Skinwalker Ranch, also known as Sherman Ranch, is a property located on approximately 512 acres (2.072km²) southeast of Ballard, Utah that is allegedly the site of paranormal and UFO-related activities. Its name is taken from the skin-walker of Navajo legend concerning malevolent witches.
Claims about the ranch first appeared in the Salt Lake City, UtahDeseret News, and later in the alternative weekly Las Vegas Mercury as a series of articles by journalist George Knapp. These early stories detailed the claims of a family that had recently purchased and occupied the property only to experience an array of inexplicable and frightening events.
Colm Kelleher and co-author George Knapp subsequently authored a book in which they describe the ranch being acquired by the National Institute for Discovery Science (NIDSci) to study anecdotal sightings of UFOs, bigfoot-like creatures, crop circles, glowing orbs and poltergeist activity reported by its former owners.
The ranch, located in west Uintah County bordering the Ute Indian Reservation, was popularly dubbed the UFO ranch due to its ostensible 50-year history of odd events said to have taken place there. Knapp and Kelleher cite the 1974 book The Utah UFO Display: A Scientist’s Report by Frank Salisbury and Joseph “Junior” Hicks, which details an earlier investigation into alleged UFO sightings in the Uintah County region, as partial confirmation of their account. According to Kelleher and Knapp, they saw or investigated evidence of close to 100 incidents that include vanishing and mutilated cattle, sightings of unidentified flying objects or orbs, large animals with piercing red eyes that they say were unscathed when struck by bullets, and invisible objects emitting destructive magnetic fields. Among those involved were retired US Army Colonel John B. Alexander who characterized the NIDSci effort as an attempt to get hard data using a “standard scientific approach”. However, the investigators admitted to “difficulty obtaining evidence consistent with scientific publication.” Cattle mutilations have been part of the folklore of the surrounding area for decades, but NIDSci founder Robert Bigelow’s purchase of the ranch and investigation funding was reportedly the result of his being convinced by stories of mutilations that included tales of strange lights and unusual impressions made in grass and soil told by the family of former ranch owner Terry Sherman.
When the family moved in, they found deadbolts on doors and windows that puzzled them. Some of the doors and windows had deadbolts on both the inside and the outside. They also found large chains outside that looked like they may be for the purpose of restraining a heavy animal.
In one instance, the family saw a wolf attacking one of their cattle. They shot the wolf multiple times with a handgun and the wolf did not react to the gunshots at all and appeared unharmed while it continued to attack the cattle. Eventually after being shot six times, the wolf ran off and eventually vanished.
In two years the family lost 20% of their heard to cattle mutilation. In 1996 the family vacated their home.
In 1996, skeptic James Randi awarded Bigelow a Pigasus Award for funding the purchase of the ranch by Harvard professor John Mack and author Bud Hopkins, for what Randi called a “useless study of a supernatural, paranormal or occult”.
In 2016 Skinwalker Ranch was sold for $4.5 million to “Adamantium Holdings” a shell corporation of unknown origin.
Afterwards, a public road that had gone through the property was closed. The road is now guarded. I would strongly advise to stay the hell away from this place!
If you listen to any podcasts “Last Podcast On The Left” did a great job on the break down of this story and everyone involved. The number of people who say they witnessed multiple unexplained events is insane. A hand full of people seeing something I may even blow it off, but this? Too many people over so many years have claimed that this place is full crazy shit.