Robert Bigelow’s REVEALS Everything about Skinwalker Ranch
Robert Bigelow's REVEALS Everything about Skinwalker Ranch
Well, first I I I uh I spent quite a bit of time talking to Terry Sherman.
Um he and his wife and two children live there. The man who brought the skinwalker ranch to the world.
He may seem like a normal guy on the surface, but he is not what he seems.
Let’s take a look into his life and understand what made Bigalow well big.
Early life and foundation years 1944 to 1967
Robert Thomas Bigalow was born on May 12th, 1944 in Las Vegas, Nevada during the height of World War II.
His upbringing in the desert city would profoundly shape his world view and future interests in ways that wouldn’t become apparent until decades later.
Growing up in Las Vegas during the 1950s meant witnessing one of the most extraordinary phenomena of the atomic age.
As a young child, Bigalow experienced what would become a formative influence on his lifelong fascination with the unknown.
When he was approximately 9 years old, Bigalow witnessed his first atomic bomb explosion from his bedroom in his family’s two-story brick house.
The experience was seared into his memory.
There was a low rumble in the early hours of the morning. A bright flash seared the horizon.
All of a sudden, it lights up like daytime.
These nuclear tests at the Nevada National Security Site located just 75 mi northwest of Las Vegas became a regular occurrence during his childhood.
During the day, young Bigalow and his classmates at Highland Elementary School were often sent out to the playground to watch the mushroom clouds roing 40,000 ft into the sky.
His exposure to science and the mysteries of atomic energy from such an early age sparked what would become a lifelong fascination with space and the unknown.
The UFO incident that changed everything
However, the most pivotal event in shaping Bigalow’s future interests occurred when he was just 3 years old in 1947.
His grandparents, Tom and Delta Thibo, experienced a close encounter with an unidentified flying object while driving near Mount Charleston, Nevada.
The glowing UFO left them deeply shaken. And though they rarely spoke about the incident, the story was eventually told to young Robert by his mother.
This childhood account of his grandparents UFO encounter would prove to be the seed that grew into Bigalow’s decadesl long obsession with paranormal phenomena and UFO research.
By age 10, this fascination had begun to take serious hold.
As Bigalow later reflected, by age 12, he had already decided that his future lay in space travel.
Education and early business acumen
Bigalow’s parents played crucial roles in shaping his entrepreneurial ambitions.
His father worked in construction which inspired Robert’s early interest in real estate development.
After completing his elementary education at Highland Elementary School, Bigalow enrolled at the University of Nevada Reno in 1962 to study banking and real estate.
He later transferred to Arizona State University from which he graduated in 1967 with degrees in real estate and banking.
The real estate empire begins 1967 to 1987
Immediately after graduation in 1967, Bigalow dove head first into real estate development.
His timing couldn’t have been better as Las Vegas was experiencing rapid growth and expansion.
Within just 3 years of starting his career, by 1970, he had already acquired over 100 apartments in Las Vegas.
This early success demonstrated the keen business acumen that would later fund his aerospace dreams.
Personal life and family
On February 4th, 1965, while still in college, Bigalow married Diane Mona, born April 9th, 1947 in Camden, New Jersey.
Diane would become not just his life partner for over 54 years, but also a crucial business partner in his early ventures.
She was instrumental in the development of Budget Suites of America, contributing to the overall design, decor, furnishings, floor plans, and even coming up with the company name itself.
The couple had two sons, Robert Michael Bobby Bigalow and Rod Lee Bigalow.
However, their family would be marked by profound tragedy that would later influence Bigalow’s interest in consciousness and afterlife research.
Building the foundation
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Bigalow continued expanding his real estate portfolio with remarkable success.
He strategically focused on the waves of people moving west, developing properties that catered to this demographic shift.
His business model centered on providing affordable extended stay accommodations for travelers and workers who needed more than a hotel room but less than a permanent apartment.
Budget Suites of America and Real Estate Success 1987 to 1999
And in 1987, Bigalow founded Budget Suites of America, the extended stay hotel chain that would become the financial foundation for all his future ventures.
