Place Names | Page 143 | Images of Old Hawaiʻi

September 28, 2016 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Kona’s Royal Centers

The ‘Peopling of the Pacific’ began about 40,000 years ago with movement from Asia; by BC 1250, people were settling in the eastern Pacific. (Kirch) By BC 800, Polynesians settled in Samoa. (PVS)

Using stratigraphic archaeology and refinements in radiocarbon dating, studies suggest it was about 900-1000 AD that “Polynesian explorers first made their remarkable voyage from central Eastern Polynesia Islands, across the doldrums and into the North Pacific, to discover Hawai‘i.” (Kirch)

“(I)n the earliest times all the people were alii … it was only after the lapse of several generations that a division was made into commoners and chiefs”. (Malo)

Kamakau noted, in early Hawaiʻi “The parents were masters over their own family group … No man was made chief over another.” Essentially, the extended family was the socio, biological, economic and political unit.

Because each ʻohana (family) was served by a parental haku (master, overseer) and each family was self-sufficient and capable of satisfying its own needs, there was no need for a hierarchal structure.

As the population increased and wants and needs increased in variety and complexity (and it became too difficult to satisfy them with finite resources,) the need for chiefly rule became apparent.

As chiefdoms developed, the simple pecking order of titles and status likely evolved into a more complex and stratified structure.

Eventually, a highly stratified society evolved consisting of the aliʻi (ruling class,) kahuna (priestly and expert class of craftsmen, fishers and professionals) and makaʻainana (commoner class.)

Most of the makaʻainana were farmers, a few were fishermen. Tenants cultivated smaller crops for family consumption, to supply the needs of chiefs and provide tributes.

The aliʻi attained high social rank in several ways: by heredity, by appointment to political office, by marriage or by right of conquest. The first was determined at birth, the others by the outcomes of war and political process.

Power and prestige, and thus class divisions, were defined in terms of mana. Although the gods were the full embodiment of this sacredness, the royalty possessed it to a high degree because of their close genealogical ties to those deities.

The kahuna ratified this relationship by conducting ceremonies of appeasement and dedication on behalf of the chiefs, which also provided ideological security for the commoners who believed the gods were the power behind natural forces.

With the stratified social system, it was important to retain the division between aliʻi and makaʻainana. This was done through a physical separation, such as the Royal Centers that were restricted to only the aliʻi and kahuna.

Royal Centers were where the aliʻi resided; aliʻi often moved between several residences throughout the year. The Royal Centers were selected for their abundance of resources and recreation opportunities, with good surfing and canoe-landing sites being favored.

When working on a planning project in Kona, we came across references to “Royal Centers.” In the centuries prior to 1778, seven large and densely-populated Royal Centers were located along the shoreline between Kailua and Hōnaunau.

The compounds were areas selected by the ali‘i for their residences; ali‘i often moved between several residences throughout the year. The Royal Centers were selected for their abundance of resources and recreation opportunities, with good surfing and canoe-landing sites being favored.

The Hawaiian court was mobile within the districts the aliʻi controlled. A Chief’s attendants might consist of as many as 700 to 1000-followers, made of kahuna and political advisors; servants which included craftsmen, guards, stewards; relatives and others. (NPS)

Aliʻi often moved between several residences throughout the year. There was no regular schedule for movement between Royal Centers. In part, periodic moves served to ensure that district chiefs did not remain isolated, or unsupervised long enough to gather support for a revolt. (NPS)

