Big Island Ranching Yesterday and Today

Paniolo or Hawaiian Cowboy. Photo by Sri Malava Rusden

Hawaii Island has been home on the range for nearly 200 years. Cattle were first imported here in 1798 and given to King Kamehameha I. About 15 years later, John Palmer Parker, a young sailor who’d jumped ship and found favor with the king, had established what would become a huge ranch, changing Hawaii Island forever.

Today, that ranching heritage is alive and well, with lots of ways to experience it.