The concept was simple but effective. Provide furnished apartmentstyle accommodations for weekly or monthly rental targeting budgetconscious travelers and workers living paycheck to paycheck.
Diane Bigalow’s contribution to this venture cannot be overstated.
She was deeply involved in every aspect of the business development from aesthetic choices to operational planning.
The company grew rapidly, eventually spanning 19 locations across three states — Nevada, Arizona, and Texas.
The real estate portfolio explosion
By the mid 1990s, Bigalow’s real estate empire had expanded dramatically.
He had developed approximately 15,000 units and purchased another 8,000 for a total portfolio of around 23,000 residential units.
For most of his career, he held on to almost everything he bought, a strategy that would prove remarkably profitable.
His properties included apartment complexes, commercial developments, and extended stay facilities throughout the Southwest.
The Wall Street Journal valued his real estate holdings at $900 million in 1999, while Forbes estimated them at $700 million in 2007.
Current estimates suggest his real estate developments are valued at over $1 billion.
The prescient sale
In one of the most astute business decisions of his career, Bigalow began selling portions of his real estate portfolio in 2005, 2006, and 2007, just before the 2008 financial crisis that devastated the real estate market, particularly in Nevada.
He sold approximately 4,500 units during this period.
As Bigalow later reflected with characteristic wit,
“People were going berserk trying to throw money at you and buy your properties. It tore me up. I just couldn’t bear the distraught expressions on their faces. I sold out of the goodness of my heart.”
This strategic timing allowed him to cash out at the peak of the market, providing the liquid capital that would fund his aerospace ambitions.
Family tragedies and the turn toward the unknown 1992
The year 1992 marked a devastating turning point in Bigalow’s personal life that would profoundly influence his future research interests.
His son Bobby died under circumstances that remained private.
Though the loss had a dramatic impact on both Robert and Diane, this tragedy may have intensified Bigalow’s already existing interest in questions about consciousness, death, and what lies beyond.
Later, the family would suffer another devastating loss with the death of their second son, Rodley Bigalow.
These profound personal losses help explain why Bigalow would eventually dedicate millions of dollars to researching consciousness and the possibility of life after death.
A few years after Bobby’s death, both Robert and Diane Bigalow began experiencing what they described as contact from their deceased son.
These experiences, combined with his childhood exposure to his grandparents’ UFO encounter, solidified Bigalow’s conviction that there were aspects of reality that conventional science had yet to explore or understand.
The birth of scientific paranormal research 1995 to 1999
In 1995, at the height of his real estate success, Bigalow founded the National Institute for Discovery Science (NIDS), marking his formal entry into paranormal research.
This privately financed research organization based in Las Vegas was designed to bring scientific rigor to the study of fringe science and paranormal topics, most notably UFO phenomena.
NIDS was not intended to be a typical UFO research organization. As deputy administrator Colm Keller explained,
“We don’t study aliens, we study anomalies. They’re the same thing in a lot of people’s minds, but not in our minds.”
The organization assembled an impressive team of scientists and researchers including Dr. Colm Kellaher (biochemist and deputy administrator), retired army colonel John B. Alexander, Apollo astronaut Edgar Mitchell, parapsychologist Hal Puthoff, and ufologist Jacques Vallée.
The Skinwalker Ranch acquisition 1996
The pivotal moment for NIDS came in 1996 when journalist George Knapp published articles about a Utah ranch where a Mormon family named Sherman had experienced extraordinary paranormal phenomena.
After reading about their experiences, Bigalow purchased the 512-acre property for $200,000, providing NIDS with what he hoped would be a laboratory for studying anomalous phenomena.
The ranch investigation would continue for 8 years from 1996 to 2004, documenting close to 100 anomalous incidents.
However, the phenomena proved frustratingly elusive to scientific documentation — a pattern that would characterize much of Bigalow’s paranormal research.
NIDS operations and methodology
NIDS operated with a budget funded entirely by Bigalow’s real estate profits.
The organization established a hotline in 1999 to receive reports of unusual occurrences, ultimately receiving over 5,000 reports via phone calls and emails.
While many were explained as missile test launches and meteors, a significant number remained unexplained.
The institute performed research into various phenomena, including cattle mutilation, black triangle UFO reports, and other anomalous events.
