“It seems every town has their own ‘spooky house at the end of the street.’”
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Ok, confession time.
I spent a significant amount of time as a Wednesday Addams-esque kid playing with homemade ouija boards, hosting improvised seances amongst the spiders in my basement and trying to hypnotize my friends. Yet despite my morbid curiosity about the supernatural, I was terrified of aliens. I would happily try to conjure and communicate with the souls of the dearly departed but little green men? No way, José.
So, it’s probably a good thing that on the evening of August 18th, 1991—my eighth birthday—I was blissfully unaware that just west of Ottawa in sleepy, rural Carp, a woman peered out her window in terror as the flashing lights of a UFO touched down in a nearby field.
E.T. Comes to Town
photo from photostockeditor
Diane Labenek claimed to have noticed flames in the field behind her house and then saw a huge spaceship with blue, blinking lights land beside them. From the window, she watched the mysterious craft for ten minutes until it suddenly took off, and the flames went out. Shortly after, Labenek said, an unmarked helicopter appeared and swooped down, checking out the area where the UFO had been, before abruptly flying away. Labenek was confused and scared. She told only her husband and mother about what she had witnessed, assuming no one would believe her.
Six months later in Maryland, former NASA contractor-turned-ufologist, Bob Oechsler, received a strange parcel with no return address containing photos, forged government documents, a map of an Ontario town and a VHS tape. The tape’s label was marked with a single fingerprint and the word “Guardian.” It contained footage of what appeared to be a large UFO landing in a field beside red flames – exactly what Labenek described. With the help of the enclosed map, Oechsler travelled to Carp to investigate, confident that the footage was authentic.
image by photovision from pixabay
Despite Oechsler’s fervor for the tantalizing lead, this was not Guardian’s first time reaching out to UFO investigators. In fact, in 1989, other ufologists received similar mysterious parcels from Guardian. Along with photocopied pictures of aliens and a map, the parcels contained documents about a government conspiracy to hide evidence of a UFO crash in Carp in November of 1989. Guardian also described an alliance between aliens, China, and the Arab nation with plans for global domination. And that aliens had been in cahoots with the Nazis. Oh, and also that the University of Ottawa was overseeing some sort of brain-implant-mind-control thingy. The kind of stuff that QAnon dreams are made of.
“On Nov. 4, 1989 at 20:00 hrs Canadian Defense Dept. radars picked up a globe shaped object traveling at phenomenal speed over Carp, Ontario. The UFO abruptly stopped and dropped like a stone. Canadian and American Security Agencies were immediately notified of the landing. Monitoring satellites traced the movements of the aliens to a triangular area (see aerial map) off Almonte and Corkery Roads.
The ship had landed in deep swamp near Corkery Road. Two AH-64 Apaches and a UH-60 Blackhawk headed for the area the following night. The helicopters carried full weapon loads. They were part of a covert American unit that specialized in the recovery of alien craft.”
-Excerpt from Guardian Document
PHOTO COURTESY OF RIDGE ROCK BREWING COMPANY. CHECK OUT ALL THEIR OTHER COOL BEERS AT ridgerockbrewco.ca!
Small Town, Big Interest
Two years later, when Oechsler got involved with the case, Carp found itself in the spotlight when it was the subject of news reports and two American tv shows, including then-popular Unsolved Mysteries.
The Guardian case was investigated by several ufologists besides Oechsler who ultimately concluded it to be an elaborate hoax. In 1994, Oechsler announced his retirement from UFO research and disappeared with his tail between his legs.
Despite this, the legend of Guardian and the UFO has cemented itself in Carp’s history. It was the subject of a March 2021 episode of CBC Docs POV and even has a craft beer named in its honour.
The Truth is Out There, Eh?
While we may never know the truth about Guardian, UFO sightings in Canada are steadily on the rise. In 2020, reports increased by nearly 50 percent compared to those in 2019, with 30 percent coming from Ontario.
And though I no longer quake with fear at the thought of being beamed up by bug-eyed Martians, I’ll still keep my eyes down from the skies and into the graves, thank you very much.
