Parker Ranch
	Today, Parker Ranch is the largest privately owned ranch in the United States. The size of the ranch is 225,000 acres with almost 400 horses and more than 50,000 cattle. It is located in Kona on the island of Hawaii, surrounding the towns of Waimea and Kamuela. Parker Ranch is 37 miles by car from Kona and 57 miles from the Hilo Airport. Parker Ranch is also known to be one of our country's oldest ranches, chronicling more than 150 years.
In 1793, George Vancouver, who was a British sailor and discoverer, sailed to the Big Island and presented King Kamehameha I with a gift of five cattle. The King placed a kapu on the cattle to make sure they would survive because he was honored to have received the gift. Within the next twenty years, the cattle started to multiply at a very quick pace and soon became a problem because the cattle were destroying crops and native forests.
In 1809, a ship's clerk from Massachusetts jumped ship as the whaling vessel he was on sailed past Hawaii, his name was John Palmer Parker. Parker soon found work maintaining the fishpond at Honaunau for King Kamehameha I. In 1812, John Parker returned to the sea for an adventure in China. He brought back to Hawaii, American Muskets he had acquired in China during the War of 1812. In 1915 John Parker Married Kipikane the granddaughter of King Kamehameha I. They had 2 sons and 1 daughter.
	King Kamehameha I gave John Parker the privilege of shooting the cattle that were roaming wildly in far away plains and valleys. King Kamehameha I also gave John Parker the permission to sell the hides and meat from the cattle. The profit from selling hides and beef allowed John Parker to build up his own herds. John Parker convinced King Kamehameha the Great to bring in labor from California, Mexico, and Spain. The imigrant workers taught local Hawaiians how to handle cattle in a professional way. They were Mexicans and Spaniards but the Hawaiians called them "paniolos".
Ever since the early 1800's, years before the Western cowboy culture began, the lifestyle of the paniolo in Hawaii has shown values that we still see evident today. These values are those of ingenuity as they taught Hawaiians cattle handling techniques, saddle stitching skills, how to make lariats and bullwhips as well as bell spurs; respect for the land and their horses; and perseverance in continuing a time-honored tradition of cattle ranching.
King Kamehameha the Great died in 1819 and was succeeded by his son, Liholiho. King Kamehameha II died in 1824, only 5 years after he became king. However, during Liholiho's reign huge changes in the islands were taking hold. By the time King Kamehameha III took control in 1825, a huge upheaval of land division in Hawaii had started that is known as the Great Mahele. 360 acres were given to Parker's wife because she was of royal blood and in 1847 John Parker established the Parker Ranch. The last Parker left the remaining parts of the ranch with 55,000 cattle to the local community of Kamuela. Parker Ranch was last owned by Richard Smart who was the last decendent of John Parker.

Resources

http://www.gopacific.com/guide/HAWAII/waimea_kamuela/wkin.html

http://www.cyberrodeo.com/guysgals/ranch2.htm

http://www.expedia.com/wg/norht_america/united_states/p19926.asp

http://www.parkerranch.com

http://rl_cook.homestead.com/Chap16.html

http://www.rodeohawaii.com/paniolo.html

http://www.rodeohawaii.com

Bisignani, J.D. Hawaii Handbook, The all Island Guide. California: Moon Publications Ltd., 1999.

Friary, Ned and Bendure, Glenda. Hawaii. Australia: Lonely Planet Publications, 1990.

Rayson, Ann. Modern Hawaiian History. Honolulu:The Bess Press, 1984.

Wong, Helen. Hawaii's Royal History. Honolulu: The Bess Press, 1987.