“What I will tell you is that absolutely, without a doubt, we had scientific instruments detect and measure, multiple witnesses see, multiple cameras, and multiple occasions, phenomena that cannot be explained by human technology,” Taylor says. “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.”
Rumors of paranormal phenomena on the Skinwalker Ranch go back hundreds of years, beginning with stories told by Native American inhabitants. Allegedly, locals are still experiencing paranormal phenomena in the area to this day.
In 1996, real estate magnate Robert Bigelow bought the ranch after hearing stories of poltergeists, strange creatures, and other hauntings on the property. He had recently created the National Institute for Discovery Sciences (NIDS), a group of scientists interested in researching anomalous phenomena. NIDS quietly studied the ranch for decades. Eventually, Las Vegas investigative journalist George Knapp, who had been covering the mysterious ranch, was allowed to co-write a book with NIDS lead scientist Colm Kelleher. The book, titled “Hunt for the Skinwalker: Science Confronts the Unexplained at a Remote Ranch in Utah,” instantly brought attention to the ranch.
It was only recently revealed that in 2007 an agent from the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) read the book and wanted to visit the ranch. Bigelow allowed it, and soon after setting foot on the property, the DIA agent had his own paranormal experience. As reported by Den of Geek, this eventually led to Senator Harry Reid, a personal friend of Bigelow’s and a fellow paranormal enthusiast, to create a Pentagon program to investigate the ranch and other phenomena. This, eventually, culminated in the creation of the infamous Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP), a secretive Pentagon Program to investigate military UFO encounters, and the inspiration for the History Channel series Unidentified.
Having an interest in the aerospace industry, Bigelow started his own space company in 1999 called Bigelow Aerospace, which was contracted by the Pentagon in 2008 to investigate paranormal and UFO phenomena. Funding for that program ended in 2012, and Bigelow sold the ranch in 2016. The new owner’s identity has remained a secret, until now. His name, Brendan Fugal, was only recently revealed with the launch of promotion for History’s The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch.