Their approach emphasized scientific methodology, sophisticated equipment, and detailed documentation — a marked departure from the often sensationalized approach of other UFO research organizations.
Bigalow Aerospace — from dream to reality, 1999 to 2020
In 1999, the same year NIDS established its hotline, Bigalow founded Bigalow Aerospace, marking his transition from studying the unknown to actively pursuing space exploration.
The company was established as a general contracting, research, and development company concentrating on achieving economic breakthroughs in space habitat construction.
The NASA connection
Bigalow’s entry into aerospace was facilitated by a fortuitous circumstance.
NASA had been developing expandable habitat technology through its TransHab program intended for Mars missions.
However, the program was canceled in 2000 due to funding constraints.
In September 2003, Bigalow Aerospace purchased a patent license from NASA for this expandable space habitat technology, giving him exclusive rights to commercialize what NASA had abandoned.
Personal investment and vision
From the beginning, Bigalow personally provided all financial support for the aerospace venture.
By 2013, he had invested over $250 million of his own money into the company.
He ultimately committed to spending up to $500 million through 2015 to achieve the launch of full-scale hardware.
The company’s mission was ambitious — to provide safe and low-cost commercial space platforms for low Earth orbit, the Moon, and beyond.
Bigalow envisioned his expandable habitats serving multiple purposes: orbital hotels for space tourists, research laboratories for corporations and countries without space programs, and housing for future Mars missions.
Major achievements and milestones
Genesis I launch – July 12th, 2006
Bigalow Aerospace achieved its first major milestone with the successful launch of Genesis I from the ISC Cosmotra Space and Missile Complex in Russia.
This was the first expandable spacecraft to be launched and successfully deployed in orbit, validating the expansion, pressurization, and safe operation of the technology.
Genesis II launch – June 28th, 2007
The second experimental module was launched successfully, further proving the viability of expandable habitat technology.
Upon completion of the Genesis program, Bigalow Aerospace began development of human-rated habitats.
BEAM Module – 2016
Perhaps the most significant achievement came with the Bigalow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM), which was delivered to the International Space Station in April 2016.
The module was attached to the station and successfully inflated on May 28th, 2016 as part of a $17.8 million contract with NASA signed in 2012.
As of 2025, BEAM remains attached to the ISS, continuing to provide valuable data on expandable habitat performance.
The space tourism vision
Bigalow’s business model for his space habitats was revolutionary.
He envisioned commercial space stations that would be leased to various clients — governments for research, corporations for manufacturing in microgravity, and eventually wealthy individuals for space tourism.
The pricing structure was ambitious but expensive.
A 3-month stay in a module called the Sundancer was projected to cost $97.5 million, while the cost for an astronaut to live in an inflatable station for 30 days was estimated at approximately $28.75 million.
These high prices reflected the nascent state of the commercial space industry following NASA’s shuttle program termination.
Company closure and legacy
In March 2020, Bigalow Aerospace was forced to lay off all 88 employees due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As of 2025, the company remains dormant and is considered defunct.
However, the technology and innovations developed by Bigalow Aerospace continue to influence the commercial space industry.
Government connections and classified research 2007 to 2016
Bigalow’s involvement with paranormal research took an unexpected turn when it intersected with classified government programs.
In 2007, a Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) official visited Skinwalker Ranch and subsequently met with Senator Harry Reid of Nevada.
This meeting would lead to one of the most significant government-funded UFO research programs in decades.
AAWSAP and government funding
The Advanced Aerospace Weapons System Applications Program (AAWSAP) was established in 2008 with $22 million in funding from the Pentagon’s black budget.
Unlike its successor AATIP, AAWSAP had a broader mandate that included studying paranormal phenomena and their potential technological applications.
The DIA awarded the AAWSAP contract to Bigalow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies (BAASS), Bigalow’s subsidiary company.
This arrangement effectively made Skinwalker Ranch a government-funded research facility, though the connection remained classified for years.
BAASS operations
Under the AAWSAP contract, BAASS deployed teams of scientists, engineers, intelligence analysts, and security personnel to study various phenomena.
