Edward T. "Eddie" Silva
Year Inducted: 2002
Dillingham Ranch | O'ahu
Ka`ala Ranch | O'ahu
After more than 20 years working at Dillingham Ranch on Oahu, Eddie Silva decided it was time to strike out on his own. The ranch had been sold to a Mainland company, and he had the opportunity to lease about 1,400 acres on Oahu’s north shore, the same parcel of land he had grown up helping his father ranch.
Eddie always wanted to be a cowboy.
“When I hear dogs bark and see cattle, I want to get on the ranch,” he says.
Some of his happiest moments working at Dillingham happened during the time he and his family spent at their ranch house, high in the mountains. He recalls waking up to find pheasants perched on the fence, and nights so quiet and peaceful it felt like they were the only people on the planet.
Eddie is proudest of his ability at hands-on ranch work – “Raising cattle, jump on a horse, move cattle, breed cattle, get the calf on the ground.”
Today, his children have other jobs to support themselves, but they’ve kept ranching in their blood, helping out at Ka`ala Ranch, where three generations of Silvas have worked. They learned from their father that ranching is more than a job; it’s a way of life.
As Eddie says, “Money wasn’t there, but good fun was there.”