# Smith 1995: Marfa Lights (Handbook of Texas Online)

> Julia Cauble Smith, 1995. 6 records on Mysteries Department cite it. The Texas State Historical Association's encyclopedia entry (1995, revised 2017)…

Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DCKDDRFTSCP/marfa-lights-handbook-of-texas-online  
Publisher: Mysteries Department  
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (credit Mysteries Department and link the page)  

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[Sources](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources)[Marfa lights](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/marfa-lights)Smith 1995

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# Marfa Lights

Julia Cauble Smith, 1995. _Handbook of Texas Online, Texas State Historical Association_.

The Handbook of Texas entry, first published 1 April 1995 and revised 7 September 2017. It gives the traditional history (Ellison in 1883, the Humphreys in 1885), lists the explanations offered, calls a mirage-like effect of cold and warm air layers the most plausible, and records the viewing area on US 90 nine miles east of Marfa and the viewing centre opened there in 2003.

**Marfa lightsTertiary source** Web pageChecked against the original0

## What it's used for here

The Texas State Historical Association's encyclopedia entry (1995, revised 2017), used for the traditional history and the viewing area on US 90.

## Cited by on this site 6 records

[Yes; the lights were seen in the 1880s](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/marfa-lights/answers/ANS0DCKMQ0G4TX8/yes-the-lights-were-seen-in-the-1880s)

Answer

ANS

[Robert Reed Ellison is said to have seen lights while driving cattle through Paisano Pass](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/marfa-lights/events/EVT0DCKHFQWYW5Q/robert-reed-ellison-is-said-to-have-seen-lights-while)

EVT

[The Marfa Lights Viewing Center opens on US 90](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/marfa-lights/events/EVT0DCKHWBZ7QW3/the-marfa-lights-viewing-center-opens-on-us-90)

EVT

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

The mystery article

MYS

[Marfa Lights Viewing Area, US 90 east of Marfa](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/marfa-lights/places/PLC0DCKF9FVT6YF/marfa-lights-viewing-area-us-90-east-of-marfa)

PLC

[Paisano Pass, US 90](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/marfa-lights/places/PLC0DCKG3MYAZAR/paisano-pass-us-90)

PLC

## Cite it

```
Smith, J. C. (1995). Marfa Lights. Handbook of Texas Online, Texas State Historical Association. https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/marfa-lights
```

[Read it free at tshaonline.org](https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/marfa-lights)

Key

**SRC** 0DCKDDRFTSCP

Kind

Web page

Rights

The publisher's

Kept

29 Oct 2026, for editors

Checked

Against the published original

Added by

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

The record

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