Is located at Ballard, Utah, USA. The name skinwalker comes from a Navajo legend and the ranch has borders with the Ute Reservations. It is a site now linked with UFO and paranormal activities. I am going to enter the mix with a tinge of my usual sarcasm but also please don’t take this all as negative or skeptical, I only tend to be a little down on how online/mass media can approach things not necessarily the subject and the long-term readers here already know this, I am sure.
This one got several requests so here goes!
The Navajo belief systems are solid, well handed down and quite frankly deserve more than anything I can write here, I will not insult their entire culture and sincerely believe that the reports pre-modern American media outlets take up to be far more valid in their history so please, I haven’t gone into this on my blog for good reason. I don’t want the two things here to be put into confusion.
The Owners:
1905 – 1916: Monk Savanaugh (granted land 2-3 homestead) (only references online seem to come from the same media outlets reporting the same phrases and information)
1914 – 1945: Henry Litster (buys the land and moves into 2-3) (only references online seem to come from the same media outlets reporting the same phrases and information)
1934-1994: Kenneth and Edith Myers leave a three-room homestead from Henry Lister but the homestead is not listed. (article) (picture below)
1945 – 1961: Benton Locke (only references online seem to come from the same media outlets reporting the same phrases and information)
1994-1996: Terry and Gwen Sherman (an interview they held with desert.com)
1996 – 2016: Robert Bigelow (his Wiki entry for context of who he is)
2016 – Brandon Fungal, via Adamantium Holdings. It seems this is where the roads get blocked off, perimeters are set and guards are all brought in to keep the place off limits. It is also a year later the place gets trademarked and the trademark is issue in 2018.
The main website? I can’t say it’s anything new or dynamic but there was a forum that was active until around 2018 once the gofundme was getting underway and of course the profit on the media really began to kick in. Ebooks, books, TV etc are all taking over but it is a handy resource to start with. The files section is there to support all the evidence for the idea it’s all 100% UFO or paranormal, and the Video section just links you to their youtube. The photo’s section is a broken link alongside many other links. I’d hope that as time goes by their webmaster/editor gets them properly linked up.
The research link basically links yet more books, none of which would be ranked on a sceptic scale that I could see and maybe I am nit picking here but I hate the idea that there is a tab called “Players” as opposed to something that might indicate key individuals involved, and to me makes the researchers seem less validated and more part of some theatre production? I digress…
So I decided lets ignore the timeline (links broken) and we have a base history of the owners so lets get into the nice meaty thing, the weird stuff – its why you are here right?
Entities – now I am being a little contrite here but, it seems like someone there might be into video games or treating this like some sort of dodgy “spot me” bingo with a percentage chance of seeing the thing? I mean do you get a special unlockable achievement for finding them all? And some of the pictures are basically web found pictures, (not to mention if you are taking these images on a commercial website I would dearly like to think you’d at least credit them!).
Look I am going to be even more sarcastic but I am just annoyed by the layout of the website so bear with me as I go full “Role play game” mode and list your NPC entities:
Spotlight – This is listed as a commonly reported phenomena and lasts around 10-15 seconds for the witness; a single light like that of a motorcycle that may even focus back at the witness when it is spotted. The listing puts this as some sort of mechanical or machine-like entity.
Flash Drones – something that can be seen as a light, multiple lights, orbs or even transforming into various animal shaped lights. Now the idea behind this is that they might be some form of transport vehicle, or intelligent drone, but then it also suggests it might be biological so who knows and the event can be anything from a minute to 45 minutes long in duration.
Invisible Chopper – It is more often heard coming from the south and going up towards the north, it sounds like a large helicopter and even in broad daylight seems that you cannot see it in the sky. The noise and supposedly the vehicle then pass over the once and are not seen again, and so it is thought to have stealth technology or something akin to that and is a manned vehicle of some form.
Mini Stealth – described a mini stealth fighter in shape, dynamic movement is involved and it will pass over the observer only once before it is gone. It is something you can only spot, if lucky, for about 5-10 seconds as it whizzes past.
