Old Joe's Road

Long ago, no one remembers exactly when, a man named Joe lived out east of Sandstone on a lonely country road. Joe had a wife and five children. He also had a violent streak.

One night, something in old Joe must have cracked. Perhaps he got angry. Maybe he was poor and worn out and desperate. In any case, something drove Joe to the breaking point. He murdered his wife and their five children and then killed himself.

This sad story might have been lost to time, but something very strange happened after Joe and his family died. People traveling down old Joe's country road began to see things, a strange light moving in the darkness. At first they may have thought they were seeing a lantern carried by some hunter or farmer out for a nighttime stroll. But no one ever answered their calls, and no one lived nearby. A few brave souls approached the mysterious light, trying to discern what might be out there in the wilderness. As they stealthily moved forward, edging closer and closer, they would suddenly find themselves plunged into pitch darkness as the light disappeared, seemingly snuffed out like a candle. Sometimes the light exhibited another strange phenomenon. It would unexpectedly split into seven parts.

Some said that old Joe was still carrying his lantern, looking for his murdered family. Others added that perhaps he had found them.

The years went by, but the mysterious light continued to shine on Old Joe's Road, as the lonely stretch of gravel came to be known. Many generations of Sandstone residents have parked on a low hill along this country lane in hopes of catching a glimpse of the “spook light.” Most of them haven't been disappointed. Some have been terrified, others amused. Some firmly maintained that old Joe's spirit was walking. Others rolled their eyes and announced that the light was no more than swamp gas or willow-the-wisp, although a University of Minnesota study team examining the light declared that they had no idea what it was and walked away scratching their heads.

Perhaps old Joe still does haunt his old home east of Sandstone. Perhaps his family walks beside him. Maybe the light on Old Joe's Road will even shine tonight.