Editing Skinwalker Ranch — Complete Timeline (1776–2024)

== Skinwalker Ranch — Complete Timeline (1776–2024) ==

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Date !! Event !! Status
|-
| 1776 || Franciscan missionary Escalante documents strange fireballs in the Uintah Basin during the Dominguez-Escalante Expedition || Historical record (Escalante's journals)
|-
| 1300s–present || Ute oral traditions establish parts of the Uintah Basin as dangerous supernatural territory; prohibition on approaching certain lands; skinwalker presence attributed to Navajo curse following conflict with the Ute || Oral tradition; documented by ethnographers
|-
| 1861 || President Lincoln creates the Uintah Valley Reservation by executive order || Federal record
|-
| 1886 || Uintah Valley and Ouray Reservations merged into the Uintah and Ouray Reservation (~4.5 million acres) || Federal record
|-
| 1905 || Myers family homesteads the property at the foot of Skinwalker Ridge; establishes buildings at the northwest corner || Local historical records
|-
| 1934 || Kenneth Myers identified as the primary owner || Property records
|-
| 1948 (winter) || Kenneth Myers receives a visit from a tall dark-coated stranger claiming to be from the Sheriff's Department || Myers family account; limited sourcing
|-
| 1950s || UFO sightings in the Uintah Basin begin to be reported in volume; local newspapers begin coverage || Regional newspaper archives
|-
| 1970s || UFO reports so frequent that local law enforcement stops filing incident reports; the area designated "UFO Alley" || Documented police policy; local press
|-
| c. 1987 || Myers family departs; ranch sits empty for approximately seven years || Property records; local accounts
|-
| 1989 || George Knapp first publicly interviews Bob Lazar about alleged extraterrestrial craft reverse-engineering at a classified Nevada facility; Knapp establishes credibility covering anomalous phenomena || Documented broadcast; KLAS-TV
|-
| 1994 || Terry and Gwen Sherman purchase the ranch; plan to operate as a cattle ranch || Sherman family account; property records
|-
| 1994–1995 || First major encounter: Terry Sherman fires multiple rounds at a massive bulletproof wolf-like creature; animal unaffected; walks away without blood trail || Sherman family account
|-
| 1994–1996 || Escalating phenomena during Sherman tenure: cattle mutilations; disappearing cattle; blue orb destroys family's dogs; UFO sightings; poltergeist activity; disembodied voices; post-holes relocated overnight; crop circles || Sherman family account; George Knapp's documentation
|-
| June 1996 || Sherman family shares story with George Knapp; articles published in Deseret News and Las Vegas Mercury || Published newspaper articles; documented
|-
| 1995 || Robert Bigelow establishes National Institute for Discovery Science (NIDS) specifically to study UFOs and paranormal phenomena scientifically || Documented; Bigelow's account
|-
| 1996 (within 3 months of articles) || Robert Bigelow purchases the ranch for $200,000; non-disclosure agreement required from Shermans; Shermans hired as caretakers || Documented sale; NDA confirmed
|-
| 1996 || James Randi awards Bigelow a Pigasus Award for "the most useless study of a supernatural, paranormal or occult claim" || Documented award
|-
| 1996 || NIDS deploys investigation compound with monitoring equipment, observation posts, and on-site scientific personnel; systematic investigation begins || Documented; Kelleher's account
|-
| March 12, 1997 || Colm Kelleher observes a large humanoid creature in a tree ~50 yards away; fires rifle; creature flees leaving anomalous oval track 6 inches in diameter with sharp claw marks in the snow || Kelleher's published account; Hunt for the Skinwalker
|-
| 1997 || Phoenix Lights mass sighting event (March 13) — hundreds of miles south; national UAP awareness peaks || Documented mass sighting
|-
| 1996–2004 || NIDS documents numerous anomalous events including orange portal appearances; equipment destruction; aerial phenomena; cattle mutilations; cryptid encounters; but fails to obtain conclusive physical evidence || Hunt for the Skinwalker (2005)
|-
| 2004 || NIDS formally disbands; Bigelow maintains ranch ownership || Documented; Kelleher's account
|-
| 2005 || Hunt for the Skinwalker: Science Confronts the Unexplained at a Remote Ranch in Utah published by Kelleher and Knapp (Paraview Pocket Books) || Published; documented
|-
| c.2006–2007 || DIA official James Lacatski reads Hunt for the Skinwalker; contacts Bigelow; visits the ranch officially || Lacatski's account; Skinwalkers at the Pentagon (2021)
|-
| c.2007 || Lacatski personally experiences an anomalous event during his official ranch visit; begins advocacy within DIA for a formal research program || Lacatski's account
|-
| 2008 || DIA awards contract HHM402-08-C-0072 to BAASS for AAWSAP; approximately $22 million; Senator Harry Reid's advocacy was key || DIA contract records; documented
|-
| 2008–c.2012 || AAWSAP operates; Skinwalker Ranch is a key research site; program investigates UAP, paranormal phenomena, the Hitchhiker Effect, and exotic physics; generates thousands of reports, most remaining classified || Lacatski's account; Skinwalkers at the Pentagon (2021)
|-
| c.2012 || AAWSAP active funded phase concludes || DIA records
|-
| December 2017 || New York Times publishes major article revealing AATIP existence; Luis Elizondo named as former director; public UAP disclosure era begins; Knapp contributes || Published; NYT archives
|-
| 2016 || Bigelow sells the ranch to Adamantium Real Estate LLC for ~$4.5 million; buyer anonymous || Property records; documented sale
|-
| February 15, 2017 || Adamantium Real Estate LLC files U.S. Trademark application for "Skinwalker Ranch" || USPTO records
|-
| April 14, 2020 || USPTO approves and registers the "Skinwalker Ranch" trademark || USPTO records
|-
| March 2020 || Brandon Fugal publicly announces his ownership of the ranch; History Channel partnership announced || Documented public announcement
|-
| March 31, 2020 || The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch premieres on History Channel; Fugal and Dr. Travis Taylor lead the investigation || History Channel; documented broadcast
|-
| Early 2021 || Post Malone visits the ranch; featured in the History Channel series || Documented episode
|-
| 2021 || Kelleher, Lacatski, and Knapp publish Skinwalkers at the Pentagon; most complete public account of AAWSAP's scope and activities || Published; documented
|-
| June 21, 2021 || Adamantium Real Estate files expanded trademark application for merchandise || USPTO records
|-
| 2020–2024 || The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch continues through at least Season 5; ongoing investigation with expanding instrumentation; claimed findings of aerial phenomena, EM anomalies, underground structures, and physiological effects || History Channel; ongoing broadcast
|-
| 2023 || Beyond Skinwalker Ranch premieres on History Channel; investigators examine other anomalous locations including Bradshaw Ranch in Arizona || History Channel; documented broadcast
|-
| Present || Ranch remains active under Fugal ownership; 24/7 armed security and surveillance; History Channel series ongoing; no conclusive physical evidence has been produced; investigation continues || Current status
|}

[[Category: Skinwalker Ranch]]
[[Category:Paranormal]]
[[Category:UFO]]
[[Category:UFOlogy]]
[[Category:Government]]