Kauai | Images of Old Hawaiʻi

March 18, 2020 by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Kapaʻa Japanese Stone Lantern (Ishidoro)

The first Japanese immigrants to the Islands, like the Chinese, appeared not long after Western contact, but the greatest numbers arrived in the mid-1800s to fill the labor needs of the sugar plantations.

The growth of the sugar industry as the base for the Hawaiian economy in the 1850s gave impetus to an increased demand for imported labor.

Japan was not open to Western recruitment until 1868; that year, the first group of 148 Japanese immigrants included 140 men, six women and two children.

In 1872, Politician Walter Murray Gibson declared to the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaiʻi: “You have considered the races that are desirable, not only to supply your needs of labor but to furnish an increase of population that will assimilate with the Hawaiian. …”

“We must look to races, who whilst being good workers, will not much affect the identity of the Hawaiian, and whose gradual influx will harmonize with, and strengthen, by the infusion of new blood, the native stock.”

“A moderate portion of the Japanese, of the agricultural class, will not conflict with the view that I present, and if they bring their women with them, and settle permanently in the country, they may be counted upon as likely to become desirable Hawaiian subjects.”

King Kalākaua visited Japan for ten days in 1881 while making a global tour. His meeting with Emperor Meiji improved the relationship of the Kingdom with the Japanese government, and an economic depression in Japan served as an impetus for agricultural workers to leave their homeland.

The US Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 stopped the flow of Chinese workers to the Islands; sugar planters turned to Japan. Farmers and peasants from southern Japan (mostly from the areas of Hiroshima, Yamaguchi and Kumamoto,) having suffered a series of crop failures at home, filled the Hawaiʻi jobs promising comparatively high wages.

The trickle of workers arriving in 1868 turned to a flood by 1886.

Earlier contracts which provided a wage of $4 a month plus food, housing and medical care were replaced with new arrangements for free steerage passage, wages per month of $9 for men and $6 for women, food allowance, lodging, medical care, fuel, no taxes and a required savings account. (Nordyke/Matsumoto)

While only 116-Japanese were reported as residents in the 1884 census of the Hawaiian Kingdom, the Territory of Hawaiʻi recorded 47,508-men and 13,603-women of the Japanese race in 1900. (Nordyke/Matsumoto)

The Russo-Japanese War (1904 –1905) was “the first great war of the 20th century.” It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over Manchuria and Korea. With Vladivostok only operational during the summer season, Russians sought a warm water port on the Pacific Ocean for their navy, as well as for maritime trade.

Japanese residents on Kauaʻi raised funds to support Japan’s war effort. After the Japanese victory, in appreciation of the community’s support, Japan sent money to be used to build monuments honoring the Japanese soldiers who had lost their lives in the war.

In 1915, two such monuments were erected, one in Kapaʻa, the other in Līhuʻe. They were also intended to honor Emperor Taishō’s ascension to the throne that year.

Emperor Taishō was the 123rd Emperor of Japan, reigning from 1912, until his death in 1926. (The Emperor’s personal name was Yoshihito. He was followed by his son Hirohito.)

(A tasty side note: Emperor Taishō was initially exposed to new foods by the Western diplomatic corps. Through this exposure he created beef fried Taishō Tonkatsu. After World War I, his personal chef released this menu publicly. Today, Taishō Tonkatsu is a very popular dish.)

The Kapaʻa monument was a 15-foot Ishidōrō (stone lantern) placed across the dirt highway from Miura Store.

Over the centuries the Ishidōrō evolved and were adapted for the practical purpose of lighting the grounds of religious sites, and have since become popular by placing them (in varying sizes) in the gardens of tea houses and private residences.

The Kapaʻa project work was accomplished by JS Teraoka, Masanobu Nitta and Mr. Fujiwara; the Ishidōrō was made of concrete, designs etched in redwood were pressed into the wet concrete. Many plantation workers would stop by after their long work hours to help out. (Inspiration Journal)

For many, the monument represented the Japanese immigrants’ respect for their culture and homeland, and for others, their intention to return to their families and communities in Japan, after saving up money from plantation work on Kauaʻi.

However, as World War II heated up, anti-Japanese sentiments grew, and community pressure built to remove the monument. In April 1943, county work crews toppled and buried the massive structure.

According to The Garden Island newspaper, “The monuments were pulled down by the county in response to numerous protests from civilians who felt that they were inappropriate at this time when Russia is considered an ally of the United States.” A headline from The Garden Island stated, “Reminders of Japanese Victory Removed.” (Inspiration Journal)

Over the decades, the Ishidōrō was long forgotten.

