History

HISTORY

The Waimea 400 parcel lies within the moku of Kona and the ahupuaʻa of Waimea. It is a part of the unusually large ʻili of Kīkīaʻola. The name “Kīkī-a-ʻOla” or the “spouting waters of Ola” relates to the story of how Pe’ekauaʻi (also known as the Menehune Ditch) was constructed. Legend has it that Aukele-Nui-a-Iku pleaded with ʻOla, the Chief of the Mu (also known as Menehune) to have his people build a ditch system to transport water to the plains west of the Waimea River. This feat was accomplished in a single night. One section of the ditch even transported water along the face of the cliff twenty feet above the river by an aqueduct made of cut, dressed, and intricately fitted basalt stones.

Pukui (1974) also translates “kikiaola” as meaning “container". This name is fitting for the area as well, since the Waimea 400 site was also once a part of the extensive Mana wetland system that spanned approximately 1,700 acres from Polihale to Waimea. The wetlands were home to many native birds, fish, and plants. The communities that lived in the area employed ingenious methods to grow food, navigate the watercourse, and gather resources. During the rainy season, it was possible to canoe from the edge of Waimea town to the heiau in the precincts of Polihale (Wichman, 2006; Flores, Kaohi & Gonzalez 1993).

ʻIli o Kīkīaʻola boundary

‘Iliahi (Santalum elliptcum), the endemic sandalwood, once flourished on the ridges and lowlands in this area. Between 1814 and 1820, King Kaumualiʻi commanded makaʻāinana of the area to cut ‘iliahi and load them aboard ships for foreign trade. “Large forests of ʻiliahi were felled and uprooted, while many commoners, having neglected their farms, were forced to eat herbs and ferns and died.” (Soboleski, 2019).

Besides ʻiliahi, wiliwili (Erythrina sandwicensis), naio (Myoporum sandwicense), and maʻo (Gossypium tomentosum) were also plentiful in the area and can still be found in the valleys and among the scrub brush.

Waimea Dairy delivery truck (Sakoda, 1939)

In 1820 the land was settled by missionaries Whitney and Ruggles, and the manufacturing of small quantities of sugar from native canes found growing along taro field borders was reported as early as 1821. In 1837 a group of Chinese settlers at Waimea expanded the sugar cultivation and set up a sugar factory (Waimea Sugar Mill CO., LTD., 1959).

In 1848 Queen Deborah Kapule granted land to Reverend George Rowell to pasture his cows for his family and other missionaries. This led to the development of the Waimea Dairy. The dairy expanded in the 1850s for commercial purposes in addition to leasing some of the lands to sugarcane planters.

Members of the Rowell family had continued interest in the dairy operations until the dairy assets were sold to H.P. Faye in 1904 for the Waimea Sugar Mill Company. The dairy was later relocated to higher ground across Kaumualiʻi Highway to retreat from the described “swamplands” (Waimea Sugar Mill CO., LTD., 1959).

Once the wetlands were drained and an irrigation system established sugar was successfully grown in the area. Before the irrigation system was completed crops would fail due to the salt content of the water being too high. The Waimea Sugar Mill Company had gradual and continuous growth on a small scale on the land from 1821 to 1853. More rapid growth followed the construction of a mill at its present site in the early 1860s.

H.P. Faye purchased the Rowell’s landholdings, including Waimea Dairy in 1904. The Faye family maintained the Waimea Sugar Mill Company until 1969 and the dairy (which was leased to Meadow Gold Dairies) until 1989. After this time the Waimea 400 parcel and agricultural lands to the west, were leased by companies like Pioneer and Syngenta for seed corn production (Faye & Faye, 2020; Soboleski, H., 2014; Waimea Sugar Mill CO., LTD., 1959).

The County wastewater treatment facility has been located on this parcel since the late 1970’s.

Waimea-Kekaha 1950 (MAGIS UH Mānoa)

WAIMEA 400 TODAY

WWTP and asphalt base yard.

Agricultural production.

New gravel lot.

The following uses are happening on the site right now:

The Waimea Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) is located in the middle of the eastern half of the property.
Maui Kūpono Builders, LLC has been leasing a small portion of land on the western portion of the property for an asphalt base yard since before the County’s acquisition.
Hartung Brothers has been leasing land on the mauka portion of the property for agricultural production since before the County’s acquisition. They are currently using the site to grow alfalfa.
The Kauaʻi County Public Works Department established an overflow parking lot in 2020 next to the Waimea Athletic field and did some site clean-up.
The remaining areas within the Waimea 400 project site are not currently leased out. These areas contain open fields.

Sources:

Faye, C and Faye, M. (2020). Personal communication [interview].
Flores, K., Kaohi, A., & Gonzalez G. (1993). Hawaiian Cultural and Historical Survey of Nohili, Mānā
Maps, Arials, GIS (MAGIS) University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, US Geological Survey Ref No 029-3111.
Pukui, M. K., Elbert, S. H., and Mookini, E. T. (1974). Place Names of Hawaii. University Press of Hawaii.
Sakoda, L. (Photographer). (1939). Waimea Dairy delivery truck [photograph]. Kauaʻi Historical Society.
Soboleski, H. (2019, November 24). Kaumualii, the sandalwood trade, and Georg Anton Schaffer. The Garden Island. https://www.thegardenisland.com/2019/11/24/lifestyles/kaumualii-the-sandalwood-trade-and-georg-anton-schaffer/
Waimea Sugar Mill CO., LTD. (1959, August). Plantation Observes 75th Anniversary. Waimea Planter, pp. 2-3, 5
Wichman, F. B. (2006). Kauaʻi: Ancient Place-Names and Their Stories. University of Hawaiʻi Press.