Buzz
While the Bermuda Triangle is widely recognized for its bizarre oceanic phenomena and unexplained disappearances between Florida and Bermuda, a lesser-known counterpart lies further north. Centered around Glastenbury Mountain in southwestern Vermont, this enigmatic zone is referred to as the Bennington Triangle.
The Bennington Triangle's eerie legacy stretches back to before North America's colonization and continues to captivate today. It has fueled countless books, films, and tales of the supernatural, including sightings of Bigfoot, UFOs, and even gateways to other dimensions. Despite its mysteries, the area has reportedly claimed the lives of up to 40 hikers and locals who vanished without a trace.
10. Warnings from Native American Lore
Joseph A. Citro’s 1996 book, Passing Strange: True Tales of New England Hauntings and Horrors, mentions that Native Americans avoided Glastenbury Mountain except for burying their deceased. They considered the entire mountain cursed, believing the “four winds” clashed there in an endless battle. Though often dismissed as myth, there’s some validity to this claim. The mountain’s unpredictable wind patterns cause sudden weather shifts and cause plants to grow at strange angles.
Another legend tied to Vermont’s indigenous people involves an enchanted stone among the cairns atop the mountain. As Davy Russell noted in X-Project Paranormal Magazine, standing on this rock to survey the surroundings could result in being swallowed whole, never to be seen again.
9. A Town of Ghosts
Glastenbury appeared destined to become a ghost town from its inception. In 1761, Benning Wentworth mapped the town’s boundaries without ever visiting the area. The rugged landscape and short growing season made settlement a constant struggle until the 1800s. Two towns, Fayville and South Glastenbury, existed on either side of the mountain but were never connected due to the steep, impassable terrain.
Originally founded as a hub for logging and mining, Glastenbury relied on a steep railroad that ascended 14 kilometers (9 mi) at a sharp incline of 76 meters (250 ft) per mile to transport workers and resources. Logs and coal were transported via Bolles Brook, which split near the town and cascaded down the mountain. However, both industries depended on limited resources that were soon exhausted. In 1894, a final effort was made to transform Glastenbury into a tourist destination. The town’s modest structures were converted into hotels and casinos, and the railroad was upgraded with stylish trolley cars, sparing no expense.
Sadly, extensive logging left the mountainside vulnerable to soil erosion. In 1897, a devastating flood wiped out much of the railway leading to Glastenbury, halting any further attempts to revive the town. Residents abandoned the area, causing the population to plummet. By 1930, the Mattinson family, documented by Ripley’s Believe it or Not!, comprised the entire town, holding every available office among themselves. Glastenbury was officially unincorporated in 1937, and as of the 2010 census, only eight people remained.
8. Unexplained Phenomena Dating Back to the 1800s
Accounts of mysterious lights, unexplained sounds, and peculiar odors on the mountain date back to before colonial times. These reports, coupled with numerous disappearances, have fueled theories about UFOs and wormholes in the area. Among the strangest tales is that of the Bennington Monster, believed to be an early Bigfoot or Sasquatch. Described as over 1.8 meters (6 ft) tall and covered in hair from head to toe, the creature was first sighted in the early 19th century when it attacked a stagecoach on a damaged road, overturning it before vanishing into the night with a roar. Fortunately, no one was injured.
In 1967, a far more unsettling creature emerged on the mountain. Known as the wild man of Glastenbury, he resided in a cave near Somerset but often ventured into nearby towns, including Glastenbury and other parts of the Bennington Triangle. Reports claim he would harass women by flinging open his tattered coat to expose himself while brandishing a pistol to intimidate anyone who tried to intervene. Thankfully, his antics ended with him retreating to his cave.
The Bennington Triangle witnessed bizarre incidents beyond tales of a giant ape-man or a pistol-wielding nudist. The shift to a tourist town took a toll on the loggers and miners of Glastenbury and Fayville. In 1892, Henry McDowell, a sawmill worker, fatally attacked a coworker with a rock after claiming to hear voices urging him to act. Committed to an asylum, he later escaped and disappeared. Five years later, another puzzling murder occurred nearby. John Harbour, a respected Woodford resident, was found shot in Bickford Hollow, just south of Glastenbury, while hunting. His fully loaded gun lay beside him, and his body appeared to have been dragged several yards. Investigators were baffled by why he was shot despite having a loaded weapon and why his attacker placed the gun next to him. The case remains unsolved.