Then, in 1972, some children playing at Kapaʻa Beach Park noticed a metal rod sticking out of the ground and feared people could get injured. The County crews working to remove it soon realized that it was part of the old Ishidōrō monument; Kauaʻi Historical Society stepped in and urged it be removed.

It was later re-erected through a community effort led by Mayor Tony Kunimura, the Kaua’i Historical Society and others. For the next 20 years, the damaged and aged lantern stood supported by steel braces.

In 2008, with funding from the Kauaʻi County/HUD Community Development Block Grant Program, the Ishidōrō was fully restored, through the efforts of the Kapaʻa Business Association and others.

Congratulations to the community and coordinators Larry Dill, Pat Pannell and Rayne Regush of the Kapa‘a Business Association, and Leadership Kaua‘i on earning a ‘2009 Leadership in History Award’ from the ‘American Association for State and Local History’ for the Japanese Stone Lantern Restoration, Kapaʻa, Kaua‘i.

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Restored Japanese Stone Lantern Memorial—Kapaa

SI Exif

Emperor_Taisho's_sons_Hirohito, Takahito, Nobuhito and Yasuhito-1921

Bronze statue of Japanese sugarcane workers first immigration to Hawaii (Maui) 1885

Japan_Russia_Treaty_of_Peace_5_September_1905

Japanese_Coming_Off_Ship-(HSA)-PPWD-20-4-001

Battlefields_in_the_Russo_Japanese_War-1904-05

March 11, 2020 by Peter T Young 2 Comments

Kīpū Kai

When Captain James Cook first made contact with Hawaiʻi, he travelled around the island of Kauaʻi looking for a good anchorage. When skirting Kauaʻi’s southeast coast, he described the view across Kīpū Kai as:

“…The land on this side of the island rises in a gentle slope from the sea shore to the foot of the Mountains that are in the middle of the island, except in one place, near the East end where they rise directly from the sea; here they seemed to be formed of nothing but stone which lay in horizontal stratus.”

The first drawing of Hawai‘i by a European is William Ellis’ depiction of the Māhāʻulepū – Kīpū Kai coastline, with Mt. Hāʻupu as its focal point.

William Hyde Rice (1846–1924) was a Kauaʻi rancher; in 1879, he bought a section of the Kalapaki ahupuaʻa from Princess Ruth Keʻelikōlani and ran Līhuʻe Ranch on it.

By 1881, he sold most of this land to Līhuʻe Plantation and bought the Kīpū ahupuaʻa from Princess Ruth, he continued to raise cattle, as well as grow sugarcane on Kipu Plantation.

In 1891, Queen Liliʻuokalani appointed Rice to be the Governor of Kauaʻi, a position he held until overthrow in 1893; Rice was the last Governor of Kauaʻi.

Rice married Mary Waterhouse in 1872 and they had eight children. Rice passed away on June 15, 1924; a monument on Kipu Road was “Erected In Loving Memory By His Japanese Friends” on June 15, 1925.

John Thomas (Jack) Waterhouse (1902 – 1984) was a member of the fourth generation of his family in Hawaiʻi. (Waterhouse descended from missionaries who came to Hawaii in the 1830s, and from William Alexander, who co-founded Alexander & Baldwin (A&B) in 1870.

A&B is one of the “Big 5” companies that dominated sugar and pineapple in Hawaii until the latter part of the twentieth century. (Roth)

Jack Waterhouse joined A&B in 1930; he became corporate secretary in 1936 and vice president and treasurer in 1958. He served as director at A&B for 40-years and was also president of Alexander Properties and Waterhouse Investment Co.

In 1948, Waterhouse bought Kipukai Ranch from Rice, his in-law.

For the next 35-years, Waterhouse built roads, planted grass, developed water, irrigation and electrical systems and cared for the land that he loved. (Princeton)

“Kīpū Kai’s two-mile shoreline consists of four beaches separated by low rocky points, set against a backdrop of coastal wetland, green pastures, a perennial stream and soaring cliffs. Public access by land is not allowed. Kīpū Kai teems with birdlife, including many native species, and the coastal marine resources appear to be in pristine condition.“ (NPS)

“Towering above Kīpū Kai valley is the Hāʻupu mountain range, which runs inland nearly eleven miles to Knudsen Gap.” (NPS)

Kipukai Ranch has one of the state’s oldest solar photovoltaic systems (installed in 1988;) it powers the ranch houses and barns (with diesel generators as backup.)

