Introduction
Ghosts, haunts, and other paranormal phenomena abound this time of year. Here are Utah myths and haunted locations & top haunted places in Utah, with terrifying tales to get you in the Halloween spirit. Sherman Ranch, also known as Skinwalker Ranch, has been referred to as a hub for paranormal activity, with sightings of strange creatures with red eyes and UFOs among the reports. This isolated 500-acre piece of land in Utah between Ballard and Vernal borders a Ute Indian Reservation. A number of investigative articles and, later, a book about how the National Institute for Discovery Science acquired the ranch to investigate the strange phenomenon were influenced by the lore surrounding Skinwalker Ranch. Additionally, the History Channel announced earlier in summer that it intends to produce a series titled “The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch” that will examine the bizarre occurrences surrounding the ranch.
Skinwalker Ranch –
The ranch was purchased by the Sherman family in the 1990s, but Native American legends tell of witches who could transform into a variety of animals and are known as Skinwalkers. The area was known as “UFO Alley” before the Sherman family lived there. In 1978, the Desert News reported that people in the area saw a UFO that looked like a dome and was surrounded by a green light that was glowing. When the Sherman family moved into the ranch, the supernatural activity didn’t stop. The family described cattle that vanished, mutilated animals on their property, crop-circle-like patterns in the surrounding fields, unidentified flying objects or orbs, and invisible objects emitting destructive magnetic fields as well as doorways of light that appeared in mid-air.
Utah Lake Monster –
One man reportedly saw a large animal that looked like a wolf but was larger, harassing cattle near the ranch while he was looking into the disappearance of cattle. The creature was hit by the man’s bullet. However, the projectile struck the animal, it didn’t actually dial back. The man took shots at the animal various times, yet all at once the creature got away apparently sound. The Utah Lake Monster Henry Walker, a resident of Lehi, made a report in August 1868 that he had seen a strange, monstrous creature with the appearance of a “large snake.” According to the Deseret News, “gliding in the waters of Utah Lake with the head of a greyhound” In the Jordan River, which empties into Utah Lake, other people claimed to have seen a serpentine being with “wicked-looking black eyes”.
Snakish Animal Appearance –
Those were only the first of many encounters with a creature lurking in the lake’s depths. In 1871, William Cost and C.G. Webb from Goshen, Utah, revealed seeing an animal a mile from the shore that “had a snakish appearance and stood a few feet out of the water like a part of an enormous smokestack,” as per the Deseret News. Cost assessed that the animal should associate with 60 feet in length. It is evident that something was afoot in the 1800s, whether it was hysteria or something supernatural. According to the Daily Herald, Springville fishermen dug up an odd skull from the lake in September 1870 that had “a five-inch-long tusk that projected from the rear section of the jaw” and eye sockets the size of an ox.
Pursued By a Creature –
However, a decade later, in June 1880, when two boys were swimming in the murky lake water, the most terrifying encounter with the creature was reported. The animal was quickly ignored by them until they heard a loud roar. The boys frantically swam away from the shore and toward safety, noting that the animal continued its pursuit by making “savage gestures.” The young men came to somewhere safe just under the wire, when the animal was a couple of yards from shore.
