Wahiawa | Images of Old Hawaiʻi

October 25, 2017 by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Kemo‘o Farm

At the ahupua‘a of Kamananui at Wahiawa are the remains of what McAllister describes as “the longest irrigation ditch of which there is any memory” among modern Hawaiians.

Rice cultivation, extension of the railroad system toward Waialua and the development of commercial sugarcane cultivation with the rise of the Waialua Agricultural Company (later named the Waialua Sugar Company) dramatically altered the landscape of Kamananui Ahupua‘a during the last two decades of the nineteenth century.

Kemo‘o is an ili (land division smaller than an ahupua‘a) of Kamananui. These lands were further modified during the early twentieth century through the development of a military post (Schofield Barracks,) sugar cane cultivation (Kemo‘o Land Company,) a piggery and dairy operation (Kemo‘o Farm) and the pineapple industry with its plantation settlements (Kemo‘o Camp) further re-shaped the landscape surrounding the project area. (Cultural Surveys)

Kemo’o Land Company, Ltd was started in 1910 by ED Tenney, Charles H Atherton, WW Goodale, TH Petrie and JR Gait “to carry on the business of agriculture, manufacturing and mercantile pursuits (generally, operation of mills, sugar works, irrigation systems and railroads.) (Hawaiian Star, May 24, 1907)

Kemo‘o Camp was housing for pineapple workers; it opened sometime before 1920 for Hawaiian Pineapple workers and their families. It closed when the plantation built new homes in Whitmore Village. (Star Bulletin)

In 1914, Percy Martyn Pond started the Kemo‘o Farm for the “conservation of table refuse from Schofield Barracks by the production of pork and eggs.” (Nellist)

“The Kemo‘o farm, located near Schofield Barracks, Oahu, has a swine herd numbering 1,460 animals, 250 of which are brood sows of high grade and 10 are pure-bred Duroc-Jersey and Berkshire boars. Each sow on this farm farrows, on the average, 3 litters in two years and raises 5 or 6 pigs per annum.”

“Eighty cans containing about 300 pounds of garbage each are daily hauled from the military posts to the Kemo’o farm. In 1915 the Kemo‘o farm sold 365 garbage-fed hogs … In 1918 the sales increased to 1,686 head …”

“Kemo‘o farm, where swine raising constitutes the main and a highly specialized line of farming, with dairying and poultry raising ranking next in importance.” (CTAHR, 1923)

In 1920, a young soldier named Leo B Rodby, a newcomer to Hawai‘i, took a part-time job at the farm. In 1930, he bought the controlling interest in the corporation. A year later, he and his wife, Carita Fisher Rodby, had a son named Richard H (Dick) Rodby.

The farm was discontinued in 1934. The next year, a dining room overlooking the lake was opened, prompting long lines of soldiers eager for one of their sizzling steaks. During World War II, even the generals stood in line.

Dick graduated from Leilehua High School in 1948. After graduation, he served in the army and had his basic training at Schofield.

From there he attended Woodbury College in Los Angeles to become an accountant. After graduating from Woodbury Business College and San Francisco Hotel and Restaurant College, he went to work at the Santa Barbara Biltmore Hotel.

He was first in the accounting department, but then transferred into Food and Beverage and worked his way up the ladder becoming Executive Assistant General Manager for the property.

In 1953, Leo passed away. His mother called and said he was needed back home to run Kemo‘o Farm Restaurant. Dick became the president of Kemo‘o Farm in 1958. (Kemo‘o Pub)

In 1953, From Here to Eternity came out; it is about the peacetime Army on O‘ahu and culminating with the Japanese surprise attack (it’s one of only two Pacific movies to win Academy Awards for Best Picture (the other film is Mutiny on the Bounty in 1935.)

The movie used the restaurant (named Choy’s in the novel and film – after Kemo‘o’s chef;) where the fight scene takes place in the movie and where the novel opens.

Dick was delivered by Dr Arthur Davis who was the Waialua Plantation doctor and father to Charles KL and Francis Davis. He knew Charles KL Davis well from growing up in Waialua.

When Davis returned from the mainland they got together which led to nearly a 12 year run at Kemo’o Farm of music, fun and a whole new venue for Kemo’o Farm.

Big Wednesday buffet lunch shows were selling out weeks in advance of up to 150-180 people per show, weekend nights were packed. Dad started adding guests to the show with Charles with all the local Hawaiian entertainers. (Borthwick)

The family sold Kemo‘o Farm in 1992 and concentrated on the Happy Cakes until 2002 when they sold the company to Owen O’Callaghan.