Kamakahonu – At Kailua Bay, this was occupied by Kamehameha I between 1813 and 1819. This was Kamehameha’s compound after unifying the islands under single rule. The first missionaries landed here, just after the death of Kamehameha I.
Hōlualoa – Three major occupation sequences: Keolonāhihi, A.D. 1300; Keakamahana (mother) and Keakealaniwahine (daughter,) A.D. 1600; and Kamehameha I, A.D. 1780. It was split into two complexes when Ali‘i Drive was constructed in the 1800s: makai (seaward and west) designated Keolonāhihi State Historical Park; mauka (inland and east) is referred to as Keakealaniwahine’s Residence.
Kahaluʻu – Complex of Lonoikamakahiki ca. 1640-1660, and the oral histories specifically note its use by Alapa‘inui, Kalani‘ōpu‘u and Kamehameha — successive rulers from mid-1740s. The focus of this center was Kahalu‘u Bay, a sand fringed bay, with a complex of multiple heiau (many recently restored.)
Keauhou – Noted for the largest hōlua slide in Hawai‘i (the volume of stone used in its construction dwarfs that of the largest known temple platforms, making it the largest surviving structure from ancient Hawai‘i.) This is also the birthplace of Kauikeaouli; stillborn, revived and went on to become Kamehameha III (ca. 1814-1854), last son of Kamehameha I to rule Hawai‘i.
Kaʻawaloa – Home of Kalani‘ōpu‘u, ruling chief in power when Captain Cook sailed into Kealakekua Bay. Between Ka‘awaloa and Napo‘opo‘o is Pali Kapu O Keōua, a 600′ pali (cliff). Named for the ali‘i Keōua, who ruled in the mid-1700s, the pali was kapu (off limits) as a sacred burial area.
Kealakekua – Hikiʻau Heiau was dedicated to Lono (god of agriculture and prosperity.) Kamehameha rededicated Hikiau, “the most important heiau in the district of Kona.” This is where Opukahaʻia had trained to be a kahuna after being orphaned in Kamehameha’s wars. Opukahaʻia fled Hawaiʻi, spent nine years in New England and inspired the first missionaries to come to Hawaiʻi (he died before being able to return with the missionaries to Hawaiʻi.) When Captain James Cook landed in Kealakekua, he was received by the Hawaiians and honored as the returning god Lono.
Honaunau – Early in the area’s prehistory, a portion of land on the southwest side of the bay was declared a pu‘uhonua (sanctuary protected by the gods – almost every district in the islands had at least one pu‘uhonua in it.) There kapu breakers, defeated warriors and criminals could find safety when their lives were threatened if they could reach the enclosure before their pursuers caught them. This way of life began disappearing with Cook’s arrival in 1778 and, ultimately, Liholiho (Kamehameha II) abolished the kapu system in 1819.

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Kamakahonu map by Rockwood based on Ii-Rechtman

Keauhou_to_Kailua-Aerial

Kamakahonu-Kailua_Bay-HerbKane

Kamakahonu-Kailua_Bay-Choris-1816

Kamakahonu-Kailua_Bay-Landing-Map-Wall-Reg2560 (1913)-Kamakahonu_site_on_left

Holualoa_Bay-Looking_At_Keolohahihi-1890

Holualoa Royal Center

Holualoa_Royal_Center-Kekahuna_Map-Bishop_Museum

Kahaluu-Hapaialii-Keeku-Heiau

Kahaluu-Makolea_Heiau

Kahaluu_Royal_Center-Kekahuna-map

Keauhou-Holua_Slide-(KeauhouResort)

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Kealakekua Bay from the village of Kaʻawaloa in the 1820s, from Hiram Bingham I’s book

Kealakekua-John Webber art-1779

Kaawaloa, Kealakekua Bay. A copperplate engraving from a drawing by Lucy or Persis Thurston about 1835

Kaawaloa_(KonaHistoricalSociety)

Kaawaloa-Kalakaua_at_Kealakekua_Bay

Honaunau, engraving by J. Archer after Rev. William Ellis, 1822-1823. Built by Keaweikekahialiʻiokamoku.

Honaunau_Sunset-(HerbKane)

Honaunau-Puuhonua_o_Honaunau-Keokea-Map-1750

September 15, 2016 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Grand Canyon

“Leave it as it is. You cannot improve on it. The ages have been at work on it, and man can only mar it. What you can do is to keep it for your children, and for all who come after you, as the only great sight which every American … should see.” (Teddy Roosevelt)

It was the home of a group of people that some call the Anasazi, a Navajo word for ‘Ancient Ones.’ About 2,000 years ago, the Pueblo people learned to survive in extremely harsh conditions and for more than 1,000 years thrived there. Then, they simply disappeared. (Shields)

The Hopi, Yavapai, Navajo, Apache, Zuni, Paiute (Kaibab,) Havasupai and Hualapai are among the tribes that call the canyon home, each with their own language, customs and beliefs. (NPS)

The Colorado River began carving a course to create the Grand Canyon, 4 to 6-million years ago. The nearly 300-river-miles long Colorado cut the 1-mile deep, 10-miles wide canyon, exposing rock and sediment formations that are nearly 2-billion years old. (Stampoulos)

In 1540, a Spanish Nobleman, Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, led the first expedition of Europeans into the southwest, in search of the fabled Seven Cities of Cibola that were reputed to contain great riches.