The Controllers – seem to be two individuals that are heard talking above the witness, in a language that is not understood and it sounds like they are communicating by “walkie talkie” or some comms device. They seem to coincide with the Invisible Chopper and may well even be inside them as they go over, if they are aware of witnesses spotting them they promptly disengage their talk.
The Traveller – an ancient looking native man in primitive clothing. The main website states it as fact pretty much that he is and his tribe once lived on the land there and are rumoured to be buried on the site. He is said to have lost his family and tribe to the “Sky Beast”, and apparently this contact has left him there on the area and it an “ethereal ghost-like figure”. It seems that he can be contacted with things like Ouija board if the participant desires contact?
Right so also mentioned –
Little Girl – the disembodied voice of a little girl, origin and background unknown – so vague that I am going to ignore this entry any further, that and the creepy pasta image just made this one seems to erroneous to the theme it’s not going to be helpful for me.
Firefly Sprites – little balls of light that go up and dissipate as they rise up into the air. Now here is a decent entry for a little attempt at reason which is that the area has ground soil with a high concentrate of silica and might be a contributing factor.
Water Babies – they are things that will mimic the cries of babies or children, who are going to then drag the person that goes to help into the water and drown them.
So many other random mentions I am just going to try and work down the main parts that seem to be helpful and honestly try to find something that I can see as independent verification. I have now left the main website so I can try and dig into the meat and bones of some of this without the real pain of the bias of the owners and profit making. Let’s get some meat (or your preference) and potatoes on the plate, right?
Utah is quite a hotspot for the paranormal in the circles that tend to investigate these things, with accounts that relate to odd happenings as far back as human settlements have been recorded. Perhaps it is the geography that assists with this, as in the large basin sits the 480-acre ranch, Skinwalker and this is seemingly the hotspot.
Astrophysicist Dr Travis Taylor (has worked for the Department of Defense and NASA) has taken some interviews and seems politely sceptical but has admitted that during a four-month project at the site he found things he could not currently explain with the modern understanding of science. He explained he feels that paranormal is a term that isn’t helpful, that he has said that things he did experience there had indeed caused him surprise, he has not gone into detail but admitted that there were phenomena there he could not explain with human technology. What I liked about his interviews is his determination to remain rational and show you why he has those five degrees in engineering and science – “It doesn’t mean it can’t be explained by a better or future understanding of physics, but it does mean we can’t explain it with human technology.”
In 1996 Robert Bigelow brought the place after hearing about the goings on, the rumours of poltergeists and other activity. He seemed to be rather interested in the paranormal aspect and whist he was owner the journalist George Knapp teamed up with another scientist, Colm Kelleher to write a book on the matter, bringing more attention to the place. 2007 and agent from the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) read the book and wanted to see the place for themselves, and things just kept growing from there.
I started trawling through the videos online to see what I could make of them, I can hardly claim to understand the science so I thought perhaps just watching the visual aids would give me some clues.
The first one I found was not at all convincing, sorry to say, a cow reacting to an object flying overhead could happen if it was a large bird or prey so I moved on. The next was a team using a binary light array to get some contact in the sky, and I was happy that they dismissed and obvious plane at first only see that the light formation changed and was not in a manner a plane would so yes it was a curious watch and it was far more compelling…
And IMMEDIATELY the thing that annoys me is it does not take long to get into the terrible fake reports, poor journalism, misinformation and just -dare I say it – bullshit.
Allow me – LINK – look at the scary monster spotted on the ranch folks! Report from a NEWS outlet that is determined to show us all how darned creepy it all is, oh wow if that’s a real photo I am staying off the roads! Well it appears proper fact checking and journalism is dead, this is so easy to report as fake it’s pathetic. Why? Any old horror fans would know this is from Xtro (1982)– its about as well used as the minions for horror memes and honestly this is why you have people who either believe or end up 100% on the NO Aliens scale.
History Channel videos just served to annoy me more, I want to believe but I found only terrible examples online and it’s upset me really. I want to see these wonderful UFO’s and evidence but I am on my second solid day of trawling youtube, online and trying to avoid the books already promoted by the main owner and business manager of this seemingly media profit powerhouse.
