Haleakalā Ranch History Book Wins Preservation Award

Haleakalā Ranch: Celebrating the 125th Anniversary. Courtesy image.

By Maui Now Staff

Haleakalā Ranch: Celebrating the 125th Anniversary by John Harrisson was recognized with an Interpretive Media Award at Historic Hawai‘i Foundation’s 2015 Preservation Honor Awards Ceremony in Honolulu on Sunday, June 7.

(Left to right) Sam Lyons, Barbara Pope, Scott Meidell. Photo by Andrea Nodasker, HHF.

Scott Meidell, vice president and general manager for Haleakalā Ranch Company, accepted the prestigious award on behalf of all who contributed to the book’s success.

Maui author Harrisson spent more than seven years researching and writing the book that chronicled the 125 years since the ranch incorporated in 1888.

“This is obviously a great honor,” Harrisson said. “Of the 30-plus books I’ve written over the past 25 years, this is the book of which I am most proud, because of the oral histories and rare photos collected from family, retirees, cowboys, management, staff and friends of the ranch. Our book designer, Barbara Pope, led a top-notch team that pulled all of these elements together.”

In the letter notifying Haleakalā Ranch of the award, Kiersten Faulkner, executive director of Historic Hawaiʻi Foundation stated, “The book is not just a beautiful book, it is an accurate written record of important historic milestones presented with in the context of heartfelt human stories that illuminate both the times and the personalities of the ranch’s first century and pays homage to place.”

Haleakalā Ranch: Celebrating the 125th Anniversary has six chapters that chronicle the origins of the ranch; the descendants of ranch founders Sam and Harry Baldwin; an account of business endeavors over the years; the generations of Maui families who worked, and continue to work, at the ranch; watershed events over the years; and a comprehensive accounting of places and place names on ranch lands.

Photos from the private collections of family members and ranch employees add vivid dimension to the tales of Maui in days gone by.

“We are honored by this award,” said Haleakalā Ranch Company President Don Young. “It is a privilege to be able to record the memories and stories of the Baldwin family and so many old-timers whose labor and dedication grew Haleakalā Ranch and the larger Maui community in tandem over the past century.”

A limited number of books will be available for purchase at the Haleakalā Ranch booth at the Upcountry Fair on June 13 and 14 at Oskie Rice Arena in Makawao.

Harrisson will sign books from 9 to 11 a.m. on Saturday, June 13, and from noon to 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 14.

Last year, Haleakalā Ranch donated a copy of the book to every public library and every public and private high school in Maui County.

Haleakalā Ranch encompasses approximately 29,000 acres on the slopes of Haleakalā. Five generations of ranch families and employees have worked hard to preserve the open, natural vistas of Upcountry Maui for the benefit of current and future generations.

As one of the island’s large landowners, the ranch is deeply committed to stewardship and conservation of Maui’s water, land and other natural resources.

In addition to its primary focus on a multi-species livestock operation, the ranch’s operations have expanded to include a diverse portfolio of leases for agriculture, telecommunications, eco-tourism and alternative energy businesses on Maui.

For more information, go online.