Skinwalker Ranch
From the UAP Encyclopedia, the open encyclopedia of UFO and UAP history · 📍 Place
Contents 6
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| Type | Place |
|---|---|
| On the Timeline | 5 events, 1996–2022 |
Skinwalker Ranch, formerly the Sherman Ranch, is a property of about 512 acres (207 hectares) southeast of Ballard in Uintah County, Utah, bordering the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation. It is known for reports of UFOs, strange lights, cattle mutilations and other unexplained events, and was studied by Robert Bigelow's National Institute for Discovery Science and later by a Pentagon-funded program. Its name refers to the skin-walker, a shape-shifting witch of Navajo legend.[1]
History
UFO reports in the Uintah Basin were publicised in the 1970s. The ranch was owned by Kenneth and Edith Myers from 1934 to 1994, then sold to Terry and Gwen Sherman. In June 1996 the Deseret News published reporter Zack Van Eyck's account of the Shermans' experiences, which included vanishing and mutilated cattle, glowing orbs, unusually large animals and strange ground markings.[1][2]
The Bigelow years
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Later in 1996, Las Vegas businessman Robert Bigelow bought the ranch for about $200,000 for his National Institute for Discovery Science (NIDS), which watched it with cameras and staff for years. In 1998 the Deseret News reported that the private study was becoming more public.[1][3] In 2005 NIDS deputy administrator Colm Kelleher and journalist George Knapp published Hunt for the Skinwalker. Defense Intelligence Agency scientist James Lacatski read the book, visited the ranch and reported his own strange experience there. Bigelow relayed this to Senator Harry Reid, and Reid and Senator Ted Stevens arranged funding that became the $22 million AAWSAP program, which used the ranch as one of its study sites from 2008.[1][4]
Fugal ownership and television
In 2016 Bigelow sold the ranch for about $500,000 to Adamantium Real Estate, owned by Utah businessman Brandon Fugal. The new owners fenced the property, installed cameras and posted warnings against trespassing, and registered "Skinwalker Ranch" as a trademark for entertainment and merchandise.[1][5] Since 2020 the History channel series The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch has shown investigators using lasers, ground-penetrating radar, drones and other instruments on the property.[1]
Assessment
Skeptics note that after years of monitoring, NIDS did not publish proof of anything paranormal, that earlier owners reported no unusual events, and that many dramatic claims came from a single source. Writer Robert Sheaffer called the phenomena "almost certainly illusory", and in 1996 James Randi gave Bigelow a mock Pigasus Award. Even the investigators acknowledged difficulty obtaining evidence suitable for scientific publication.[1][6] Supporters say numerous credible witnesses reported events they could not explain.
On the UAP Timeline
- Bigelow recruits consciousness experts (1996) (7 January 1996) — Bigelow tells Vallée he is hiring experts on consciousness.
- Bigelow's expectation of a UFO announcement (1998) (11 January 1998) — Bigelow tells Vallée he feels a dramatic UAP development is coming soon.
- DIA interest in Skinwalker Ranch (21 October 2007) — Bigelow says the DIA expressed interest in strange events at Skinwalker Ranch.
- AAWSAP denied access to legacy programs (26 April 2009) — Colm Kelleher says the DIA sponsor still hasn't delivered access to legacy UAP programs.
- Brandon Fugal's conviction (27 October 2022) — Skinwalker Ranch owner Brandon Fugal says senior figures convinced him reverse engineering is real.
References
- Skinwalker Ranch — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
- Zack Van Eyck, "Frequent Fliers?", Deseret News (30 Jun 1996) · deseret.com · archived copy
- Zack Van Eyck, "Private UFO study takes a public turn", Deseret News (10 Aug 1998) · deseret.com · archived copy
- Gideon Lewis-Kraus, "How the Pentagon Started Taking U.F.O.s Seriously", The New Yorker (10 May 2021) · newyorker.com · archived copy
- M.J. Banias, "This Is the Real Estate Magnate Who Bought Skinwalker Ranch", Vice (2020) · vice.com · archived copy
- Robert Sheaffer, "Claims About a Government 'UFO Program.' How Much is True?", Skeptic (2020) · skeptic.com · archived copy
This page was last edited on 29 October 2026. Articles are written in our own words from the sources listed under References; disputed claims are attributed to the people who made them.
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