Alfred Medeiros, Jr.
Year Inducted: 2005
McCandless Ranch | Hawai'i
Alfred’s 60 years at McCandless Ranch are a mirror of the cattle industry in Hawai`i, from the early days of wild cattle infestations throughout the islands, through the paniolo days of hunting and roping them, to the tame herds, selective breeding anAd pasture management of the present day.
Alfred started as a “tag-along” cowboy at McCandless ranch when his father went to work there in 1936. Alfred was then 10 years old. He helped drive the cattle to Napoopoo for shipping to Honolulu. When he was 14 he went to work for the Civilian Conservation Corps, but they found out he was underage and sent him home. Thus, at age 15, began Alfred’s lifelong relationship of 60 years with McCandless - a huge ranch of 30,000 acres, known for its wild and rough terrain.
In 1943 the ranch was a forest full of wild cattle and the paniolo’s routine work was catching the “Pipi ahiu”, mostly by crashing at break-neck speed through the native jungle thick with fern, ohia and koa. With more courage than good sense, they rode and roped to clean out the wild bulls. Alfred was noticed for his natural abilities and he became ranch foreman at the age of 22, after a two year enlistment in the U.S. Army. He worked for 48 years as ranch foreman. One of his biggest accomplishments was the spay and castration program he conducted, which is largely credited as the key to finally ridding the McCandless lands of wild cattle. But if one or two are still lurking out there, as some rumor they are, you will no doubt find Alfred Medeiros not far behind.