Episode 196: The One-Eyed Lumberjack Who Vanished - The Paul Spear Mystery, Part 1

Almost Paradise In North Idaho · Sep 16, 2026 · 21m

Years before World War II, a hardworking, one-eyed lumberjack named Paul Spear lived on a small farm near Cocolalla, Idaho. Neighbors remembered him as pleasant, sober, and dependable—a man who tended his orchard and beehives when he wasn’t working in distant logging camps.

Then Paul disappeared.

His friend and farmhand, Bruce Anderson, claimed Paul had taken a train to Oregon for a new job. Letters bearing Oregon postmarks seemed to support his story. But no one remembered seeing Paul board the train, and troubling questions soon emerged. Why had he left his new automobile behind? Why was…