist resort, but things took a turn for the worse after just one year. A tragic flood in eighteen ninety-eight washed away all the railroad lines and bridges, leaving the town in shambles. Sadly, it never managed to bounce back. These days, Glastenbury and Somerset are nowhere near what they used to be, and nature gracefully took over, leaving only cellar holes as a reminder of the people who once called this place home.

What about those people that went missing? It all started with Middie Rivers, a seasoned seventy-four-year-old mountain guide. On a fateful November day in nineteen forty-five, Rivers was leading a group through Hell Hollow, a chillingly named area in the southwest woods of Glastenbury. As the group made their way back to camp, Rivers mysteriously got ahead of everyone and, you guessed it, vanished into thin air. Naturally, authorities and concerned volunteers sprang into action. They scoured the vast wilderness of Glastenbury Mountain for eight days, hoping to unravel the mystery. They found no trace of Middie Rivers, not even a clue as to what could have happened.

Now, fast-forward to a year later. An eighteen-year-old sophomore from Bennington College named Paula Welden was dressed in a flashy red jacket when she embarked on a hike along the Long Trail. Little did she know that her choice of attire would become an infamous part of the legend. Spoiler alert: wearing red on the Long Trail turned out to be a big no-no. It’s no surprise by now that Paula simply vanished. This time, the extensive search party grew to include over a thousand. The skies were scoured by aircraft and a generous reward was offered, too. Despite their best efforts, not a single clue surfaced yet again.

Unusual disappearances have always captured our attention. This next story takes us even further back in time, to the year nineteen hundred. And it starts with a steamboat called the Archer cruising past the Flannan Islands, in Scotland. At one point during the trip, the captain noticed something fishy. The lighthouse had gone dark, which was extremely unusual.

Well, the captain wasn’t about to keep this mysterious disappearance to himself. He reported it straight to the Scottish Coast Guard. But here’s the kicker — a big ol’ storm decided to crash the party and made it impossible for anyone to investigate what had happened to that lighthouse fire. What we do know is that there were three men in charge of keeping the lighthouse fire. And mind you, they were no rookies. They were experienced lighthouse keepers. Something surely must have happened to them to prevent these men from fulfilling their duty. Soon enough, Scottish officials finally made their way to the island, 11 days after the lighthouse light disappeared.

The first thing they noticed was that there was a whole feast just sitting there in the kitchen, untouched. It’s like the lighthouse keepers were in the middle of supper and suddenly decided to bail. Officials also found an upturned chair. Did someone get spooked? Was there a sudden surge of dance fever? Some tools had also gone missing, and there weren’t enough jackets in the wardrobe. Authorities also decided to dig into the log diary, where they were surprised to find information about a storm! It turns out there was a raging tempest near the islands that night. However, there were no official reports of such a colossal storm in the area.

The official version of events, according to the experts, was this: A storm hit, and our brave lighthouse keepers sprang into action. Two of them decided it was time to fortify the fencing, ready to face the storm head-on. But just when they thought they had it all under control, the water levels shot up, and they were swept away by the waves. The third lighthouse keeper obviously must have rushed to their aid. Chances are he too suffered the same watery fate.

It’s not just people that suddenly go missing in the wild. What about a lost treasure, hidden in the Superstitious Mountains of Arizona? This is a stunning range of mountains located in the eastern part of Phoenix. And trust me, these mountains have quite the reputation. The most infamous tale of them all? The legend of the Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine!

Back in the nineteenth century, there was a man named Jacob Waltz. He stumbled upon a massive goldmine within these mountains and, of course, it became known as the “Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine.” Now, old Waltz was a crafty one. He found this treasure trove of gold and decided to keep its location a top secret. So, he moved to Arizona in the eighteen-sixties and lived there until the end of his days. But here’s where things get interesting.

In eighteen ninety-one, a terrible flood swept through Phoenix and wreaked havoc on Waltz’s farm, among many others. Tragically, he fell ill and passed away. However, it’s what happened on his last that truly sets the stage for our tale. As the story goes, Waltz decided to make a confession to a lady named Julia Thomas, who had been nursing him.

Waltz spilled the beans about the gold mine hidden in the Superstition Mountains. He even went the extra mile and drew a rough map, describing the route to this treasure trove. Soon enough, a local newspaper decided to embark on a grand adventure to find this elusive mine. Julia and a group of brave souls join the expedition, hoping to strike it rich. But alas, despite their best efforts, they came back empty-handed.

Now, here’s the hilarious part. Julia and her buddies, feeling a bit hopeless and realizing they couldn’t find the gold mine, decide to sell copies of the maps for a measly seven dollars each. They went from having visions of gold-plated mansions to hawking maps like street vendors. Hey, desperate times call for desperate measures, right?

Now, let’s fast-forward to the summer of nineteen thirty-one. Enter Adolph Ruth, an amateur treasure hunter with dreams of striking it rich. Armed with a twinkle in his eye, he set off to conquer the Superstition Mountains in search of that elusive Dutchman’s Gold Mine. But alas, things took a dark turn.

After roaming around those rugged peaks, poor old Adolph mysteriously vanished into thin air. News of this strange incident spread, capturing the attention of the entire nation. Suddenly, everyone wanted to know more about the Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine.

Over the years, countless adventurers have tried their luck in the Superstition Mountains. But you’ve surely guessed it by now: The gold remains hidden to this day. But did it ever exist?