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 — In 1833, the Kingdom of Hawai‘i hired Mexican vaqueros to teach their citizens how to deal with the cattle left by Captain Vancouver in 1893. One of them was Miquel Castro who came to the Big Island and married a Hawaiian woman. Deciding to stay in Hawaii, he applied for a job on Kaua‘i in 1848 to set up a ranch on government land at Wailua, Kaua‘i. Miguel Castro arrived on Kaua‘i to round up cattle and set up a ranch at Wailua for the Government. In return, a house, pens for cattle and calves, a house for milk storage, and horses were provided. Miguel was expected to take good care of the cattle and calves, castrate all young males and brand all cattle with the Government brand and keep good records.
Miguel brought with him skills in making ropes of horsehair and rawhide as well as saddles. The Spanish had a style of rope throwing that uses a long pliable line with a weight on its end. Instead of lassoing cattle, they whirled and hurled so that the line entangled the legs of cattle and threw them-a quick form of temporary hobbling. Miquel was skilled in rope hurling and had such a sharp eye that he could catch the weighted end of the rope in mid-air. He used to astonish Hawaiians by doing this in exhibitions from Kapa’a to Makaweli. He is credited with making the first Kaua‘i saddle out of the light and strong black hau. He later used Pride of India wood. In the old days, paniolo on all islands would quickly recognize a Kaua‘i saddle built on the distinctive saddletrees of Miguel.
A story told by William Hyde Rice tells of the courage and prowess of this vaquero. The area known now as Knudsen Gap near Koloa harbored bandits living in a cave in the hills. One day as Castro was passing through the area singing Spanish songs to his jingling spurs when a band of bandits came thundering towards him, a lone horseman. Miguel instantly knew he had to run or stand. The leader of the robbers, a tough individual, unleashed his long rope with a weight on the end and whirled and sent it snaking through the air at Miguel. One end was tied to his arm in the approved throwing style of the times so that he could hold his prey. The robber underestimated his opponent. Miguel gauged the speed and distance of the rope and at the proper split second his hand flashed out deftly and caught the hurtling rope. Instantly Miguel twisted the rope around his saddle horn, put spurs to his mount and the horse gave a mighty lunge. Instead of just pulling the roper from his firm seat, the timing was so perfect and so rapid that the bandit’s arm was pulled right off! The rest of the bandits scattered and in their leaderless state were soon caught by the Kaua‘i authorities for Miguel lost no time in getting help.
Castro died in 1861, leaving a rich legacy and many descendants in his adopted country.