Waterhouse housed a couple dozen nēnē on the property. (Although remains of ancient nēnē have been found on Kauaʻi, the first wild nēnē were not seen in modern times on Kaua‘i until the early-1970s.)

His birds were subsequently released (or escaped during hurricane Iwa (1982,)) adding to the recovery of nēnē on the island.

In 1977, Waterhouse agreed to deed the property to the State.

“(George Ariyoshi) visited Kipukai and wrote a note in the guestbook that it was ‘a treasure worth preserving for generations to come.’ Subsequently (Waterhouse) deeded the land to the State of Hawaiʻi with the provision that it be used as a natural preserve.” (George Ariyoshi)

“The State is to take possession when the last of the nieces and nephews are gone, and it will cost the public nothing.” (George Ariyoshi)

Waterhouse’s heirs control the property until that happens. In addition to visitor tours/ATV attractions, the land has been the backdrop and subject of various films – the latest was The Descendants.

Kīpū Kai encompasses several separate beach areas. Until the land transfer to the public and access protocols are established, the area is not accessible to the public.

The single road that leads over the ridges of the Hāʻupu Range into Kīpū Kai is private property and blocked by gates. Most visitors arrive by boat or kayak.

Most of the public recreation at Kīpū Kai occurs at ‘Long Beach,’ with swimming, snorkeling, bodysurfing, bodyboarding, surfing, fishing and beachcombing.

A small cove in the arc of Mōlehu Point at the north end of Long Beach is a popular snorkel site for tour boats. By agreement between commercial boat operators and Kīpū Kai landowners, onshore tour activities are confined to the adjacent beach area.

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Shailene Woodley, from left, George Clooney and Amara Miller star in “The Descendants.” (Merie Wallace/Fox Searchlight/MCT)

Kipukai, the view that Matt and his daughters see of their ancestral land in the movie "The Descendants."

How_Kauai_is_Owned-Honoluu_Record-Map-08-02-1951-(noting_Kipukai)

Lihue_USGS_Quadrangle-Lihue-1910-(portion)

Men on horseback following the Kipu Kai trail. Kauai County, Hawaii. 1909-(USGS)

The breaker Breaketh, Kipu Kai, Kauai, Arthur Rice fishing for Moa. Kauai County, Hawaii. 1909. – ID. Mendenhall, W.C. 769 – mwc00769 – U.S. Geological Survey – Public domain image

The breaker Passeth, Kipu Kai. Arthur Rice fishing for Moa. Kauai County, Hawaii. 1909. – ID. Mendenhall, W.C. 770 – mwc00770 – U.S. Geological Survey – Public domain image

View_of_Kipu_Kai,_Kauai,_William_Ellis,aboard_Cook's Discovery-considered first_drawing_of_Hawaii_by_Westerner-ca._1778

February 15, 2020 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Kaʻula

Kaʻula Island lies about 23-miles west-southwest of the south end of Niʻihau.

Geographically and biologically, Kaʻula could be considered to be part of the Northwest Hawaiian Islands. However, it is the westernmost of the Main Hawaiian Islands and is not included in the Northwestern Hawaiian Island section – it is part of Kauaʻi County.

It is Hawaiʻi’s second largest offshore islet (after Lehua,) making it the tenth largest island in the Main Hawaiian Island chain. Due to its size, a lot of people call it Kaʻula Rock.

Kaʻula was one of the first five islands sighted by Captain James Cook in 1778, which he referred to as “Tahoora”.

Cook first sighted Oʻahu on January 18, 1778. On February 2, 1778 his journal entry named the island group after his patron: “Of what number this newly-discovered Archipelago consists, must be left for future investigation.”

“We saw five of them, whose names, as given by the natives, are Woahoo (Oʻahu,) Atooi (Kauai,) Oneeheow (Niʻihau,) Oreehoua (Lehua) and Tahoora (Kaʻula.) …. I named the whole group the Sandwich Islands, in honour of the Earl of Sandwich.” (Clement)

Kaʻula is 0.7-miles long, about 540-feet high and has an area of about 130-acres (about the size of Ala Moana and Magic Island Parks.)

Around 100,000-seabirds of 18-different species nest on Kaʻula, with many sooty terns, brown noddies, boobies and wedge-tailed shearwaters.