There is a section where “all the power” and batteries die, the connections and everything are going down around Homestead number 2, so why are the TV crew not affected? Why are their sensitive cameras and microphones clearer than ever? Now I am going to tell you why old ghost hunting shows etc at least did a slightly better job here, if the the camera’s blew or their mic’s went fuzzy they often left this in, now either this happened and the camera’s for commercial purposes were somehow immune OR this happened, they tried to recreate it but had to fake it – if it’s the latter they should have put that on the footage. It looks disingenuous.
The dangerous radiation clip on there immediately had me ranting at my partner (who isn’t into this at all by the way!) as a chamber was opened and it stank. Well that’s what happened when you open old things like that, Travis immediately has a headache “or something” and Zachary Zyla (Resistivity Expert) shows up. I can’t find this chap outside of IMDB and History Channel – what are the qualifications for this position and how can you check his credentials? Hit me up if you can help me?
“Its 120 something” that’s pretty high is apparently all you need to know and that’s where I tapped out folks. I’ve been to Pripyat and Chernobyl, sat through countless talks on how exposure works and what the importance of education on how the ground and radiation works. This 3 minute clip was the end for me, no discussion about what kind of radiation or what these numbers mean and a half baked “5 x-rays you can have a year”waffle has had me tap out. I am sorry… I just can’t watch it.
Now… why do I sound so frustrated and negative when the online world is so very positive? I WANT IT TO BE REAL! I want you to astound me with your evidence… but I am left lacking on this department. All roads lead to profit for the ranch and the owner. All roads lead to the same pubications and TV shows, none of which make me see what real science is going on there, and what’s so irking is that there clearly IS a lot going on but it’s been rapidly overtaken by hokum, poorly labelled non-scientific experiments as science and links to books that feel weighted in bias without return.
I cannot find anything that makes me sit up and go YES! Yes I want to see more. I cannot see anything but clearly ad sensed programs with any sceptics buried into realms I might have to find via the unregistered internet and buying said things via paper bags under a counter in a back trading shop. If there is a series of very good and very interesting footage and information then I am so sad I cannot find it as I think there must be more to it, but I think that American profit has overtaken it just like the wave of ghost shows cemented it as a poor reality TV, I want to be believe… but I want more to help me to do so.
I believe this entire thing fell into media hype and lost focus when the powerhouse of profit took over, Brandon Fungal, via Adamantium Holding saw an opening to use this thing like James Cameron did the Titanic, only James Cameron did at least bring us the footage of that amazing ship and helped digitally preserve it but the effect is a little the same – let me try to explain. The powerhouse of the media and stories, the movies and the over sensationalist view of those things has overtaken what could be an actually genuine amazing series of science and potential contact with another entity or series of them but we won’t get that anytime soon.
Actors, parties interested in making the show’s drama to pull an audience have saturated a beautiful natural area with Navajo history and amazing historical reports being overridden by televised viewing. I want to be wrong, can you show me something new that’s going to help persuade me? I feel like Mulder with his poster and his saying “I want to believe”
Incidentally if you want my recommendation on a truly awesome piece of science fiction that I adore – Roadside Picnic Arkady and Boris Strugatsky – (Пикник на обочине) can be brought in English, maybe I should do an article about that and the Stalker games? Mmmm
Sources:
https://web.archive.org/web/20210123170916/http://www.skinwalkerranch.org/forum/index.php
https://www.mindsetcentral.com/
Wikipedia
Skinwalkerranch.org (incidentally skinwalkerranch.com is not a secure site so I ignored it) I will refer to as “main website”
Skeptoid (podcast 321)
History.com
Desert.com
Fortean Times
Youtube
Den of Geek.com
bigelowaerospace.com (this is just a cool place linked to the former owner showing you where he is now)
Discovery UK
Hunt for the Skinwalker: Science Confronts the Unexplained at a Remote Ranch in Utah – George Knapp and Colm Kelleher
Google (various links but feel free to go wild too!)
IMDB (I can’t believe I added that but I did)
Vimeo
Investigations into the unknown and weird 