Spanish explorer Don Pedro de Tovar accompanied Coronado and led an expedition to Hopi country. Tovar is credited with as being the first European to learn of the existence of the Grand Canyon. But the Spanish left, unable to cross its impassable void.

Later, more foreigners came.

In 1869, Major John Wesley Powell, a one-armed Civil War veteran and his nine companions became the first to record the 1,000-miles of the Green and Colorado River from Wyoming through the Grand Canyon. Powell was the first American to consistently use and publish the name, ‘Grand Canyon.’ (NPS)

Miners discovered valuable mineral resources in the Grand Canyon in the late-1800s; but extraction was dangerous and expensive. Mining claims waned and tourism increased.

In the early days, reaching the Grand Canyon was difficult. Initially, horses, mules, river rafts and stagecoaches brought people to the canyon. The 73-mile trip from Flagstaff to the canyon rim took 10 to 12-hours. (Stampoulos)

In 1876, the Santa Fe railroad was one of the fastest expanding railroads in the country. In 1889, Fred Harvey had a contract for exclusive rights to manage and operate the eating houses and lunch stands with the Santa Fe, west of the Missouri River.

Passengers on the Santa Fe ate well because of Harvey’s special refrigerated boxcar that supplied fresh California fruits and vegetables. He had ‘Harvey Girls’ (“young (unmarried) women between 18 and 30-years of age, of good character, attractive and intelligent”) as waitresses and salesgirls.

The Fred Harvey Company operated all of the hotels and restaurants along the Santa Fe railroad lines, as well as many dining cars. (Stampoulos)

Soon, the Santa Fe Railway (and others railways) reached the South Rim of the canyon. In 1901, Harvey died, and his son Ford Harvey took over the company. After Fred’s death, the company’s good reputation for fine food and service grew even more. (Armstrong)

Newspapers across the country heralded the passenger trains carrying visitors to the Grand Canyon; the story stirred public interest, instigating what would later become a ‘boom’ of visitors to the canyon – more than half of them arrived by train at the Santa Fe Station. (Shields)

The company decided to go ahead with plans for a first-class hotel at the Grand Canyon. Ford was in charge of what became the company’s crown jewel, the El Tovar Hotel (named after the early Spanish explorer) – the Charles Whittlesey-designed log structure opened its doors on the canyon rim (and at the rail station) on January 14, 1905.

The hotel soon became the mecca for travelers from all over the world. In order to serve the large number of visitors. The Fred Harvey Company had to maintain a fairly large staff. To accommodate them, men and women’s dormitories were built near the hotel.

The Harvey Company continued its growth well into the 20th century.

So, what’s the Hawai‘i connection? … In 1968, Amfac (one of Hawai‘i’s ‘Big Five’ companies) bought the Fred Harvey Company (and with it, the concession for El Tovar and other hotels, shops and activities at the Grand Canyon.)

Amfac had its beginning in the Islands when, on September 26, 1849, German sea captain Heinrich (Henry) Hackfeld arrived in Honolulu with his wife, Marie, her 16-year-old brother Johann Carl Pflueger and a nephew BF Ehlers.

Hackfeld opened a general merchandise business (dry goods, crockery, hardware and stationery,) wholesale, as well as retail store.

Hackfeld later developed a business of importing machinery and supplies for the spreading sugar plantations and exported raw sugar. H Hackfeld & Co became a prominent factor – business agent and shipper – for the plantations.

