Parker Ranch is a working cattle ranch on the

Island of Hawaii Hawaii is the List of islands of the United States by area, largest island in the United States, located in the Hawaii, state of Hawaii, the southernmost state in the union. It is the southeasternmost of the Hawaiian Islands, a chain of volcani ...

in the U.S. state of Hawaii, now run by a charitable trust.

History

The ranch was founded in 1847 and is one of the oldest ranches in the United States, pre-dating many mainland ranches in

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

and other southwestern states by more than 30 years. The founder of the ranch was John Palmer Parker who assisted

Kamehameha I Kamehameha I (; Kalani Paiʻea Wohi o Kaleikini Kealiʻikui Kamehameha o ʻIolani i Kaiwikapu kauʻi Ka Liholiho Kūnuiākea; to May 8 or 14, 1819), also known as Kamehameha the Great, was the conqueror and first ruler of the Kingdom of Hawaii ...

in ridding the island of feral bulls and was granted land on which he established the ranch. From 1899 to 1937 it was managed by Alfred Wellington Carter (1867–1949). During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, part of the ranch was used as a

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

training base called Camp Tarawa. The

Second The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of U ...

and Fifth Marine Divisions conducted training maneuvers there in preparation for the assault of

Iwo Jima is one of the Japanese Volcano Islands, which lie south of the Bonin Islands and together with them make up the Ogasawara Subprefecture, Ogasawara Archipelago. Together with the Izu Islands, they make up Japan's Nanpō Islands. Although sout ...

. The Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, was developed and constructed by Laurance S. Rockefeller, on land purchased from Parker Ranch. The last owner of the ranch, the actor Richard Smart, died in 1992. Since then the Ranch has been governed by the Parker Ranch Foundation Trust. The trust benefits the North Hawaii Community Hospital, Hawaii Preparatory Academy, Hawaii Community Foundation, and Parker School. Following a successful grass-fed beef trial on Hawaii Island, Parker Ranch and Ulupono Initiative announced the launch of the Paniolo Cattle Company, a joint venture aimed at statewide local beef production in March 2014. Paniolo Cattle Company began with 1,400 head of cattle to be raised at Parker Ranch. This represented the largest commitment of grass-fed beef by a single ranch in the state and increased the supply of grass-fed steers to the market by nearly 35 percent. According to president and CEO Dutch Kuyper, due to the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

pandemic Parker Ranch canceled their annual 4 July rodeo in 2020. They donated of grass-fed, ground beef to needy Hawaiians in Waimea. The Food Basket food bank gives it away at various locations in their Ohana Drops.

Description

Spread across approximately of the island, Parker Ranch is among the nation's largest cattle ranches. A

cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the ''vaquero'' ...

on the ranch is called a '' paniolo'' (

Hawaiian language Hawaiian (', ) is a critically endangered Polynesian language of the Austronesian language family, originating in and native to the Hawaiian Islands. It is the native language of the Hawaiian people. Hawaiian, along with English, is an offi ...

pronunciation of ), since the first cowboys were Spanish-speaking and came from Mexico. The Hawaiian language does not have the "s" sound. Two of the ranch's historic homes, Puuopelu and Mana Hale, are open for free self guided tours at 66-1304 Mamalahoa Highway about one mile outside of Waimea town. This is also the location of the Corporate Headquarters. The Parker Ranch Arena and a racetrack are located off the Hawaii Belt Road at coordinates . The Ranch holds its annual July 4 Rodeo and Horses races at this Historic location.

Family tree

References

External links

*
Parker Ranch Foundation Trust
{{Authority control Buildings and structures in Hawaii County, Hawaii Ranches in Hawaii Historic house museums in Hawaii Museums in Hawaii County, Hawaii Rural history museums in Hawaii 1847 establishments in Hawaii

History

Description

Family tree

References

Further reading

External links