ʻŌlelo No’eau recall several stories of Kaʻula birds:
“Ahē no ka manu o Kaʻula, he lā ʻino”
When the birds of Kaʻula appear wild, it denotes a stormy day. (Pukui, #8)

“Hāika Kaʻula i ka hoʻokē a na manu”
There isn’t room enough on the island of Kaʻula, for the birds are crowding. (Pukui, #411)

Kaʻula has no beaches for landing; there are steep cliffs on all sides of the island. A large sea cave is located at the northwestern end of the island.

ʻŌlelo No’eau recall the Kaʻula sea cave and the shark god Kuhaimoana:
“Kūʻonoʻono ka lua o Kuhaimoana”
Deep indeed is the cave of Kuhaimoana. (Pukui, #1923)

As early as 1921, the Light House board decided that a navigational light was needed on Kaʻula. On December 13, 1924, per Governor’s Executive Order 173, Kaʻula was set aside for the US Lighthouse Reservation for a Lighthouse Station to be under the management and control of the Department of Commerce.

The first documented ascent of Kaʻula was made on July 10, 1925, when a party under the direction of lighthouse superintendent Fred A Edgecomb (my great uncle) succeeded in making a landing and worked until the 21st building a trail and ladder to the summit. The lighthouse was eventually put into commission in 1932. The trail (and ladders) have long since washed into the ocean. (Brown, HJH)

In a memorandum regarding Kaʻula, Edgecomb noted, “On the summit at the north end of Kaula Rock the remains of several stone enclosures were found, showing unmistakable evidence of having been built by human hands.”

“These may have been prayer shelters, heiaus, or even ruins of forts as they are located in echelon, just at the top of the bluff where a trail would come out from the north landing. Certainly these walls have not been used or repaired in this generation.” (Brown, HJH)

Hawaiians visited to fish and to harvest seabirds, feathers and eggs. Stories tell that Kaʻula was also the source of a certain type of stone highly valued for making octopus lures. (OIRC)

The US Lighthouse Service operated the automatic gas light near the summit of Kaʻula from 1932-1947. Following World War II, US Coast Guard used Kaʻula as a radar navigation target.

The US Coast Guard, successor to the Lighthouse Service, later granted a revocable permit to the Navy (September 9, 1952) to use 10-acres on the southeastern tip of the island as a live fire air-to-surface and surface-to-surface practice range; the Coast Guard later (1965) transferred the Island to the Navy.

In 1978, the State of Hawaiʻi contemplated the inclusion of Kaʻula Island into a State Seabird Sanctuary and an Attorney General memorandum took the position that the Island belonged to the State. In part, it noted that since it was no longer being used for lighthouse purposes, the set aside in Governor’s Executive Order Number 173 should be canceled by appropriate documentation.

Navy lawyers took the position that the Island is owned by the US government and that transfer of jurisdiction, control, accountability and custody of Kaʻula Island to the Department of the Navy from the US Coast Guard was proper and in conformance with US law. (Hawaii Range Complex EIS)

From 1981 through the present, the Navy uses Kaʻula for restricted training limited to air-to-ground bombing using inert ordnance (up to 500-lbs) and live gunnery training. There is a 3-nautical mile (nm) radius restricted area and a 5-nm radius warning area around the island – both extending up to 18,000-feet. (Hawaii Range Complex EIS)

Permission from the US Navy is required to be on or around the island. The matter of ownership appears to be still in question, with the Feds and State disagreeing on who owns the island.

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Kaula Rock from the southeast-(summitpost)

Kaula Rock

Sea Cave on the northwest end of Kaula Rock-(summitpost)

Kaula Rock, from the northwest-(summitpost)

West face of Kaula Rock (viewing north)-(summitpost)

70 feet down at Five Fathom Pinnacle, Southwest of Kaula Rock-(summitpost)

Bomb on Kaula, Navy target island NW of Niihau

Crater on Kaula Island, Navy bombing target, from a 500 lb bomb.

Frederick Albert Edgecomb (1887-1972) Superintendent 19th Lighthouse District, Hawaiian Islands (1930-1939)

February 4, 2020 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Wailua Heritage Trail

From Kauai’s eastern shore to Mount Waiʻaleʻale. The sandy beaches, gentle Wailua River, verdant uplands and lofty mountains graced by waterfalls are warmed by the sun and cooled by easterly tradewinds. Discover Wailua’s beauty and history.

This interpretive project is sponsored by the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority under a Heritage Corridor Program grant.

1-Wailua Bay
In ancient times, Wailua served as a main port of entry to Kauai—a gateway that also ushered and welcomed the daily rising of the sun.