7. The Vanishing Cases
The most infamous mysteries of the Bennington Triangle are the disappearances that occurred between 1945 and 1950. Over this five-year period, multiple individuals vanished on or near Glastenbury Mountain. The first was Middie Rivers, a 75-year-old seasoned mountain guide. In November 1945, while leading a group back to camp, he walked slightly ahead and disappeared without a trace. Given his extensive experience, it’s unlikely he got lost, yet he was never found.
In 1946, Paula Welden (pictured above), an 18-year-old college student and novice hiker, set out to explore the mountain. Witnesses, including drivers and fellow hikers, reported seeing her and even warned her about inadequate clothing for the hike. Her bright red coat made her easy to spot, but search teams found no trace of her or her clothing. Her disappearance gained widespread attention, prompting Vermont to establish its own state police force. With no local police, only one state investigator was initially assigned to the case. Welden’s father eventually sought help from New York and Connecticut police, but she was never found.
In 1949, three hunters vanished on the mountain, and the same year, James E. Tetford disappeared during a bus journey from St. Albans to Bennington. In 1950, eight-year-old Paul Jepson went missing from his Bennington home. Police dogs tracked his scent to the highway but lost it there. Notably, he was wearing a red jacket similar to Paula Welden’s. That year also saw the final disappearance: Frieda Langer. While hiking with her cousin and friends, she returned to camp to change wet clothes but never arrived. A massive search involving volunteers, police, firefighters, and the military ensued, but she was never found alive.
6. Remains: Lost and Discovered
Of all the disappearances on the mountain, only one body was ever recovered—Frieda Langer’s, found the following May. The field where she was discovered had been thoroughly searched before, leading authorities to suspect foul play. However, her body was too decomposed to determine the cause of death. The advanced decay made the decision to move her there even more puzzling, as the act would have been both messy and noticeable.
Stranger than the discovery of Langer’s body are the cases where no remains were found at all. While Glastenbury Mountain is home to dangerous wildlife, their attacks typically leave clear evidence. Bears, for instance, don’t consume humans whole. Search teams were baffled by the complete absence of clues. Both Welden and Jepson wore bright red coats that should have been easily visible. Rivers and Langer vanished abruptly despite being close to their companions. Tetford’s case is even more perplexing, as he disappeared from a bus surrounded by witnesses, vanishing between stops.
5. The Serial Killer Theory
The pattern of disappearances has led some to theorize that a serial killer might be responsible. All vanishings occurred during winter, hinting at more than mere coincidence. The initial disappearances left no trace, and Langer’s body was found in an area previously searched. This suggests someone skilled in abducting and killing near the highway or mountainside. The act of moving Langer’s body into the open could indicate a killer’s desire to flaunt their crimes. This theory might explain the lack of evidence for other victims, Paul Jepson’s trail ending on the highway, and Paula Welden’s potential acceptance of a ride home after hitchhiking.
While this explanation is compelling, it has flaws. First, Langer and Rivers vanished near their friends, making abduction risky for a serial killer. Second, the victims don’t fit a typical profile. Serial killers usually target specific types, making it unusual for one to target two elderly men, a young woman, a child, and a middle-aged woman. An opportunistic killer with such a broad range of victims wouldn’t align with the risk-taking behavior required to abduct Rivers or Langer near their companions.
4. Supernatural Theories
Without the serial killer theory, supernatural explanations take center stage, each with its own bizarre twist. Among the strangest is the idea of a man-swallowing boulder hidden among the cairns at the mountain’s peak. While the cairns’ origins are unknown, they likely don’t consume people—probably. This notion of people being swallowed whole may have inspired theories of cross-dimensional wormholes. Similarly, disappearances paired with strange lights, sounds, and odors have fueled UFO conspiracy theories in the area.
