Hakalau Plantation 1879-1899
This was a period of rapid growth for the sugar industry in Hawaii and major changes in government. Coming on the heals of the Reciprocity Treaty of 1875 and the huge market it opened for Hawaii’s sugar, it went on to include the 1887 “Bayonet Constitution” and the 1893 overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy, leading to the U.S. annexation in 1900. This is the big picture, well covered in historical accounts and all having considerable effect on the industry.
Inside these historic events was Hakalau Plantation, with a history not well known. Some of its story is pieced together below using local newspaper articles, other publications, Hawaii Island Directories and voter registrations coming from the period when W.G Irwin & Co. was agent and Claus Spreckels was owner. It covers the managers, the luna (supervisors), the mills, the immigrant workforce, schooners and steamers, the landing and land travel as well as adjacent topics – Hawaiian landowners living in the area, and the earliest physicians based at Hakalau.
Inside these historic events was Hakalau Plantation, with a history not well known. Some of its story is pieced together below using local newspaper articles, other publications, Hawaii Island Directories and voter registrations coming from the period when W.G Irwin & Co. was agent and Claus Spreckels was owner. It covers the managers, the luna (supervisors), the mills, the immigrant workforce, schooners and steamers, the landing and land travel as well as adjacent topics – Hawaiian landowners living in the area, and the earliest physicians based at Hakalau.
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The Owner and Agent
Claus Spreckels, known as the “Sugar King”, acquired Hakalau plantation in 1879. According to one news article, it had been owned by Capt. Obed Spencer who reported that the cane was overrun with rats. Honolulu_Star_Advertiser_1892_04_23_page 2 He was a dominant force in Hawaii’s sugar industry during this time. |
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He [Spreckels] had fought the proposed reciprocity treaty [1875] that would have given favorable terms to Hawaiian exports to the United States but when it came a reality he lost no time in plunging into investments in sugar land, sugar mills, railway lines and irrigation systems. Financial manipulator and poker-player of “merry monarch”, Hawaii’s last king, Spreckels built a plantation empire.”
“Claus Spreckels -The Sugar King in Hawaii” by Jacob Adler
“Claus Spreckels -The Sugar King in Hawaii” by Jacob Adler
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In 1881, William G. Irwin partnered with Spreckels, formed the firm W.G. Irwin and Co. and quickly became the leading sugar agent in the Kingdom of Hawaii. Irwin leveraged Spreckels’ refining and shipping interests on the U.S. west coast with his own mercantile operations in Honolulu, his firm would act as an agent for several plantations, including Hakalau -transporting and marketing the sugar, procuring supplies, and recruiting labor.
Irwin grew up in Honolulu. He was well liked and respected for his managerial skills, while Spreckels was political, ruthless, mostly disliked and not involved in day-to-day management. He was the one who would do most of the decision making about Hakalau Plantation in this period, not Spreckels. An immigrant contract laborer for Hakalau would sign, not with the Manager or with Spreckels, but with W.G. Irwin and Co. |
The Managers
In this era, the Hakalau manager’s power over his labor force was formidable, and so was his status within the larger Hilo/Hamakua community. Japanese laborers are said to have thought of the manager as a daimyo, or feudal lord, and regarded him as the “owner” of the plantation.
The first manager was Christian Lehmann, a U.S. citizen. Though there is little about him in newspaper accounts, he was present at the start and remained with Hakalau for the 10 years. In the clip below, we see that he “left for the coast” in 1889, apparently well-regarded.
July 1889 Hakalau had a good time on the Fourth. The retiring manager [Lehman] gave a luau to which a large number attended and he was presented with a splendid silver (solid) tea set, consisting of forty-two pieces, by the white employees of the plantation. The natives also presented him with two large silver mounted calabashes.
Honolulu_Star_Advertiser_1889_07_11_page 3
In an unusual move, a second manager was added to work alongside Mr. Lehmann in 1882. Hugh Morrison had arrived in Hawaii in 1878 from Scotland and would come to represent an era of more scientific-minded managers. Spreckels’ investment in Hakalau was considerable and it may be that Morrison was seen as an asset in helping establish the plantation. His time there was over at least by 1888 when he went on to plantation manager positions on Maui and Kauai.