A few years later, with the advent of the US involvement in World War I, things changed significantly for the worst for H Hackfeld & Co. In 1918, using the terms of the Trading with the Enemy Act and its amendments, the US government seized H Hackfeld & Company and ordered the sale of German-owned shares. (Jung)

The patriotic sounding “American Factors, Ltd,” the newly-formed Hawaiʻi-based corporation (whose largest shareholders included Alexander & Baldwin, C Brewer & Company, Castle & Cooke, HP Baldwin Ltd, Matson Navigation Company and Welch & Company,) bought the H Hackfeld stock. (Jung) At that same time, the BF Ehlers dry goods store also took the patriotic “Liberty House” name.

American Factors shortened its name to “Amfac” in 1966. The next year (1967,) Henry Alexander Walker became president and later Board Chairman of Amfac.

Over the next 15-years, Walker took Amfac from a company that largely depended on sugar production in Hawaiʻi to a broadly diversified conglomerate (which included the acquisition of the Fred Harvey Company in 1968.)

Later, the resort management company became known as Xanterra Parks and Resorts (the present concessionaire and operator of hotels (including El Tovar) and other functions at the Grand Canyon, and elsewhere.)

In 1893, President Benjamin Harrison established it as a forest reserve. On January 11, 1908, President Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt placed the Grand Canyon under public protection, declaring it a national monument. Congress updated the Grand Canyon to national park status and doubled the protected area in 1975. It was named a World Heritage Site in 1979.

They say the average length of stay for visitors to the Grand Canyon is 3-hours; take some time to see and experience what some suggest is one of the 7 Wonders of the Natural World (Grand Canyon, Mount Everest, Northern Lights, Harbor at Rio de Janeiro, Great Barrier Reef, Paricutin and Victoria Falls) – it is something to behold, that neither words, nor pictures, can adequately describe.

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Tourist at the edge of the Grand Canyon, ca. 1914

Grand Canyon-1872

Grand View Trail, Grand Canyon, 1906

Grand_Canyon_Dorie_In_Marble_Gorge_1964

grand-canyon-harvey-girls

Harvey Girls – Grand Canyon National Park – Fred Harvey Company

Grand Canyon Train

Vintage-Grand-Canyon-Bus

Vintage-Grand-Canyon-look out

El Tovar Hotel-facing Canyon

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El_Tovar_Hotel_1968

El_Tovar_Hotel-snow

El_Tovar_Hotel-menu-1953

September 13, 2016 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Oneawa

“Ka ulu koa i kai o Oneawa”
“The koa grove down at Oneawa”

The Island of O‘ahu has six Moku (districts:) Kona, Koʻolaupoko, Koʻolauloa, Waialua, Waiʻanae and ʻEwa. Each Moku is divided into ahupua‘a. For the Moku of Koʻolaupoko, these include (West to East) Kualoa, Hakipuʻu, Waikāne, Waiāhole, Kaʻalaea, Waiheʻe, Kahaluʻu, Heʻeia, Kāneʻohe, Kailua and Waimānalo.

Kailua Ahupua‘a is the largest ahupua‘a of the Moku of Koʻolaupoko and the largest valley on the windward side of O‘ahu. From the Koʻolau ridge line it extends down two descending ridge lines which provide the natural boundaries for the sides of the ahupua‘a.

Some ahupuaʻa were further subdivided into units (still part of the ahupuaʻa) called ʻili. Some of the smallest ahupuaʻa were not subdivided at all, while the larger ones sometimes contained as many as thirty or forty ʻili. Kailua had many, including the ‘ili of Oneawa.

Traditional Hawaiian land use in this area focused on irrigated taro farming, inland fishponds, and coastal and deep water fishing grounds. Kawainui Marsh is the largest body of fresh water in the archipelago and was utilized both for lo‘i and fresh water fishponds.

The sandy soil in Kailua supported peripheral crops such as coconut and banana. Fishing villages were presumably scattered along the shore. It is probable that the occupants of the shoreline ‘ili were socially tied to those of the ‘ili along the marsh or the ridge line in order to exchange the surplus of their respective efforts. (Dye)

The northern boundary of Kailua ahupua‘a, known traditionally as Pu‘u Pāpa‘a, or scorched hill, it was given the name of Oneawa Hills in the 1970s.