Stories tell of the arrivals of famous voyagers, chiefs, and deities including, Moʻikeha, Kaweloleimakua and Hiʻiakaikapoliopele. The legendary surf sites of Makaiwa, Kaʻōhala and Kalehuawehe are also located here.

2-ʻOpaekaʻa Falls
ʻOpaekalaʻole are native fresh water shrimp that were once plentiful in the mountain streams throughout Kauai. Translated, “ʻOpaekaʻa” means “rolling shrimp” alluding to its one-time abundance and images of ʻopae tumbling over in the cascade of the waterfall.

Kamokila and Kawelowai were giant moʻo or lizard ʻaumakua—spirit guardians that watched over the fresh water and land resources of Wailua.

3-Waiʻaleʻale
Steeped in Hawaiian oral traditions, Waiʻaleʻale mountain represents the piko or navel of Kauai. Its peak, Kawaikini is the highest point on the island at 5,243 feet.

Reputed as one of the world’s wettest spots, it averages 400- to 600-inches of annual rainfall. It is also home to Kauai’s main watershed, Alakaʻi.

4-Nounou
“Sleeping Giant” This celebrated mountain served as a prominent setting for the illustrious battle that was fought between the powerful warrior chiefs known as ʻAikanaka and Kaweloleimakua in the 17th century.

The popularized name, “Sleeping Giant” comes from the legend that tells of Puni who fell asleep upon the ridge and eventually turned to stone.

5-Maunakapu and Wailua River
The mountain ridges of Maunakapu and Nounou divided the Wailua ahupuaʻa into two sections. Wailua Kai, traditionally referred to as, “Wailuanuiahoʻano,” encompasses about 2,800-acres of land seaward. Wailua Uka is comprised of more than 17,455-acres.

Altogether, the valley provided all of the resources and necessities to support the chiefly retinues, along with the populace of makaʻāinana who cultivated the lands and provided labor for the ruling aliʻi.

6-Kuamoʻoloaakane
This is part of “the long spine of Kane,” an ancient pathway that once led to the summit of Waiʻaleʻale. Chiefly pilgrimages were taken to reach Kaʻawakoa heiau that was dedicated to the god, Kane.

Ceremonies were conducted there to ensure a continuous supply of fresh water to sustain the people and lands of Kauai. Other surrounding mountain landmarks here include Maunakapu to the south, Nounou to the north, and ʻAʻahoaka and Waiʻaleʻale to the west.

7-Holoholokū and the Royal Birthing Stones
Oral traditions tell of the sacred births of Kauainui and Wailuanuihoʻano and the establishment of this area as a birthing site reserved for royalty. It is still considered as one of Hawaiʻi’s most sacred sites. Kauai’s king, Kaumualiʻi was the last chief to be born here.

8-Hikinaakalā at Hauola
On the southern banks near the Wailua river mouth is Hauola —a place long associated with the traditional practices of health and healing.

The adjacent Hikinaakalā Heiau served as a place to worship the sun. It is said that the entirety of Wailuanuiahoʻano was a puʻuhonua or sanctuary of peace and safety.

9-Maʻamaʻakualono
“Fern Grotto” was known to the ancients as Maʻamaʻakualono, this area was dedicated to the akua nui or major god, Lono. Mostly associated with the occupations of agriculture and cultivation, Lono was also important in the practices of healing.

The popularized name, “Fern Grotto” comes from the long Boston Sword ferns which hang downward over the cave.

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Wailua_Heritage_Trail-map

1-wailua_bay

2-opaekaa_falls

3-waialeale

4-nounou

5-maunakapu_wailua

6-kuamooloaakane

7-holoholoku

8-hikinaaka_at_hauola

9-maamaakualono

February 3, 2020 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

The Sinclairs

The family dates back to early-Europe. They took the name of Saint Claire from the place, probably Normandy, where their estate was located. (Von Holt)

A senior Saint Claire married a daughter of Richard Duke of Normandy, father of William the Conqueror (their son fought in the Battle of Hastings, 1066.) By 1481, the spelling of their name started to appear as Sinclair. (Von Holt)

OK, let’s bring this closer to home.

Looking at genealogies and relationships between folks in Hawaiʻi, you tend to see a pretty tight group of people who are either related to each other, or the families had worked together for a long time.

On Kauai, you hear the names, but the relationships aren’t evident.

Sinclair – Gay – Robinson – Knudsen

Keeping track of these folks is best done with the family tree.

You’ll see that the gang above are all in the family. And, they link back to the Saint Claire clan of old.