Today, there are three different bars to choose from at the Kemo’o Farms Pub and Grill: The Pub, Lakeside Lanai or The Barn. (Lots of information here is from Borthwick, Happy Cake, Star Advertiser and Washington Post.)

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Garbage-fed pigs at Kemoo Farms-CTAHR-1923

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Wahiawa Area Map-1938

September 12, 2016 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Lake Wilson

One hundred and thirty-six-feet high
Four hundred and sixty-one-feet long
Five hundred and eighty-feet thick
Twenty-six-thousand-cubic yards of stone backing
One hundred and forty-one-thousand-cubic yards of earth filling
A reservoir seven-miles long
Capacity 2,500,000,000 gallons
Cost three hundred thousand dollars
(Pacific Commercial Advertiser, February 15, 1906)

“The greatest irrigation proposition ever undertaken in the Hawaiian Islands is the Wahiawa dam, which will soon be under course of construction in the Wahiawa valley, some miles from Honolulu. … It will also be used for irrigating fruit lands belonging to a colony of settlers in the immediate vicinity of the dam and for generating electric power.”

“This dam will conserve in a great natural reservoir basin over two and a half billion gallons of water which will be used chiefly to irrigate the upper cane lands of the Waialua Agricultural Company’s great sugar plantation, eight miles away.” (Louisiana Planter, September 19, 1904)

Wahiawa is located in Central Oʻahu on the Leilehua Plateau, the central plain between the Waiʻanae and Koʻolau mountain ranges.

Following Wahiawa’s initial Euro-American settlement, a period of intense agricultural interest in the pineapple industry ensued. The Hawai’i Agricultural Research Station established on the outskirts of Honolulu further supported the agricultural pursuits of pineapple and sugar in the region.

Early agricultural activities significantly modified the landscape in Wahiawa. In 1900, the Wahiawa Water Company was created through an agreement between Waialua Agricultural Company, the government, and stockholders of the colony cooperative.

Under the direction of engineer Albert Andrew Wilson, residents constructed a system of irrigation flumes, ditches, and tunnels to carry water from the northern branch of the Kaukonahua Stream to agricultural tracts.

A subsequent, more substantial phase of the irrigation project involved the damning of the two forks of the Kaukonahua Stream to develop the Wahiawa Reservoir in 1906.

The reservoir, later known as Lake Wilson, is the largest water impoundment in the state and has effectively constrained residential development in Wahiawa to its geographic boundaries.

Originally constructed by the Waialua Sugar Company, the reservoir would help to fuel other important agricultural enterprises as well. The successful irrigation facilitated by the reservoir, resulted in over half of the Wahiawa tract becoming cultivated land, with pineapple quickly emerging as the colony’s most valuable crop. (DLNR)

Construction began in 1903 and was completed in 1905. The logistics of the construction were challenging. Railroad track was laid for bringing in the boulders for the rock fill portion from as far away as 6-miles. A high trestle was built over the dam site, and the rocks were dropped into place. The long drop compacted them so they held in place.

“It has taken six years since the preliminary work was begun and two years of continuous work to complete the great enterprise. Now it is finished, and five million gallons of water a day are being delivered to the Waialua Plantation, and although this is dry weather, eighteen feet of water have accumulated in the reservoir during the last two weeks.”

“It will double the available cane area of the Waialua Plantation, and place it in the same class with Ewa, with an annual output of thirty thousand tons and upwards.”

“What that tonnage means is shown by comparing it with twelve thousand tons, the entire output of Hawaii in 11875, the year before the Reciprocity Treaty went into operation. (Pacific Commercial Advertiser, February 15, 1906)

“The outlet from the reservoir extends through four miles of ditch and tunnel until it issues onto the cane lands at the elevation above sea level of seven hundred and thirty feet, or one hundred and eighty feet higher than any fields now cultivated.”

“This brings twelve thousand acres of cane land under a gravity flow of water and doubles the area available for cultivation, without increasing the present pumping plant. (Pacific Commercial Advertiser, February 15, 1906)

“The only defect we have found in the design or construction of the dam is in the outlet valve which is 48 inches in diameter.
There is a pressure of about thirty tons against it when the reservoir is full. This great weight makes it difficult to open and shut the gate when necessary to increase or diminish the quantity of water delivered to the plantation.”

“An extension of the 48 inch outlet pipe, with two smaller gates, has been ordered, and the material is now at the dam. This will put the water under perfect control and permit, at some future time, the installation of turbine wheels for the development of water power.”

