Paniolo Days
- Image by t.benedict via Flickr
Parker Ranch is a working cattle ranch on the Big Island, also known as the island of
Hawaii. Sitting on some of the best Big Island real estate in the northern portion of the
island, Parker Ranch is located in the town of Kamuela, just south of the Kohala
Mountain Range and at the foot of Mauna Kea. Founded in 1847, Parker Ranch is one
of the oldest ranches in the United States, pre-dating some of the more well-known
ranches in Texas and many southwestern states where ranching is still a popular
economic driver today.
A cowboy on the ranch is referred to as a “paniolo,” the Hawaiian word for cowboy.
Historically Parker Ranch has an interesting background. The founder of the ranch was
John Palmer Parker who assisted Kamehameha I in removing wild bulls from the island.
In exchange for his help, Parker was granted a land grant from the king that he
eventually applied to creating the ranch. In World War II, the ranch served as a marine
corps training base and today, the ranch is still active in ranching as well as a variety of
other tourist attractions and eco-tourism. Two of the Big Island’s most historic homes,
Puuopelu and Mana Hale, are open almost daily for tours on the ranch.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=6c6819e7-ecd9-4ca3-9164-1ec6def64c42)
Friday, July 31st, 2009,
by and is filed under "Travel |
, Big Island, Hawaii ".
You can leave a response here,
or send a Trackback
from your own site.
