Skinwalker Ranch (Sherman Ranch), Uintah County, Utah
Unproven What these labels mean →A 512-acre ranch bordering the Uintah and Ouray Reservation. The Sherman family (owners 1994–96) reported mutilations, orbs, bullet-proof animals and poltergeist activity; Knapp broke it in 1996. Robert Bigelow bought it for $200K (1996) for NIDS, and Kelleher and Knapp say they investigated ~100 incidents (*Hunt for the Skinwalker*, 2005), though NIDS admitted 'difficulty obtaining evidence consistent with scientific publication'. DIA's James Lacatski read the book, visited, had a 'supernatural experience', and via Bigelow → Harry Reid (with Ted Stevens) that led to the $22M AAWSAP appropriation. Sold in 2016 (~$500K) to Brandon Fugal's Adamantium Real Estate, which trademarked 'Skinwalker Ranch' for media and merch; History's *The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch* since 2020. Critics: the prior owners of 60 years (the Myers, 1934–94) reported nothing unusual; Sheaffer thinks the Shermans invented it; Greenwood (JSE 2023) says there's no documentary evidence after decades.
Ties
| To | Role | Years | Verdict | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Bigelow | owner 1996–2016; NIDS | 1996–2016 | Documented · occurred | en.wikipedia.org |
| Sheehan on Danny Jones (2024) | Sheehan's helicopter/beaten-scientists story (via Kelleher) | ~1996 | Unproven | |
| AAWSAP | the ranch → Lacatski → Reid/Stevens → the $22M program | 2007–2008 | Documented · occurred | en.wikipedia.org |
| Vallee on the Bigelow podcast (Sept 2026) | Kelleher: DIA visitors brought 'hitchhiker' poltergeist activity home; the 'watch the cameras' problem | 2008–2010 | Unproven | |
| Reid reply and withheld DIRD | Reid's program origin | 2008–2009 | Documented · occurred |
Tied from
| From | Role | Years | Verdict | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report 04 - UAP injury records | testimony-only 'hitchhiker' effects on DIA visitors | 2008–2010 | Unproven | |
| BAASS Monthly Report (Nov 2009) | 'A large part of the current investigations' focused on the Utah ranch; separate Capella database | 2009 | — | |
| Taylor was chief scientist of the UAP Task Force under Jay Stratton | Taylor's ranch data → Pentagon briefing (2019) → UAPTF role; dual hat under ranch NDAs | 2019–2022 | Documented · occurred | 8newsnow.com |
Links
- Wikipedia: Skinwalker Ranch (user-supplied; checked 2026-09-27)
- Popular Mechanics: how the ranch became a paranormal hotspot
Notes
| Claim | Record | Tag |
|---|---|---|
| Bigelow bought it for $200K (1996) after the Sherman family's accounts | Deseret News; Knapp | purchase |
| ~100 incidents investigated (orbs, mutilations, red-eyed animals unharmed by bullets, magnetic 'invisible objects') | Kelleher and Knapp (2005) | incidents |
| NIDS couldn't get publication-grade evidence | NIDS / John B. Alexander | evidence gap |
| Lacatski's visit and experience → Reid/Stevens → $22M DoD line | Skinwalkers at the Pentagon; Wikipedia | AAWSAP origin |
| The Myers family (1934–94) reported no supernatural events | Sheaffer (2020), citing the prior owners | prior-owner denial |
| Many extraordinary claims trace to Terry Sherman alone (later the ranch caretaker) | Sheaffer | single-source origin |
| Fugal (2016–): trademarked the name for media and merchandise; History Channel series | USPTO registrations 2020, 2022 | commercialization |
| Randi's 1996 Pigasus Award to Bigelow | Randi | Pigasus |
Soft-synthesis flag
- The ranch's documented significance is causal, not evidential: whatever happened or didn't, it's the documented trigger for the only acknowledged DoD UAP program of its era. The phenomena themselves remain undocumented to publication standard.