Editor’s note: On Dec. 3, the Kaua‘i Museum celebrates its 50th anniversary. Museum leaders have chosen 50 stories from exhibits, collections and the archives of the museum to share with the public. One story will run daily through Dec. 3.
Editor’s note: On Dec. 3, the Kaua‘i Museum celebrates its 50th anniversary. Museum leaders have chosen 50 stories from exhibits, collections and the archives of the museum to share with the public. One story will run daily through Dec. 3.
LIHU‘E — One of the more unusual and exciting activities that occurred on “boat days” around the island prior to the breakwater-protected modern harbors was cattle shipping. The interisland steam ships had open pens for livestock and regularly stopped for their cargo at landings around the island.
The cattle would have been driven from their pastures to the landing and all available men were mustered to assist. Not everyone was willing to drag the unwilling cattle into the water. For that, the ranch cowboys were ready with specially selected horses and gear.
Shipping saddles, stripped down versions, basically leather wrapped, wooden saddle trees so that the cowboy had someplace to tie his ropes and a way to hang on to his horse as they plunged into the water and swam with the cattle. The cattle horns were roped and secured to a line that was anchored on shore, the awaiting lighter and the steamship.
Horse and man had to work in unison to drag the plunging, horned beast into the sea and force it to swim to the lighter. The men aboard would secure the horns to the side of the boat with the head above water. When the sides of the lighter were full of cattle, it was pulled out to the steamer and the cattle were winched aboard the ship with leather belts secured under their bellies.
For the crowd, both ashore and aboard the steamer, the excitement was watching the cattle avoid heading out into the water. Added excitement was of course the sharks that were attracted to the frenzy. Spotters kept an eye out and those in the water tried to avoid hooves and horns so that blood wouldn’t be an added attraction.
Cattle were shipped this way for many years into the 20th century. The remote areas of the islands, including Kalalau Valley on Na Pali, had major cattle drives that hired on cowboys from all over the island. The Kalalau Trail as we know it today wasn’t an ancient Hawaiian trail, but developed to bring cattle out when seas were too high to ship the cattle from the beach.
