Kealapuali Ranch, Kailua, Hawaii County, HI

1996 Charles E. Peterson Prize, Entry
Significance: Kealapuali, a Hawaiian name meaning "The Warrior Path," is a tract of land located on the west side of the island of Hawaii. Thought to have been a trail that the ancient Hawaiians used in times of battle, Kealapuali was of little use to the native population except for bird catching and hewing timber for canoes. After the Great Mahele of 1848 and the Land Act of 1850, foreigners purchased large tracts of land throughout the Hawaiian archipelago. During this time, there were many wild cattle and sheep which roamed the slopes of Hualalai. In 1873, Charles Wall received a lease for a sheep station at Kealapuali and built the first wooden structures. It was at this time that world traveler, Isabella Bird, stayed as a guest of the Wall family and recorded much of what is known about Kealapuali at that time. Later in 1879 H.N. Greenwell acquired the lease of the property. The Greenwell family continued the sheep business until the middle 1880s. In 1885 H.N. Greenwell, together with a Portuguese man named Manuel Golarte, formed a partnership and started a successful dairy. They constructed a new residence and a dairy, as well as a chapel, due to the remoteness of their location. This site served and continuos to serve as a significant contributor to the developing of Hawaii's cattle industry.
Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: N381
Survey number: HABS HI-295