Honolulu Star-Advertiser Jan 30, 1883 Page 2
The_Hawaiian_Star_1901_05_16_Page_4
In this era, the Hakalau manager’s power over his labor force was formidable, and so was his status within the larger Hilo/Hamakua community. Japanese laborers are said to have thought of the manager as a daimyo, or feudal lord, and regarded him as the “owner” of the plantation.
The first manager was Christian Lehmann, a U.S. citizen. Though there is little about him in newspaper accounts, he was present at the start and remained with Hakalau for the 10 years. In the clip below, we see that he “left for the coast” in 1889, apparently well-regarded.
July 1889 Hakalau had a good time on the Fourth. The retiring manager [Lehman] gave a luau to which a large number attended and he was presented with a splendid silver (solid) tea set, consisting of forty-two pieces, by the white employees of the plantation. The natives also presented him with two large silver mounted calabashes.
Honolulu_Star_Advertiser_1889_07_11_page 3
In an unusual move, a second manager was added to work alongside Mr. Lehmann in 1882. Hugh Morrison had arrived in Hawaii in 1878 from Scotland and would come to represent an era of more scientific-minded managers. Spreckels’ investment in Hakalau was considerable and it may be that Morrison was seen as an asset in helping establish the plantation. His time there was over at least by 1888 when he went on to plantation manager positions on Maui and Kauai.
Honolulu Star-Advertiser Jan 30, 1883 Page 2
The_Hawaiian_Star_1901_05_16_Page_4
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George Ross took over in 1890 after a short interim period when head luna, James Chalmers, was manager. Ross came from Scotland via Spreckels’ plantation on Maui. He took over at a time when labor tensions were high. In October, 1889, “white” plantation leaders were accused of hanging Katsu Goto, a Japanese community leader, at Honoka’a Plantation, further up the Hamakua coast.
Ross would remain at Hakalau for 15 years and preside over the building of the Hakalau Manager’s house in 1897, a symbol of his status. Imposing and very separate from the laborer housing as well as that for the other “whites”, the residence is still very much with us today, recently brought back to its former state. |
George Ross
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The Luna (Supervisors)
The makeup of the “skilled” employees at the plantation changed throughout this period. In 1880, according to the 1880 Directory, they were mostly carpenters, teamsters, blacksmiths and masons, all “white”. This was when the “new” mill was being built.
My great-grand uncle’s experience is an example of the turnover of the “white” field overseers who would work for Hakalau in this period. After arriving from Scotland in 1884 with his brother, he began at Waiakea Plantation in Hilo. After 3 months, he moved to Laupahoehoe for about a year. Then began a 5-year employment at Hakalau, living and working as an overseer in the Honohina section. In 1891, at age 31, he ended his work at Hakalau, made a trip back to Scotland, married, and returned to Hawaii with her. He went on to have head overseer positions on Kauai and Waimanalo, finally becoming manager of the Hana, Maui plantation.
In 1888, Hakalau had only the one manager and a sugar boiler remaining from those present in 1884 (Directories). Agent W.G. Irwin had a lot of recruiting to do.
By 1894, the ethnic composition of the luna class at Hakalau had begun to change -7 “white” luna (overseers), 3 Portuguese luna and 1 Hawaiian luna. By then, there were 2 sugar boilers, one “white” and one Hawaiian. (It wasn’t until 1910 when a Hakalau Japanese luna appeared in the Directory.)
The makeup of the “skilled” employees at the plantation changed throughout this period. In 1880, according to the 1880 Directory, they were mostly carpenters, teamsters, blacksmiths and masons, all “white”. This was when the “new” mill was being built.