“The construction of this dam and the ditches by which the water is delivered to all parts of the plantation, will complete the development of the plantation and make all the land below the 700 ft. level available for cane cultivation.” (Hawaiian Star, February 28, 1907)

“But there are those who know all these facts and a hundred more, who have tirelessly schemed and worked and financed the great work to success. These men are (Leonard Grant) LG Kellogg, the manager of the company; (Hiram Clay) HC Kellogg, CE, of Santa Anna, Cal., who prepared the plans and personally superintended the construction of the dam, and …”

“… (Edward Davies) ED Tenney, President of the Water Company and of the Waialua Company, and (William Whitmore) WW Goodale, manager of the Waialua Agricultural Company which has financed the enterprise.” (Pacific Commercial Advertiser, February 15, 1906)

Since 1957, the Department of Land and Natural Resources, through a cooperative agreement with Castle & Cooke, Inc., has managed Wahiawa Reservoir as a public fishing area. In 1968, a 14-foot wide concrete boat launching ramp and parking area were constructed by the State for public use.

The reservoir is stocked with both large and small mouth bass, bluegill sunfish, Channel catfish, Threadfin shad, tilapia, peacock bass, oscar, Chinese catfish, and carp. It is the responsibility of DLNR’s Division of Aquatic Resources to manage these gamefish populations within the reservoir for recreational fishing purposes.

Albert Andrew Wilson (water manager, engineer and contractor) was born at Pescadero, San Mateo County on March 22, 1874; he was son of James and Susan (Matilda) Wilson.

Following arrival in Hawaii, in September 1897, he was engaged with engineering corps of Oahu Railway & Land Co. on Waialua and Kahuku extensions for two years.

From 1899-1915, he was in contracting business, during which time he was associated with various projects, such as railroad, ditch and dam building (he later served as manager of Wahiawa Water Works.) He was general superintendent of construction of the Waiāhole Ditch tunnel. On October 1, 1909 he married Nellie Beatrice Baker of Hilo; they had one child, James. (Men of Hawaii)

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Dam and Reservoir at Wahiawa under construction-PCA-Feb_15_1906

Dam and Reservoir at Wahiawa-PCA-Feb_15_1906

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Lake Wilson

Lake Wilson-Map-(DLNR)

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133635_1.tif. AMBO (ftp,aps) 2/18/39 (CITY,Gordon) weed 21Salvinia Molesta weed that has accumulated in Lake Wilson is being removed by an amphibious excavator.

July 12, 2016 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Wailupe Naval Radio Station

“Navy officials said they received a garbled radio message early today, purported to have been sent by Amelia Earhart, which indicated her plane was sinking.”

“The message received by three navy operators was pieced together as follows: ‘281 north Howland call KHAQQ beyond north won’t hold with us much longer above water shut off.’”

“The operators said keying of the message was poor and they were able only to pick up the fragments of it was received between 4:30 am and 5:30 am Pacific coast time.” (Bakersfield Californian, July 5, 1937)

Reanalysis of the credible post-loss signals supports the hypothesis that they were sent by Earhart’s Electra from a point on the reef at Nikumaroro, about a quarter-mile north of the shipwreck of the British freighter SS Norwich City. (NBC)

The signal was picked up by radiomen at the US Naval Radio Station in Wailupe, O‘ahu.

“The Navy purchased a piece of land at Wailupe for the temporary station and it was very temporary as plans were in the making for a permanent station at Wailupe.”

The temporary station at Wailupe was built around the first part of 1919 and personnel moved there to allow the Kahuku and Koko Head stations to be remodeled. Almost the entire crew of operators at Koko Head was sent to Wailupe.

“There were three booths, more like chicken coops, scattered on the beach. Each booth, of crude construction, had room for two circuits. The roofs leaked and some of the operators had to sit under an umbrella suspended from the ceiling to keep water off the equipment.”

“We stood a three section watch, seven days a week, no rotation of watches, no days off. Straight 8 on and 16 off, and that’s the way it was at the start of NPM (long distance radio station at Pearl Harbor) at Wailupe as a Government and commercial traffic station.” (Phelps)

The station was completed early in 1921. It was a rectangular, one story building on pilings out over the water to provide more land space for the proposed officer’s quarters, two duplex quarters and the single men’s barracks.

The building was divided into compartments or booths, seven on each side separated by a hallway extending the full length of the building. The wireroom had Morse code landline circuits to the Old Naval Station in Honolulu (HU) for transmission of commercial, other government department traffic and press news dispatches for the Honolulu newspapers

One additional set of duplex quarters was built between the two original duplexes. A tennis court, swimming pool and recreation building had been constructed. A diversity receiving station had been built on the hill behind the quarters.

