Between 1945 and 1950, five people vanished without a trace in the dense forests surrounding Glastenbury Mountain in southwestern Vermont. An experienced hunting guide disappeared while leading a party, a college student was seen by multiple hikers before she simply vanished, and a veteran disappeared from a moving bus with his belongings still on the seat. The area came to be known as the Bennington Triangle, and its mysteries remain unsolved more than seventy years later [citation:2][citation:7].

In this episode, we investigate the disappearances that earned this remote corner of the Green Mountains a reputation as one of America's most unsettling mystery hotspots. From the 1945 disappearance of 74-year-old hunting guide Middie Rivers, who knew the terrain intimately yet vanished without a trace [citation:2], to the 1946 case of 18-year-old Bennington College student Paula Welden, whose disappearance triggered a massive search and led to the creation of the Vermont State Police [citation:7]. We examine the bizarre case of James Tedford, who boarded a bus in St. Albans and was seen by multiple witnesses, yet simply vanished before the bus reached its destination [citation:2]. And we explore the disappearances of eight-year-old Paul Jepson and 53-year-old Frieda Langer—one never found, the other discovered months later with no cause of death determined [citation:2][citation:7]. From legends of a man-eating rock to Bigfoot sightings and the ghost town of Glastenbury, this is the story of a place where the mountains seem to keep their secrets [citation:12].

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/black-lantern--7264324/support.