The Ute people avoided this land, calling it cursed - a place where skinwalkers, malevolent shapeshifters, dwelt. Ranchers in the area reported strange lights and cattle deaths for decades before the Shermans arrived. The Shermans' experiences intensified the reputation: their detailed accounts of impossible events - a massive wolf they shot repeatedly without effect, invisible objects that moved physical items, aerial phenomena witnessed by multiple observers - attracted media attention in 1996. When Bigelow purchased the property, he brought scientists, security cameras, and rigorous protocols. They documented anomalies. They couldn't explain them.

Robert Bigelow's National Institute for Discovery Science investigated Skinwalker Ranch from 1996 to 2004. Scientists with mainstream credentials - physicists, veterinarians, engineers - rotated through the property, armed with monitoring equipment. They reported bizarre experiences: equipment failures, missing time, phenomena that appeared to respond to observation. The ranch seemed aware of investigation, presenting effects when cameras weren't recording. Researchers reported psychological effects - some refused to return; others claimed ongoing paranormal experiences at their homes. The investigation produced data but no conclusions. The phenomena resisted explanation, but also resisted proof.

In 2008, the Defense Intelligence Agency's Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program contracted Bigelow Aerospace to study UFO reports - and reportedly used Skinwalker Ranch as a research site. The program, which spent $22 million before ending in 2012, remained secret until 2017 reporting exposed it. The connection to Skinwalker Ranch suggested government interest in phenomena beyond conventional threats. What they found remains classified. The ranch's involvement in Pentagon programs confirmed its status as the most studied paranormal hotspot in America - though study produced questions, not answers.

Brandon Fugal, a Utah real estate developer, purchased Skinwalker Ranch in 2016 and opened it to documentary television. The History Channel's 'The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch' premiered in 2020, following investigators conducting experiments on the property. The show presents anomalies - unusual radiation readings, rocket malfunctions, unexplained injuries - without confirming or debunking. The commercialization frustrates purists who want scientific answers; it also ensures ongoing investigation and documentation. The ranch has become a brand, a television show, and an ongoing experiment in the limits of explanation.

You cannot visit Skinwalker Ranch - it's private property with active security. The nearest public access is Bottle Hollow Reservoir on the Uintah and Ouray Reservation, roughly 25 miles southeast of Roosevelt, Utah. The Uinta Basin surrounding the ranch is accessible; some visitors camp in the area hoping for anomalous experiences. Roosevelt and Vernal offer services and access to Dinosaur National Monument. The History Channel series provides the closest most will get to the property. The ranch's inaccessibility preserves its mystery - whatever happens there happens without public witness, except what owners choose to document.