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Timeline / Reshaping America / 1815: Cattle ranching comes to the Big Island of Hawai‘i

1815: Cattle ranching comes to the Big Island of Hawai‘i

John Parker, who had jumped ship as a young sailor a few years earlier, finds favor with King Kamehameha. Parker has an American musket, and the king directs him to shoot mavericks (the offspring of five cattle given to Kamehameha by Captain George Vancouver in 1793) that now roam the island, grazing and trampling native plants. In 1815, Parker marries Kipikane, a chief’s daughter. He and his wife start a cattle ranch. Salt beef becomes the island’s chief export.

The Parker Ranch, located in Waimea (also known as Kamuela) on the Big Island of Hawai‘i, was founded in 1847.

Theme
Land and Water
Region
Hawai‘i