Lost Plantations Old Plantation Days, December 2015

With the exception of H,C&S on Maui, all the Hawaii sugar cane plantations have closed their doors yet their memory is not lost in the minds of many island residents and former employees.  The plantations of Hamakua Sugar, Hilo Coast processing and Mauna Kea Sugar are still fairly easily recognized.  This article is about those Lost Plantations that no one likely remembers or for that matter even believe once existed.

Are you aware that there was a sugar plantation and Mill in Kona, further that it was complete with a railroad system to deliver cane to its Waiaha Mill?  The Kona Development Company had some 2,500 acres of cane mauka of the Mamalahoa Highway from Wai’aha to Honalo and Onouli.  This plantation closed in 1929 and its lands were soon swallowed up into coffee orchards.

How about Puako Plantation, yes, there was actually sugar cane fields and a Mill in the flats of Puako that are now covered in thick stands of Kiawe trees, the incessant winds, and burning hot sun.  John and Robert Hind along with W. Vredenburg started this plantation in 1902 after seeing that the native canes growing there did exceptionally well and without irrigation.  In the Hinds’ plantation diary is the note, “…A fine up to date little mill with all the appurtenances, was installed on an ideal site a hundred yards from the landing…”.  However, after a few years of cultivation, their farming operation and draw on the fresh ground water lense changed the entire nature of the area.  Again the notes from the diary state, “… the thorough drying out of the soil, leaving only salt, which could not washed out in time by the infrequent rains attributed to the failure of the plantation…further the shrinkage of forest area in the mountains is having an effect where Waimea Stream does not flow regularly anymore…”  By 1914 the mill was closed and pieces of equipment sold off to plantations in North Kohala.  Sure seems like man induced Climate Change was an issue back then as it now!!

How about a few more Lost Plantations that I will list for you:

Hawaii Island: Hawaii Mill, (just behind what is now the Salvation Army building on Ponahawai St.); Waiakea Mill, (where the Latter Day Saints Church is now off of Kilauea St.); Wailea Mill, (at the North end of KoleKole River, a private residence now occupies the site).

Maui Island:  Kaeleku Plantation, (a plantation and Mill at Hana, Maui)

Oahu Island:  Waianae Plantation, (above Makaha); Honolulu Plantation, (where the Aiea Stadium now sits); and Waimanalo Plantation, (above Bellows Beach from Makapuu to Lanikai) and the featured plantation of the photos in this month’s issue.

Kauai Island: Kipu Plantation, (a small hidden valley just west of Lihue) this valley was featured in the opening scenes of Jurassic Park.

There are many other names of plantations of long past, but rather than being “lost” they were actually gobbled up by adjoining plantations that got larger and larger over the years.  Around 1930 there were some 38 named plantations and Mills in the State.