Facilities at Wailupe in 1939 were meager, and an entirely new receiving and control station was under construction. At Wailupe in December 1941 there were seventy-six men operating twelve positions to receive and send naval dispatches.

After the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, the Navy realized that the station at Wailupe on the seacoast was very vulnerable to attack.

So, on the morning of December 10, 1941, the District Communication Officer decided to have all radio equipment at Wailupe moved to Wahiawa.

(Wahiawa was originally established in 1940 as a temporary Naval Radio Station and Naval Radio Direction Finder Station, but the need to expand receiving facilities and to separate transmitting and receiving facilities forced expansion at NCTAMS PAC Wahiawa.)

The Wahiawa site was an excellent receiving area arid the best protected radio station of the entire district. Relocation was completed on December 17 without interruption of communications. (Todd)

With the outbreak of World War II, the Coast Guard established a Training Station in early spring 1942 at the former Naval Radio Station at Wailupe. One of the most important schools at the Training Station was the 16-week Radioman School.

There were approximately 20 students per class, with the first class beginning in March 1942. In November 1943, the Coast Guard assumed control of all inter-island communications for the Navy. As a result of the increased traffic, a new primary radio station was constructed on the site of the Wailupe Training Station.

However, the Coast Guard felt “the site of the present District primary radio station at Wailupe is far from satisfactory because of lack of space and the character of the terrain which prevents the proper separation of transmitting and receiving antenna systems.”

During the period of September – October 1958, the receiver site and administrative spaces were moved to Wahiawa. (Coast Guard)

Eventually, the area makai of Kalanianaʻole Highway was transferred and is now Wailupe Beach Park; the Coast Guard maintains housing and recreational facilities, mauka of the highway. (Lots of information and images here are from Phelps, Todd and virhistory-com.)

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John Kriens at Position 5 – 01-46

McVeigh at Position 2 – 01-46

Radiomen

John Kriens at Position 4 – 01-46

Carter at Position 3 – 01-46

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1919 Radiomen-L-R-EL Harris, WG Tichenor, OH Scott, HB ‘Skinny’ Phelps

Ralph Murph at Position 3 – 01-46

Schmoeger at Position 1 – 01-46

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Wailupe Naval Radio Station-to Koko Head-t4376_dd-map-1928

October 14, 2015 by Peter T Young 2 Comments

Wahiawā Hotel

“An instance of community enterprise truly admirable is being exhibited by the Wahiawā Settlement Association in the erection of a hotel in that Salubrious village.”

“As shown in the list of building permits in this paper the other day, the building is estimated to cost $3,650, and the plans have been prepared by Emory & Webb, architects. Its location is 300 feet from the railway station.” (Star Bulletin, January 21, 1913)

Let’s look back …

In 1897, Californian, Byron Clark, became the Hawaiian Republic’s commissioner of agriculture. In looking for land for him to settle on, he learned of the availability of land at Wahiawā.

Clark organized a group of other Californians (as well as others) to join him in settling the whole tract of thirteen hundred acres — which became known as the Wahiawā Colony Tract. Having formed an agricultural cooperative called the Hawaiian Fruit and Plant Company, the homesteaders began formalizing and refining the physical organization of their Wahiawā settlement.

Initially each settler lived in a house on his five-acre parcel in the town site and farmed his other land in the surrounding area. It was soon discovered, however, that each settler preferred to reside on his own farmstead, holding his town lot in reserve. The homesteaders abandoned the village plan and agreed that one man, Thomas Holloway, would live on their 145-acre central lot site.

On August 27, 1902 a trust deed, referred to as the Holloway Trust, formally set aside the central town lots for the use and benefit of the Settlement Association of Wahiawā resident landowners.

Within a few years, Wahiawā Town was underway. Some of the town’s streets would be named for the early homesteaders – including Clark, Kellogg, Thomas and Eames streets (initial mapping shows California Avenue as the first, and main, road.)

Back to the hotel … “This hotel scheme was taken up by the association as the best way to expend a snug balance in the settlement funds, as well as to utilize the hall that had been erected for community gatherings.”

“Originally the structure was used for a schoolhouse, but ultimately the government provided a school building for itself. Besides erecting the hotel, the association is going to provide Uncle Sam with a post office building.”

