Ep.16 The Humboldt County Lights 1926

UFO Chronicles Podcast

Nik Hunter

Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, Science

4.6 • 843 Ratings

🗓️ 17 June 2025

⏱️ 7 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In the remote redwood forests of Northern California, something strange stirred in the night sky. In 1926, long before the modern UFO era began, residents of Humboldt County reported glowing orbs drifting through the trees, following logging trucks, and vanishing without a trace. With no aircraft capable of such feats at the time, the lights defied every explanation. In this episode, we explore one of America’s earliest mass sightings, quietly buried by history but never forgotten by those who watched the sky and saw something impossible.

Brief Encounters is a tightly produced, narrative podcast that dives headfirst into the world of UFO sightings, the paranormal, cryptids, myths, and unexplained legends. From ancient sky wars to modern close encounters, each episode takes listeners on a journey through some of the most mysterious and compelling cases in human history. Whether it's a well-documented military sighting or an eerie village legend whispered across generations, Brief Encounters delivers each story with atmosphere, depth, and cinematic storytelling. Episodes are short and binge-worthy perfect for curious minds on the go. In just 5 to 10 minutes, listeners are pulled into carefully researched accounts that blend historical context, eyewitness testimony, and chilling details. The series moves between eras and continents, uncovering not only the famous cases you've heard of, but also the forgotten incidents that deserve a closer look. Each story is treated with respect, skepticism, and wonder offering both seasoned enthusiasts and casual listeners something fresh to consider. Whether it’s a 15th-century sky battle over Europe, a cryptid sighting in a remote forest, or a modern-day abduction report from rural America, Brief Encounters is your guide through the shadows of our world and the stories that refuse to be explained.

UFO Chronicles Podcast can be found on all podcast players and on the website: https://ufochroniclespodcast.com

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Transcript

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0:00.0	The weather. Tomorrow, expect a... Biting cold front. Mmm, how naughty. I wonder what I'll be wearing or taking off. The night will be wild and untamed. Expect heavy, lashing rain that'll soak you to the skin. By Monday, temperatures will rise, slowly but surely, reaching their peak in the afternoon.
0:23.0	Not in the mood for miserable weather?
0:25.8	Fly cheaply to Turkey with Sun Express.
0:28.6	Sun Express, non-stop sunshine.
0:41.8	Brief encounter. Brief Encounters Episode 15
0:43.4	The Humboldt County Lights
0:45.5	In 1926, Humboldt County wasn't just remote.
0:49.8	It was practically forgotten, tucked into the rugged forest of northern California.
0:55.1	It was a place where time moved slowly and people lived close to the land. The redwoods loomed like ancient
1:00.9	sentinels and most towns were little more than dots along dirt roads that twisted through the trees.
1:08.2	Electricity was rare. The nights were dark and quiet, and for the most part,
1:13.4	life followed a steady, familiar rhythm. But that year, something disrupted the calm.
1:19.6	People began reporting lights in the sky, unusual, brilliant lights that hovered above the trees,
1:25.9	or moved across the sky with startling speed and precision.
1:30.5	At first it was just a few isolated accounts.
1:34.2	Then more people began to talk, lumberjacks, truck drivers, families sitting on their porches at night.
1:41.4	They all described the same thing, objects that didn't behave like anything they had
1:47.0	seen before. Welcome to brief encounters. This is episode 15, the Humboldt County Lights.
1:55.2	In the 1920s, Humboldt County was almost entirely defined by the timber industry. Logging camps were scattered
2:03.1	across the wilderness, and much of the region was accessible only by rail or foot. Small towns clung to the
2:10.1	mountains and valleys, often without phones, radios, or newspapers. It was a place where people knew their neighbours but not much else beyond the
2:20.2	tree line. The isolation meant that anything strange, anything that didn't fit the expected patterns
	...

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