|
HISTORY |
|
|
HISTORY |
|
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).
|
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. |
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). |