PICREW RIGHTS BELONG TO @COZMICCHU, DESIGN BY ANNABELLE
Annabelle
Having spent an eternity in Ottawa, Annabelle knows that behind the city’s calm and unassuming guise lies a veritable playground for countless ghosts and ghouls. With her own brushes with the supernatural and a morbid curiosity of Ottawa's occult occupants and paranormal past, Annabelle delights in sharing its haunting history with others.
I love October. The chill in the air. Leaves glowing blood red and molten lava orange. Warm mugs of pumpkin spice hellbroth and jack-o’-lanterns taunting passersby with menacing, toothy grins.
photo by andrew neel on unsplash
The tradition of the jack-o’-lantern comes from the tragic Irish folktale of Stingy Jack. When he died, he was banished to an eternity roaming the underworld with only an ember nestled in a hollowed-out turnip to light his way.
Ethereal lights like Stingy Jack’s, believed to belong to restless spirits, have been haunting people around the world for centuries. In fact, one lantern-toting ghost can be found right here in the Ottawa Valley.
ACCORDING TO LEGEND…
In the early 1900s, a terrible blizzard pummeled Renfrew County. That night, on Buck Hill Road, a young girl ran out into the storm when her pet dog managed to escape. Knowing the weather was getting worse, her father grabbed his lantern and rushed into the dark. He spent the frigid night frantically searching for his daughter but was unsuccessful. Refusing to give up, the man continued to search every night but eventually, obsession turned to insanity, and he died of a broken heart.
Since then, Buck Hill has been a hotspot for paranormal activity including numerous reports of an eerie light swaying in the night, believed to be the lantern of the tortured spirit, still looking for his little girl. It’s attracted paranormal investigators, brave adventurers, curious sightseers and has even inspired a song.
“A bright light appeared in the sky far away. It looked like a headlight but far brighter. It proceeded to come closer. It disappeared for an instant when my friend turned the key in the ignition to check the time on the clock. Then, when it reappeared, it was about 200 feet away. That was close enough for us! We turned the car on and beat it out of there fast.”
-Eyewitness Account (read more here)
A FRIGHTFUL FORAY
Years ago, some friends and I visited Buck Hill late one chilly night. After a pleasant drive, our carefree chatter turned to unease when an unlit road began to lead us up a densely wooded hill. The hill. Nobody spoke as we reached the top, which was littered with macabre offerings of improvised talismans and messages for the dead.
We turned the car to face the hill and cut the engine. The sudden silence amplified our isolation and vulnerability. We quietly peered into the black void before us, looking for the legendary light. After some time, our hope waning, we decided to try a ritual said to summon the sorrowful spirit by tricking him into thinking he has finally found his beloved daughter.
As per instructions, we flashed the headlights three times. Then, sheepishly mimicking a child’s voice, called out into the silent night: “Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!”
Enveloped in quiet darkness on the lonesome hill, we waited with bated breath for the light to appear…
photo by ben griffiths on unsplash
APPARITION APPRECIATION
I love scooping out the slimy guts of a big pumpkin, carving out a ghoulish face, and setting it outside with a candle in its belly, softly illuminating the night. It is an homage to the forlorn soul of Stingy Jack and now, for me, also a memento of my night on Buck Hill Road.
While the ghost of Buck Hill might not be as well-known as his Irish counterpart, why not take your own trip and see if you can spot the spectral glow of a lantern? Who knows, you might even find yourself face to face with the resident phantom.
And if your experience is anything like mine, you are certain to remember it for the rest of your mortal life.
PICREW RIGHTS BELONG TO @COZMICCHU, DESIGN BY ANNABELLE
Annabelle
Having spent an eternity in Ottawa, Annabelle knows that behind the city’s calm and unassuming guise lies a veritable playground for countless ghosts and ghouls. With her own brushes with the supernatural and a morbid curiosity of Ottawa's occult occupants and paranormal past, Annabelle delights in sharing its haunting history with others.
