James H. Armitage
Year Inducted: 2009
Ulupalakua Ranch | Maui
Jimmy Armitage, the consummate cowboy, began his career with cattle when he was 12. Through his father’s ties to the shipping industry, Jimmy sailed on the maiden voyage of the SS Humu`ula, carrying cattle and cargo between the islands. His job was to install the cattle cleats on the ship’s deck to secure the live cargo.
His working career began at C. Brewer and Company’s Land Department as a certified land surveyor. This job took him to all the islands to survey C.Brewer’s many properties, which included plantations, dairies and the combined Hawaiian Ranch Co. in Ka’u on the Big Island . On the weekends he would help his sister Margo and her husband Francis “Frannie” Morgan on their Kualoa Ranch.
Jimmy settled in as assistant manager of C. Brewer’s three ranches in Ka’u and lived at Keauhou Ranch, at Kilauea Volcano. While there, Jimmy enjoyed some of his favorite times with his wife Roselle and their young family. He was active in the Hawai’i Cattlemen’s Council in land matters, and worked with members of the Hawai’i Cattlemen’s Association in keeping taxes on agricultural lands fair for ranchers. He was also an active member in the Maui Cattlemen’s Association.
Under Richard Penhallow, his friend and the manager at Parker Ranch, Jimmy joined the Parker Ranch team. Meanwhile changes were happening at Ulupalakua Ranch on Maui . Jimmy, next, became the manager there. His talents as cattleman, surveyor and manger helped him oversee the transition of Ulupalakua Ranch and Kipahulu Ranch from the Baldwin family to new owner, Pardee Erdman. He would spend the next 20 years of his life as manager of Ulupalakua Ranch. There he built a working feedlot to produce a quality product to compete against imported grain fed beef. As one of his progressive management practices, he spent many hours pregnancy testing the cows, and was among the first in Hawai’i to attend the American Breeders Service School , and learn artificial insemination of cattle.
Though the challenges Jimmy faced were many, he will be remembered for his achievements and the simplicity of the way he lived. His daily routine was grabbing his cowboy hat in the morning as his cattle dog “Chubby” raced him to the truck. With early morning office work done, he would meet the cowboys in front of the ranch store and give them their orders for the day. Jimmy would mount up side by side with the cowboys he admired, to go do a job he loved.