A stream runs through Oneawa ‘ili to the sea, providing a natural drainage for the Kawainui marsh. The Kawainui Canal was constructed in 1952 to provide flood control and stability for real estate development. (Dye)

In one related story of the area, the large inland pond of Kawainui is referred to in a legend concerning trees (that had the power to attract fish.) Haumea, a goddess traveling through the area, assisted the daughter of the ruler in childbirth.

In return she was given the tree named Ka-lau-o-ke-kähuli, which bears the exceedingly beautiful flowers Kanikawï and Kanikawä. Haumea eventually sets it down on Maui, where it takes root. When a man comes by and chops it down, a fierce storm arises and washes it to sea.

Months later, a branch washes up at Oneawa in Kailua. The fish follow, rendering Oneawa a place where schools of fish gather. “When this branch (that is, Mākālei) was taken inland of Kailua, the fish of Kawainui Pond followed it inland”.

In another story, Koʻolaupoko was one of the stops in the celebrated journey Pele’s younger sister Hi‘iakaikapolioPele (Hiʻiaka) made from Kïlauea Crater to Kaua‘i, to fetch Pele’s husband and dream lover Lohi‘au.

Hi‘iaka and her human companion Wahineʻōmaʻo (Green-woman) choose the windward route across O‘ahu. The travelers reach Koʻolaupoko apparently in the rainy season, for they complain bitterly of the weather.

Hi‘iaka and Wahineʻōmaʻo visit Kawainui Fishpond, where they catch sight of two beautiful women sitting on the banks of a stream. Hi‘iaka insists they are not real women, but mo‘o. She tested them with a chant and they disappeared, confirming they were moʻo.

From Kailua, Hiʻiaka and Wahine‘ōma‘o headed to Heʻeia. Somewhere en route, Hiʻiaka notices the “koa grove at sea,” a poetical reference to Oneawa’s numerous canoes in the saying “Ka ulu koa i kai o Oneawa, The koa grove down at Oneawa.” (Rose & Kelieger)

Oneawa was a famous fishery off the beach for awa (milkfish) and ʻōʻio (bonefish.) Awa are surface feeders that eat seaweed, while ʻōʻio are bottom feeders that forage in the sand, especially for crabs. (Clark)

Awa (milkfish) raised at Kawainui were considered so tame they were “easily caught.” Like ʻoʻopu, “The fish did not like persons with strong smelling skins (ili awa) and kept away from them. Otherwise they swam right up to a person in the water”.

The sea off Oneawa (Milkfish sand) – also the name of the ridge between Kāne’ohe and Kailua, as well as a land division – was “famous for the quality and quantities of the ʻōʻio, which are found in immense schools in the adjoining water; it was formerly a favorite residence of the Old Oahu chiefs”. (Rose & Kelieger)

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Oahu_Fisheries-DAGS2482-4-Kaneohe_Bay_Section-1913-Oneawa and Oneawa Fishery noted

Kailua-Bishop-Reg1434_(1888)-Oneawa noted

Kailua-Wall-Reg2049_(1899)-Oneawa noted

Awa Milkfish

Oio Bonefish

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

Kellogg-surveying-party

H Clay Kellogg-PCA-Feb_15_1906

ED Tenney-PCA-Feb_15_1906

LG Kellogg-PCA-Feb_15_1906

Lake Wilson

Lake Wilson-Map-(DLNR)

Salvinia_Covered_Reservoir

Salvinia_Control-(DLNR)

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.

August 31, 2016 by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Waiākea Sugar Mill

Theophilus Harris Davies and Alexander Young started the Waiākea Mill Company in 1879. It was “Situated one mile from Hilo in a southerly direction are the vast fields of sugar cane and mill of the Waiākea Mill Company …”

“… which controls 95,000 acres of land, 5,000 of which are now in cane, the product from same being converted into sugar at the mill of the company, which has a capacity of seventy tons in twenty-four hours. It is a 9-roller mill and fitted with every appliance for the successful reduction of the product of the plantation.” (Evening Bulletin, November 30, 1901)

The Mill was located at the back (most mauka side) of Waiākea Pond, part of what we now refer to as the Wailoa Pond and River. They would barge bagged sugar here from the headwaters through the pond to Hilo Bay.

