Rounding up history of paniolo cowboy tradition

My wife and I wanted to keep on the paniolo theme, which is easy to do in Waimea, a town that grew up to support the Big Island’s renowned Parker Ranch.

At its height in the 1930s and ’40s, the ranch encompassed more than 500,000 acres and 30,000 head of cattle, stretching from the slopes of Mauna Kea to the lava-strewn shoreline of the Kohala Coast.

The first stop is the Parker Ranch Center, on the main street of Waimea, where a life-size statue of Ikua Purdy is on permanent display. Purdy is best known for winning the steer-roping competition at the 1908 Frontier Days celebration in Cheyenne, Wyo., competing alongside two other now-legendary paniolo (Hawaiian cowboys), Archie Kaaua and Jack Low. The trio wowed the mainland crowds with their aloha spirit and cowboy hats decorated with colorful f lower leis, but more so with their exemplary skills as cattlemen.

More cowboy history is found at the Paniolo Heritage Center at Pukalani Stables, the center of Parker Ranch’s horse-breeding operation for many years.

Here, a collection of historic saddles, photos and artifacts from the ranch’s early days is found, as well as the Paniolo Hall of Fame. Also at Pukalani Stables, master saddle maker Pete Gorrell is hard at work at Kuaaina Saddlery. Strike up a conversation with Gorrell or his partner, Craig Cunningham, and you will hear colorful stories of the cowboys of yesteryear as well as learn the secrets of working with leather.

If you like planning your travel around events, there’s the annual Fourth of July rodeo at the nearby Parker Ranch Arena, and a traditional Paniolo Parade is held as part of the Hawaii Island Festival each September, where both horses and riders are adorned with intricate and colorful flower leis on a parade route along the main highway in Waimea.