“There are two buildings in the establishment as planned, the main building to be an auxiliary cottage the old assembly hall reconstructed. In the main building there will be six bedrooms, a parlor and a dining room, the last being utilizable also as a living room.”

“The remodelled cottage will have four bedrooms. A veranda ten feet wide will extend along the four sides of the main building. The bedrooms are of good size, the four on the ground floor of the main building being 12 by 13 feet. There is a gable outlook on every side of the house, each commanding beautiful scenery.”

“Each house is equipped with all needed conveniences, including linen closets. Guests will have pure water from the clouds, a large tank for rain water being provided. This is exclusively for drinking purposes as for other uses the hotel will be connected with the piped mountain water system of the settlement.” (Star Bulletin, January 21, 1913)

At the corner of Lehua Street and California Avenue stood the old Wahiawā Hotel. The “cottages,” as the hotel was referred to, was operated by Mary Johnson until World War II, when it was formally taken over by the Army for nurses’ quarters.

The start of World War II further helped to accelerate developments within Wahiawā to accommodate the needs of the growing military population. Wahiawā Elementary School on Lehua Street soon closed their doors in the 1940s to become the new Wahiawa General Hospital.

The Office of Civil Defense established a 42-bed wartime medical facility in the wood frame buildings formerly housing Wahiawā Elementary School.

At the end of World War II, the facility continued to remain in operation under the leaders of the Wahiawā Hospital Association. The 72-bed acute care facility was dedicated in 1958, under the official name, Wahiawā General Hospital. (Cultural Surveys)

Post World War II, the old Wahiawā Hotel had been used as living quarters for area school teachers. By the 1960s, Wahiawa teachers, who had been quartered at the teachers’ cottages (as they referred to them), were forced to relocate as plans for the new Wahiawa Branch Library were in the making. (Cultural Surveys)

Wahiawā Hotel was demolished in the 1960s to accommodate construction for the new Wahiawā Library. The library opened its doors on July 19, 1965. The library continues to remain in operation today. (Cultural Surveys)

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Wahiawa_Hotel-(CulturalSurveys)

September 15, 2015 by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Karsten Thot

An inventory of bridges on Oʻahu, published in 1983, listed 127 built before 1940 and still standing.

Oʻahu’s 127 historic bridges are composed of five different types: reinforced concrete arch bridges, steel bridges, timber bridges, reinforced concrete deck girder bridges and reinforced flat slab bridges.

The historic steel bridges are further divided into three separate types; warren truss, steel girder and metal flume. A bridge is considered historic if built before 1940 and is associated with people and events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of Hawaii’s history.

The Karsten Thot Bridge was identified as worthy of historic recognition.

It was built in Wahiawa over the north fork of the Kaukonahua stream in 1932, by the John L Young Construction and Engineering Company for a price of just over $65,500.

The bridge is named after Karsten Thot, who was a prominent community-minded citizen and it was built by a prominent Honolulu businessman, who was a prolific builder.

The bridge-building company merged with another construction company and upon completion of the Thot bridge called itself the Hawaiian-American Construction Co.

Built in the style of steel railway bridges throughout the continent, it is the only structure of its type in existence on Oʻahu; due to salt water erosion problems steel bridges were phased out on Oʻahu.

The structure is a Warren-type through-truss steel bridge, with a single span 210-feet in length and 40-feet wide, with a vertical clearance of the bridge is 13’5″.

Karsten Thot was born in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, on Feb. 12, 1889. He came to Hawaii in 1904. Thot worked as a field supervisor for Hawaiian Pineapple Co.

In addition, an announcement in the paper noted, ‘Karsten Thot, manager of the Hawaii Preserving Company, has opened a butcher shop at Castner Station, near Schofield Barracks.’ (Honolulu Star-bulletin, July 09, 1915)

Thot died in 1932, the year the bridge was under construction. He was survived by a wife and three children.

He “was very active in community affairs when the Honolulu Board of Supervisors under Charles Crane asked if they could name the bridge after him. This was not carried out until Fred Wright became mayor in 1937. In 1974 a memorial plaque was placed on the bridge by the family.” (Thompson)

When built, the bridge was said to be an important transportation link between the North Shore and Honolulu, contributing to the growth of Wahiawa.

That ultimately changed after the construction of the H-2 freeway, when Kamehameha Highway no longer was “the primary circum-island road.”

Recently, critical emergency structural repairs have been made to the 80+-year-old steel bridge, including replacing rivets and repairing and replacing steel beams.

(Lots of information here from a report by Bethany Thompson, Honolulu-gov and Watanabe, Star-Bulletin.)

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