“The lands of Waiākea, now held by the Waiakea Mill Company under General Lease No. 124, comprise an area of 96,988 acres. The lease is for a term of Thirty Years from June 1st, 1888, and expires on June 1st, 1918, and provides for an annual rental of $2000.00.” (Hawaii Legislature, House Journal, 1913)

“During the year 1900 the company cleared 700 acres of land, but this year, owing to the scarcity of labor, will not be able to clear any additional land and make it ready for planting.”

“The cane as it comes to the mill in cars of large capacity looks well and will average right through about four and one-half tons of sugar to the acre the year around.”

“As is the case elsewhere in the Hilo district of Hawaii, no Irrigation is required, as the rainfall is quite sufficient.”

“Some thirty miles of railroad is maintained upon the plantation, and some 700 men find steady employment in the fields of cane and about the main works.” (Evening Bulletin, November 30, 1901)

“Today, the steam train of the Waiakea Mill Co, was tested and it went well. There were some dignitaries and also regular people rode who rode the train, and it progressed to where the tracks were laid, and returned back to where it started.”

“I heard from a haole that it went well, and it would seem that in short time it will be chugging upland to where the cane is being grown. Sincerely, C. K. Hapai, (Kuiniki). (Ko Hawaii Pae Aina, July 19, 1879)

“During an Interview with C. C. Kennedy, the manager of the plantation, and likewise one of the owners, it was ascertained that the question of labor is one at great moment to the planters, and that at the present time the plantations throughout the entire islands could easily employ 20,000 additional laborers in clearing land, planting cane, etc.”

“(T)he first sugar cane was planted twenty-two years ago, which was the time that Mr. Kennedy came to Hilo to erect the Waiākea mill and also to manage the property.”

“He has made a careful study of the subject of cane culture in all its branches, and in his dally operations displays a practical knowledge of the subject In hand.”

“The company has a large warehouse capable of holding 1600 tons, in which the sugar is temporarily stored, It being shipped every week direct from Hilo to the Mainland.” (Evening Bulletin, November 30, 1901)

As leases expired, they implemented the Waiākea ‘experiment,’ some homestead and houselots were created on Waiākea cane land

In addition, “some of the property under lease to the Waiākea Mill Company in the vicinity of Reed’s Bay was sublet to persons who wanted dwelling places or week-end homes near the sea.” (Thrum)

This seems to be part of the transition for Waiākea Mill company that “has been reduced from the status of a sugar producing and manufacturing company to that of only a sugar manufacturer.”

“‘In the year 1917, the labor force employed by the mill company averaged 1,030 men per day. This force has dwindled to 270 men per day at present, distributed in the following occupations”. (Maui News, April 18, 1922)

Anticipating the expiration of some major leases on the island of Hawaii in 1947, the land commissioner appointed a special commission to determine the size of tracts to be disposed of by public auction.

In his words, “The Land Office desires particularly to see that the lands formerly used by … plantations are used in a constructive way.” The two plantations referred to were Waiākea, located near the urban area of Hilo on the island of Hawaii, and Waimānalo, located in an area of O‘ahu that would eventually be incorporated into Honolulu’s spreading metropolitan complex.

“The availability of land such as this for urban development presented a unique opportunity and challenge to those responsible for making Hawaii’s public land policy. They could be reasonably certain that the phasing out of two plantation companies whose operations had become marginal for a variety of reasons would not seriously injure the Islands’ sugar industry.”

“At the same time, the freeing of potentially valuable areas for urban development provided the land commissioner with an opportunity to move decisively in making available substantial numbers of house lots at reasonable prices.” (LRB)

The 1947 session of the legislature provided the land department with a revolving fund of $500,000, to assist in the development, subdivision, and sale of various tracts of government land, including that of Waiākea Mill Co.

“The land office desires particularly to see that the lands formerly used by these two plantations are used in a constructive way.” (Annual Report of the Governor, Year Ended June 30, 1948)

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