History’s “The Secret Of Skinwalker Ranch” crew include scientists, and ranch attendants. (Handout/ HISTORY)
Skinwalker Ranch, which is an anomalous area in the Uinta Basin that has puzzled scientists with its paranormal best-of phenomena, is as popular as ever recently with History’s non-fiction documentary -series “ The Secret Of Skinwalker Ranch.”
In 2005, Dr. Colm A. Kelleher and journalist George Knapp uncovered the findings of Robert Bigelow’s funded National Institute Of Discovery Science investigation of the ranch in the groundbreaking book “Hunt for the Skinwalker: Science Confronts the Unexplained at a Remote Ranch in Utah.” In 2018, the contents of the book were revisited with Jeremy Corbell’s film of the same name, which helped bring the topic of the ranch back into discussion. The interest in the ranch never really went away for paranormal researchers, and the UFO community, but there has been an increased exposure to the mysteries of the ranch in the past two years.
“More people will certainly become aware of the ranch as a result of HISTORY's ‘The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch,’ but the show's affect on those who are already familiar with this alleged paranormal hotspot will vary, as it does with anything else,” said Rogue Planet’s Jason McClellan who is also hosting a new podcast based on the show called “The Skinwalker Debrief.” “What is presented on the show will lead some to conclude that paranormal activity on the ranch is undeniable, while others will conclude that the evidence provided is insufficient to prove anything.”
“The Secret Of Skinwalker Ranch” has surprisingly been a research-driven show so far for History, and is being led by Dr. Travis Taylor, who has also worked with the Department of Defense and NASA. Taylor has teased some revelations for the show ( read the full punkrockandufos.com interview with Taylor here) , and has seen things that are unexplained. With increased interest in the ranch, and many paranormal enthusiasts may want to check out the private property for their own, Taylor would advise against that, and leave the work to the professionals.
“There are dangerous phenomena that are occurring that we haven’t identified as to how or why they’re occurring on the ranch and we have scientific equipment set up in such a way that if you were to sneak on the ranch to take a look for yourself,” Taylor said. “Number one you could create false data and give - lead us down a rabbit hole, or damage very expensive equipment or worst-case be exposed to a phenomenon that could cause some sort of physical harm to yourself and there’s nothing we could do to help you in that regard…. I never felt in fear of my life while I was there except in a time when I was . I did come away with radiation poisoning and sickness at one point and I won’t say more about it than that. I’m perfectly fine now, but I will only take students out there officially through the channels with the owner knowing, with the team knowing, and the fact that we’re doing everything as safely and was safety protocols in place as possible because I don’t want just random people being out there.”
UFO researcher Erica Lukes also has professional, and personal stake in Skinwalker Ranch. Lukes’ fiance Chris Marx was a former Bigelow Aerospace Advance Space Studies investigator, and claims Knapp or Corbell never spent any real time on the ranch, (Knapp and Corbell are adamant this isn’t the case. There are others that believe weapons testing has occurred on the site, and injuries have resulted from a man-made phenomena, which is a claim rejected by Taylor. Lukes generally likes the team History has on the show, but feels the show is just continuing a specific (“threat”) narrative.
“I truly hope that this new series is not a continuation of the historically promoted story,” said Lukes. “With the factual scientific documentation,and more and more evidence pointing to the DIA/AAWSAP/SWR connection, I find it peculiar that the idea that some of this could be man-made technology is so readily dismissed. As we have seen in the new series, people have been exposed to radiation and physically harmed. I hope that this issue will be addressed and not dismissed for the safety of all involved.”
The ranch’s new owner Brandon Fugal has taken a hands-on approach to investigating his property. Fugal , one of the most prominent businessmen and real estate developers in the Intermountain West, purchased the property from Bigelow in 2016 in order to investigate the strange occurrences of Skinwalker Ranch. Contrary to what some detractors have accused on social media, the involvement with the ranch isn’t a financially motivated move.
“During the entire 4 years of owning the ranch I have yet to take one dime personally in connection with the property,” said Fugal. “It is a money pit. Even if the show is wildly successful, and continues into the future, I can’t see any possibility of recouping even a fraction of what has been invested into the property in service to the research and investigation. My involvement with the ranch is a liability. In terms of financial motivations, my time is much better spent on my conventional business activities. The History Channel didn’t reimburse me one penny regarding use of the vehicles and equipment and facilities there on the property. Although the team was compensated for their time, and there was a modest budget to assist with some of the experiments and testing, all of the infrastructure and primary equipment was bought and paid for by me over the course of the last several years. None of my people had any intention or aspirations to be on camera or be in a television show. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Most of them hated it, especially at first. This is entirely unscripted. One of my main conditions with a green light to the investigative series was that nothing could be fabricated, exaggerated or contrived. It had to be 100 percent true. …I am not trying to legitimize the ranch. I am simply allowing the public the opportunity to follow our research and investigation.”
-By MIKE DAMANTE