The program’s objectives included:
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UAP documentation using advanced surveillance systems
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Human effects research on personnel exposed to anomalous phenomena
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Environmental analysis of electromagnetic and radiation anomalies
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Behavioral pattern analysis of apparently intelligent phenomena
Security officer Chris Bartell, who worked at the ranch from 2010 to 2018, later confirmed that reports of paranormal events were regularly faxed to both Bigalow and Pentagon officials.
Monthly reports about UAP and anomalous phenomena were sent to the Defense Intelligence Agency throughout the program’s duration.
Program termination and legacy
The AAWSAP program was officially terminated in 2011 when funding was not renewed, though some research continued under the more limited AATIP program.
The ranch’s transition from private paranormal research to government-funded scientific study and back to private ownership represents one of the most unusual chapters in the intersection of national security and unexplained phenomena.
The sale of Skinwalker Ranch and new directions – 2016
In 2016, after 20 years of ownership and investigation, Bigalow made the decision to sell Skinwalker Ranch.
The property was purchased by Brandon Fugal, a Utah real estate magnate, for approximately $500,000.
The sale marked the end of an era in Bigalow’s paranormal research activities.
Several factors may have contributed to this decision:
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Focus shift – Bigalow was increasingly focused on aerospace ventures and consciousness research.
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Government program end – With AAWSAP terminated, the ranch had lost its government funding.
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Personal priorities following family tragedies – Bigalow’s interests had evolved toward consciousness and afterlife research.
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Practical considerations – The ranch had not yielded the definitive scientific evidence Bigalow had hoped for.
Personal tragedy – the loss of Diane (2020)
On February 19th, 2020, Bigalow suffered perhaps the greatest personal loss of his life when his wife Diane Mona Bigalow passed away after a courageous battle with Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) and Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML).
She was 72 years old and had been married to Robert for nearly 55 years.
Diane’s death notice revealed the extraordinary scope of her philanthropic work and community involvement.
She had been a devoted supporter of Make-A-Wish of Southern Nevada, personally granting two to three wishes every month for many years and adopting more than 100 life-changing wishes.
A major supporter of numerous organizations including:
Dignity Health St. Rose Dominican Hospitals,
the Smith Center for the Performing Arts,
Opportunity Village,
UNLV,
Nevada Cancer Institute,
Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health,
Bishop Gorman High School,
and Nevada Ballet Theater.
The obituary described Diane as “a shining light in the lives of everyone around her who had a profound impact on the community that will long outlast her time on Earth.”
Her death left Robert as the sole survivor of his immediate family, having lost both sons earlier and now his wife of more than five decades.
The Bigalow Institute for Consciousness Studies (2020 – present)
Just months after Diane’s death, in April 2020, Bigalow founded the Bigalow Institute for Consciousness Studies (BICS).
This new venture represented the culmination of his decades-long interest in consciousness, death, and the possibility of survival after bodily death.
Mission and vision
BICS was established to support research into the survival of human consciousness after physical death and, following from that, the nature of the afterlife.
The institute represents Bigalow’s most personal research endeavor, directly connected to his family losses and his lifelong questions about the nature of consciousness and death.
According to the institute’s mission statement:
“For decades, Robert Bigalow has supported serious investigations into consciousness and manifestations of unusual phenomena that are not yet understood by science.”
The essay contest initiative
One of BICS’s most significant early initiatives was an international essay contest launched to award contestants who wrote the most compelling essays about the best available evidence for the survival hypothesis.
The contest, which awarded $390,000 in total prizes, sought essays focused on:
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Scientific evidence and objective documentation
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Special cases from credible witnesses
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Photographic or electronic data
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Validated and authenticated human experiences
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All available literature on survival evidence
The contest received 29 winning essays which were later analyzed by independent researchers for their scientific merit.
The initiative represented one of the largest systematic examinations of evidence for consciousness survival ever undertaken.
Academic partnerships
In 2022, Bigalow established the Bigalow Chair of Consciousness Studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) with a $3.7 million gift.
This academic position, filled annually by distinguished visiting science scholars, represents Bigalow’s commitment to bringing serious academic rigor to consciousness research.
