Ranch Wall

Built stone by stone in the late 1800s, this ranch wall represented an investment in the land. Stretching for two miles, it guided cattle through the harsh landscape of Haleakala to pasture lands on the east and west sides of Maui. The ranching era shaped Maui’s economy and communities, which value rugged independence, self reliance, and sustainability, and paniolo culture still lives on the slopes of Haleakala in neighboring ranches and communities. Cattle also had a devastating impact on native vegetation, completely destroying some native forests and dramatically reducing others. The National Park’s investment in the land includes over 30 miles of fences to protect and preserve unique species such as ahinanina, or silversword, and subalpine scrublands. These fences exclude cattle, pigs, goat, deer, and other grazers from destroying protected land in the park, giving resource managers the opportunity to restore and revive the native landscape. By 1960, more than two million acres in Hawaii were used for cattle grazing, mostly in the cooler uplands. Whether ranch wall or park fence, such boundaries marked contrasting land use philosophies between taming a wilderness landscape and preserving it in its original state.

Olinda, Hawaii · United States