It started in January 1824 when Captain Francis S Sinclair married Elizabeth (“Eliza”) McHutchison (sometimes spelled McHutcheson) – they were both from Glasgow, Scotland.

In 1840, the Sinclairs and their three sons and three daughters – George, Jane, Helen, James, Francis and Anne – made the move to New Zealand. Exchanging their Scotland land, they established the farm ‘Craigforth’ in a cove on the western side of Pigeon Bay on South Island.

Craigforth was largely self-sufficient. There were no servants and the Sinclairs made their own shoes and clothes. The Sinclair girls “could manage a boat as well as their brothers, they were fearless riders…crack shots, and capable workers, so that the hardships and roughing of those early years were not too much for their buoyant spirits.” (TeAra-govt-nz)

In 1846, Eliza’s husband and her eldest son, George, set off for Wellington. The ship, loaded with produce and with all the family’s savings on board, was wrecked somewhere along the coast. There were no survivors.

Under the shadow of this tragedy, the widow and family persevered.

One of the captains of the whaling ships that regularly visited Pigeon Bay, Thomas Gay, married Jane Sinclair in 1848 and they built a house at the bay. Then, Helen Sinclair married Charles Barrington Robinson, the former magistrate at Akaroa and the owner of extensive land holdings in Canterbury.

Are you starting to see the connections? Wait, there’s more.

In 1863, the Sinclairs decided to sell the Pigeon Bay farm and settle in Canada. Eliza and 13 members of her family sailed for Canada via Tahiti (captained by her son-in-law, Thomas Gay.) California was considered as an alternative place to settle, but they were persuaded to try Hawaiʻi. They travelled to Honolulu via Los Angeles, arriving there in September 1863.

The family was anxious to find land on which to settle and they were offered several large tracts on Oʻahu (at Kahuku, Ford Island and ʻEwa.) When King Kamehameha IV heard the family might leave the Islands, the King offered to sell them the island of Niʻihau. (Joesting)

After inspecting the place, they offered $6,000. The government countered – $10,000 outright, or a lease at $750 per year. Brothers James and Francis Sinclair bought it for the government’s price, $10,000. (Joesting)

Kamehameha IV died on November 30 before the closing, so Land Grant No. 2944 shows his brother, Kamehameha V, completed the transaction in 1864.

As he signed the contract, the king said: ‘”Niihau is yours. But the day may come when Hawaiians are not as strong in Hawaii as they are now. When that day comes, please do what you can to help them.’” (New York Times)

“It is said that the transfer of the island involved some hardships, owing to a number of the natives having neglected to legalize their claims to their kuleanas, but the present possessors have made themselves thoroughly acquainted with the language, and take the warmest interest in the island population.” (Isabella Bird, 1894)

Sinclairs also bought land at Makaweli and Hanapepe on the adjoining Island of Kauai. Ownership was subsequently passed down through the family.

Eliza Sinclair’s daughter, Anne Sinclair, married Valdemar Knudsen on Niʻihau in 1867. Later, that family (with 5 children) lived in Waiawa and Halemanu in Kokeʻe (on Kauai.)

The connections of the family names got a bit tighter when Aubrey Robinson (son of Helen Sinclair and Charles Robinson) married his cousin, Alice Gay (daughter of Jane Sinclair and Thomas Gay.)

The legacy continues.

Francis Gay formed a company with his brother-in-law (and cousin) Aubrey Robinson – Gay & Robinson.

Today, although the state records list them separately, if you combined the Robinsons’ holdings of nearly 51,000 acres on Kauai and some 46,000 acres on Niʻihau, the family would be the sixth largest landowner in the state. (sfgate-com)

The 2011 report lists Aylmer Robinson as the owner of Niʻihau, although he left it to his brother’s family when he died in 1967, and nephews Bruce and Keith Robinson assumed control several years before the death of their mother, Helen, in 2002. (sfgate-com)

Eric Knudsen, son of Anne Sinclair and Valdemar Knudsen, established the Eric A Knudsen Trust with extensive land holdings on Kauai, as well.

Niʻihau isn’t the only island this extended clan owned in the Islands.

After methodically buying up individual parcels, by 1907, Charles Gay, youngest son of Captain Thomas Gay and Jane Sinclair Gay, acquired the island of Lānaʻi (except for about 100-acres.) He was the first to establish the single-ownership model for Lānaʻi (with roughly 89,000 acres.)

Around 1919, Gay experimented with planting pineapple on a small scale. He eventually sold his interest and James Dole’s Hawaiian Pineapple Company, Ltd. began the subsequent establishment of its pineapple plantation.

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