# Cartwright 1984: Texas Primer: The Marfa Lights

> Gary Cartwright, 1984. 9 records on Mysteries Department cite it. Texas Monthly, November 1984: the author's own sighting from US 90 in August 1983 and…

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Publisher: Mysteries Department  
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[Sources](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources)[Marfa lights](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/marfa-lights)Cartwright 1984

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# Texas Primer: The Marfa Lights

Gary Cartwright, 1984. _Texas Monthly, November 1984_.

A short magazine essay on the lights' folklore and the explanations offered by 1984. It reports that the Sul Ross State physicist Donald Witt traced one source to a ranch and another to US 67, that Witt later saw two lights he could not explain, and describes the author's own sighting from US 90 in August 1983.

**Marfa lightsSecondary source** ArticleChecked against the original0

## What it's used for here

Texas Monthly, November 1984: the author's own sighting from US 90 in August 1983 and an account of Donald Witt's Sul Ross State investigation of the early 1970s.

## Cited by on this site 9 records

[A natural light of unknown origin, seen most nights](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/marfa-lights/answers/ANS0DCKM7Y5BJE9/a-natural-light-of-unknown-origin-seen-most-nights)

Answer

ANS

[A journalist watching from US 90 in 1983 could not match the lights he saw to any known light.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/marfa-lights/evidence/EVD0DCKNWZ5P0QD/a-journalist-watching-from-us-90-in-1983-could-not-match-the)

Evidence

EVD

[In August 1983 Gary Cartwright watched lights from US 90 that he could not match to the known ranch houses, roads…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/marfa-lights/evidence/EVD0DCKNTY9J2H0/in-august-1983-gary-cartwright-watched-lights-from-us-90)

Evidence

EVD

[Donald Witt of Sul Ross State traces lights to a ranch and to US 67](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/marfa-lights/events/EVT0DCKHHX5B62Y/donald-witt-of-sul-ross-state-traces-lights-to-a-ranch-and)

EVT

[Gary Cartwright watches lights from US 90 that he cannot match to any known light](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/marfa-lights/events/EVT0DCKHJ8RK9YT/gary-cartwright-watches-lights-from-us-90-that-he-cannot)

EVT

[Donald Witt](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/marfa-lights/people/FIG0DCKGPF4K8F0/donald-witt)

FIG

[The Marfa lights](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/marfa-lights)

The mystery article

MYS

[Sul Ross State University](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/marfa-lights/organisations/ORG0DCKGY4MFZ7Y/sul-ross-state-university)

ORG

[Gary Cartwright: Parked on US 90 with a group of writers, saw lights one to three at a time…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/marfa-lights/accounts/WIT0DCKJ9RXS54J/gary-cartwright-parked-on-us-90-with-a-group-of-writers-saw)

WIT

## Cite it

```
Cartwright, G. (1984). Texas Primer: The Marfa Lights. Texas Monthly, November 1984. https://www.texasmonthly.com/being-texan/texas-primer-the-marfa-lights/
```

[Read it free at texasmonthly.com](https://www.texasmonthly.com/being-texan/texas-primer-the-marfa-lights/)

Key

**SRC** 0DCKDDFAMCTF

Kind

Journal article

Rights

The publisher's

Kept

29 Oct 2026, for editors

Checked

Against the published article

Added by

[apollo](https://mysteriesdept.com/u/apollo)

The record

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