Reading Test #1

Skinwalker Ranch: Paranormal Hotspot

Skinwalker Ranch, originally named Sherman Ranch, is a property bordering the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation in Utah. The expansive landscape spans 512 acres, which is equivalent to 384 American football fields. The property is infamous as a hotspot for strange anomalies that have been documented for numerous decades. Throughout several changes in ownership, the property has gained worldwide attention, including from the federal government, for its continuous collection of unexplained phenomena.  

The Skinwalker Ranch name and history roots back to the Native American tribe folklore that concerns skin-walkers, or “yee-naaldlooshii”, which means “with it- he goes on all fours”. In Navajo legends, skin-walkers are best described as evil witches or spirits that can shapeshift into various forms. Ambiguity surrounds this legend because the Navajo people are reluctant to openly share these subjects with outsiders. Even discussing personal encounters with these beings was believed to revive negative energy back to them. 

The property was long believed to be plagued by a curse due to a historical dispute between the Navajo and the Ute tribe. Historically, at one time, the Ute tribe captured Navajo women and children, sold the enslaved people to European settlers, and joined the U.S. troops to defeat the Navajo during the Civil War. As a result, the Navajo tribe placed an everlasting curse on the Ute and the land for their vile deeds. The theory is that the curse unleashed otherworldly beings upon the land. 

For years to come, many have sought to unveil the truth behind all theories and allegations. The longest owner of the ranch is Robert Bigelow, who acquired the ranch in 1996 for $200,000 U.S. dollars to investigate the unexplained occurrences. Bigelow Aerospace conducted a study on the supernatural, focusing primarily on UFOs, in collaboration with the Pentagon and the Department of Defense. Notably, the federal government funded a $22 million grant to Bigelow’s team, NIDS, the National Institute for Discovery Science, to privately study unidentified aerial threats. In his publication, Ten Month Report, over 100 accounts of cattle mutilations, sightings of unidentified flying objects, illuminating orbs, otherworldly beast-like animals, and UFOs and UAPs have been detailed. 

By 2016, ownership was transferred to the current owner, Brandon Fugal, a Utah-based real estate mogul. He assembled a competent task force of scientists, researchers, and an astrophysicist to conduct tests and document the process through film. The film, “Curse of the Skinwalker Ranch,” was a success, attracting a wave of fans who hypothesized their own explanations for the unknown. The reality TV series documents the utilization of modern advanced technologies to approach the supernatural. 

Skeptics of the ranch are still at large. Some accuse and criticize the previous owners of fabricating captivating stories to appreciate the property value between changes of ownership. Contrary to this belief, Brandon Fugal has publicly stated, “I had no intention of monetizing my ownership of the ranch. I was in it purely for discovery.” The anecdotal evidence and alleged encounters continue to be challenged, disregarded, and even ridiculed. However, it is certain that these accounts have helped fuel serious public interest in terrestrial phenomena.