Local Halloween Stories #4; Skin Walker Ranch
Skin Walker Ranch
Southeast of Ballard is a ranch about 512 acres. This haunted land was given the name Skinwalker Ranch due to the Navajo legends of a Skinwalker in which was vengeful of the shamans. Today, it’s known for paranormal and UFO encounters. The Uintah Basin has had plenty of UFO speculations since the 1970s. The story of Skinwalker ranch, however, didn’t become known until 1996 when Salt Lake City Deseret News reported the creepy land.
Many have investigated the land and all found similarities. Cattle would go missing or vanish entirely while others were found brutally mutilated. They would be missing organs yet the skin would still be intact. Another thing investigators found was the cattle didn’t show evidence of struggle. A trail of blood was never found and the gutless animal barely had any blood under the mutilated body.
Large flying objects were also sighted within the area. Large animals with piercing red eyes that showed no effect or reaction to bullets would stare at visitors. Those who have visited the ranch have explained that it was difficult to return due what they experienced. Many shows and episodes have been made on the eerie land and showed grown men running and fearful. This may just be excellent acting but that doesn’t help the fact that the original owners, Kellehner and Knapp also investigated almost 100 incidents.
Their ownership lasted from 1934 to 1994. Then it was Terri and Gwen Sherman who owned it from 1994 to 1996. From 1996 to 2016 it was Robert Bigelwow and from 2016 to today, it’s been a billionaires by the name of Brandon Fugal. Even today, the ranch is full of creepy hauntings and cattle slaughters. Bright lights and floating objects can still be seen during the dark evenings and if visitors look hard enough, they can also be seen during the day.
Eerie spots within the ranch still cause distoriation to visitors. It’s no wonder why this creepy spot is a no wonder zone in native stories.