As Bigalow explained:
“We are very interested in seeing the disciplines of physics, biology, and chemistry — empirical scientific investigations into the natural laws of the universe — applied to the study of consciousness.
The goal is to help scientists unravel some of the mysteries of consciousness and ultimately benefit mankind.”
Current research focus
BICS continues to fund various research projects related to consciousness and survival studies.
Recent initiatives have included:
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The largest international mediumship program ever conducted, involving 67 experienced mediums divided into six teams across the US, UK, and Europe
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Studies on near-death experiences and their implications for consciousness survival
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Research into mental mediumship and anomalous information transfer
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Investigation of various phenomena that suggest consciousness may survive bodily death
Current status and net worth (2025)
As of 2025, Robert Bigalow, now 81 years old, remains active in consciousness research through BICS.
His current estimated net worth ranges from $1 billion to $1.3 billion, making him one of the wealthiest individuals dedicated to paranormal and consciousness research.
Business portfolio
His current wealth derives from several sources:
Real Estate Holdings – Budget Suites of America continues to operate with locations in Phoenix (3), Las Vegas (5), Dallas (10), and San Antonio (1).
He also maintains ownership of hundreds of other properties across the Southwest.
Aerospace Legacy – While Bigalow Aerospace is currently defunct, the patents and technology developed represent significant intellectual property value.
The successful BEAM module continues to operate on the International Space Station, validating his technological innovations.
Investment Portfolio – Decades of strategic real estate investments and sales have created a diversified investment portfolio.
Philanthropic legacy
Beyond his business success, Bigalow has committed substantial resources to scientific research and education:
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Over $350 million invested in aerospace research and development
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$3.7 million commitment to UNLV’s consciousness studies program
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Ongoing funding for BICS research initiatives
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Historical funding for NIDS paranormal research (1995–2004)
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Support for various consciousness research organizations and academic institutions
The three types of consciousness — Bigalow’s philosophy
In recent interviews, Bigalow has articulated his current understanding of consciousness, describing three distinct types:
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Incarnate consciousness – Applies to all living things throughout the universe, ranging from basic life such as moss or bacteria that are simply alive to more sophisticated levels that can respond to perceived threats.
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Discarnate consciousness – The consciousness that may survive physical death, the primary focus of BICS research.
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Supreme consciousness – What Bigalow describes as the highest form of consciousness, suggesting a hierarchical structure to conscious existence.
This philosophical framework represents the culmination of decades of investigation into the nature of consciousness and reality — influenced by his personal experiences with loss, his scientific research, and his encounters with phenomena that challenge conventional understanding.
Legacy and impact
Robert Bigalow’s life represents a unique intersection of entrepreneurial success, scientific inquiry, and personal quest for understanding.
His impact spans multiple fields:
Commercial space industry – His expandable habitat technology pioneered new approaches to space habitation that continue to influence current space station design and space tourism development.
Paranormal research – His funding of NIDS and later government research programs helped bring scientific methodology to phenomena that had previously been dismissed by mainstream science.
Consciousness studies – BICS represents one of the most well-funded private initiatives ever dedicated to studying the survival of consciousness after death.
Real estate development – Budget Suites of America filled a crucial market niche and provided affordable housing options for transient workers and budget-conscious travelers.
The continuing quest
At 81, Bigalow continues his research into consciousness and the possibility of survival after death.
His work through BICS represents not just scientific inquiry, but a deeply personal quest for answers to questions that have haunted him since childhood:
What happens when we die?
Does consciousness survive bodily death?
Are there forms of intelligence or consciousness beyond our current understanding?
These questions, sparked by his grandparents’ UFO encounter in 1947 and intensified by the tragic loss of his two sons and his wife of 55 years, continue to drive his research and philanthropy.
Whether future scientific discoveries will validate his investigations or not, Robert Bigalow’s life demonstrates the power of using great wealth to pursue great questions — even when those questions lead into uncharted and controversial territories.
His story remains unfinished, with BICS continuing to fund research and the possibility that future discoveries may vindicate his decades-long investment in exploring the mysteries of consciousness, death, and what may lie beyond the boundaries of current scientific understanding.
