John Pacheco Tavares
Year Inducted: 2002
Grove
Ranch | Maui
Haleakala Ranch | Maui
“Johnny Pacheco,” as he was called, was known for being an expert roper, a man so skilled with the kaula ili that those who heard him boast of having once roped five goats with four lassos – one rope catching two goats together – are willing to believe he wasn’t exaggerating.
Johnny’s skills were used on Kahoolawe, where he helped rope cattle for shipping off the island. And his ability as a roper frequently got him assignments doing the roughest, toughest kind of ranch work, roping wild cattle high in the mountains.
“Whenever they had one wild bull or steer around here to catch, he would be the one they’d call,” his son Jack Tavares says.
David Ventura, a cowboy that worked under Johnny at Haleakala Ranch, says that of all the foremen he’s worked with, Johnny Pacheco was his favorite, because of his even temper, fair leadership and knowledge about cattle.
He also called Johnny a “natural” roper, and recalls the way he’d approach a runaway steer, sitting tall in the saddle.
“Just a couple of swings and he’d throw,” Ventura says.