However, supernatural explanations often lack concrete evidence and have evolved over time. Writer Joe Durwin, in his column “These Mysterious Hills,” notes how the Triangle’s mythos has shifted with cultural trends. Early newspaper reports tied the phenomena to Native American legends. By the 1990s, UFOs and ideas from The X-Files dominated. In the early 2000s, the focus returned to Bigfoot and the Bennington Monster. Despite their lack of substance, Durwin values these stories for keeping the memories of the disappeared alive and encouraging critical thinking.
3. A Trail That Attracts Unwary Hikers
Seasoned hikers often seek demanding trails, such as Vermont’s Long Trail, which stretches 439 kilometers (273 mi) and extends to the Canadian border. Completing the entire trail, known as thru-hiking, takes two to four weeks. Hikers meticulously plan their journeys, identifying rest stops and supply points, and carefully choose the best season to avoid winter snow and summer mudslides. However, many are unaware that the Long Trail intersects with the Bennington Triangle, a region shrouded in mystery.
The Green Mountain Club completed the trail’s expansion in 1930 and continues to maintain it while guiding aspiring thru-hikers. Numerous guides offer advice tailored to the Long Trail, such as using bug netting to fend off black flies, minimizing gear, and carrying a water filter. These tips are practical, given the trail’s abundant water sources and proximity to towns for resupply.
Yet, none of these guides mention monsters, UFOs, or even the real hazards like mine shafts and hidden cellars. Some even recommend hitchhiking into nearby towns for supplies. It appears the infamous five-year period of disappearances has faded from memory, even among those most at risk on Glastenbury Mountain. With hikers unaware of the area’s dangers and willingly accepting rides from strangers, the disappearances may not be a thing of the past.
2. Recent Accounts
Some daring individuals, intrigued by the legends, have ventured to explore the trail notorious for its five-year span of disappearances. Chad Abramovich, from the website Obscure Vermont, recounted his journey: “A few friends and I set off in a pickup truck, navigating a rough forest road until we reached a peculiar clearing in the hills. There, under the summer heat, we discovered old cellar holes nearly concealed by tall grass, shaded by twisted apple trees.”
Soon after, Abramovich and his group encountered a sudden and dramatic shift in the weather. What began as a sunny July afternoon turned into a fierce thunderstorm. Stranded for a while, they eventually made their way back to lower ground, only to find the surrounding area completely dry. Locals later confirmed that no storm had occurred in their vicinity.
Robert Singley, a music composition instructor at Bennington College and an avid hiker, got lost on the mountain in 2008. He followed a familiar trail to Bald Mountain and attempted to return the same way, but the path led him astray. Singley walked 8 kilometers (5 mi) before realizing he should have reached his car. As worry set in, a dense fog enveloped the trail, plunging it into darkness. Drawn to a maple tree in the fog, he tried to start a fire, only to find that every stick he grabbed was an animal bone. While unsettling, his primary concern was his fiancée’s worry. He eventually lit a fire and spent the night by it. By morning, he discovered he was on the opposite side of the ridge from his car but managed to return safely.
1. Logical Theories
Research into the mysteries of the Bennington Triangle has yielded some practical, if not entirely satisfying, explanations. One theory points to hypothermia. With temperatures on the mountain dropping drastically, especially during winter when the disappearances occurred, victims might have experienced terminal burrowing. This survival instinct drives individuals to seek small, secluded spaces to huddle, escaping the wind and potentially delaying freezing. However, it often occurs too late, making recovery difficult.
Another plausible explanation lies in the area’s mining history. The mountainside is riddled with unmarked mine shafts, posing a deadly risk to hikers who stray off-trail. Additionally, the mountain’s erratic wind patterns disrupt the natural growth of plants, which typically help people orient themselves outdoors. This inconsistency has confused modern hikers and aligns with the Native American legend of the four winds.
While these theories explain why some victims were never found, questions remain. If hypothermia or falls were the cause, why was Langer’s body moved months later, and why did Jepson’s trail end at the highway? Perhaps the most practical answer is that not all five disappearances share the same cause. Some may have fallen victim to foul play, while others succumbed to natural hazards. Yet, this still leaves the mystery of why the vanishings occurred within a five-year span and then abruptly ceased.