My great-grand uncle’s experience is an example of the turnover of the “white” field overseers who would work for Hakalau in this period. After arriving from Scotland in 1884 with his brother, he began at Waiakea Plantation in Hilo. After 3 months, he moved to Laupahoehoe for about a year. Then began a 5-year employment at Hakalau, living and working as an overseer in the Honohina section. In 1891, at age 31, he ended his work at Hakalau, made a trip back to Scotland, married, and returned to Hawaii with her. He went on to have head overseer positions on Kauai and Waimanalo, finally becoming manager of the Hana, Maui plantation.
In 1888, Hakalau had only the one manager and a sugar boiler remaining from those present in 1884 (Directories). Agent W.G. Irwin had a lot of recruiting to do.
By 1894, the ethnic composition of the luna class at Hakalau had begun to change -7 “white” luna (overseers), 3 Portuguese luna and 1 Hawaiian luna. By then, there were 2 sugar boilers, one “white” and one Hawaiian. (It wasn’t until 1910 when a Hakalau Japanese luna appeared in the Directory.)
The Mills -Two of them, then one
This was a puzzle and a surprise. The news clips below, taken together, tell the story of two mills, all from 19th century accounts. A new mill was built at the mouth of the bay between 1879 and 1881, though it did not replace the old one, which was likely located upstream from the new one. These two mills were used in the period 1881-1895 when both were torn down and another new one built.
In November 1879, he [John Scott] came to Hawaii under engagement by the Spreckels interests to erect a sugar mill at the Hakalau plantation. After a 15 months task at Hakalau, which was a very difficult one owing to the general development of the district at that time, Mr. Scott was sent to….
Honolulu_Star_Bulletin__11_13__1925_page 2
November 1881 The new mill at Hakalau approaching completion under the superintendence of the manager, Mr. Lehmann. A very large crop was expected.
Daily_Honolulu_Press_1881_10_08_Page_5
In July 1883, there is the first mention of two mills operating at Hakalau Plantation. This indicates that the older of the two mills would have been present when Spreckels acquired the plantation.
July 1883 At the Hakalau Plantation there are two mills erected which will this year manufacture 2,000 tons of sugar; …”
The_Pacific_Commercial_Advertiser_1883_07_07_Page_3
The mill built by John Scott in the period 1879-1881 (see above) was the newer of the two mills. But where was the old mill? The clues for its likely location: Two references to “upper and lower mills” (see below). Arial photos taken in the 1920s show a camp upstream near the bridge. Any mill location would favor the gulch because the fluming of cane to the mill worked by gravity.
January 1886 The upper and lower mills at Hakalau, Hawaii are competing with each other for the largest output of sugar this season with a wager of $1,000. They are grinding at a rate of forty tons per day.
Honolulu_Star_Bulletin_1886_01_22_Page_5
December 1, 1892 “It [rough ocean] carried away the landing and trash house and stove in the sides of the lower mill, filling the lower story with rocks and sand.”
Honolulu_Star_Advertiser_1892_12_01_page 6
There remained two mills, “upper and lower”, in Hakalau from 1881 until 1895. Both were torn down and replaced by a single new one in 1895.
December 1895 Carpenters are busily engaged in erecting a new mill at Hakalau to take the place of the two old ones recently torn down.
Honolulu_Star_Advertiser_1895_12_07_page 1
This was a puzzle and a surprise. The news clips below, taken together, tell the story of two mills, all from 19th century accounts. A new mill was built at the mouth of the bay between 1879 and 1881, though it did not replace the old one, which was likely located upstream from the new one. These two mills were used in the period 1881-1895 when both were torn down and another new one built.
In November 1879, he [John Scott] came to Hawaii under engagement by the Spreckels interests to erect a sugar mill at the Hakalau plantation. After a 15 months task at Hakalau, which was a very difficult one owing to the general development of the district at that time, Mr. Scott was sent to….
Honolulu_Star_Bulletin__11_13__1925_page 2
November 1881 The new mill at Hakalau approaching completion under the superintendence of the manager, Mr. Lehmann. A very large crop was expected.
Daily_Honolulu_Press_1881_10_08_Page_5
In July 1883, there is the first mention of two mills operating at Hakalau Plantation. This indicates that the older of the two mills would have been present when Spreckels acquired the plantation.
July 1883 At the Hakalau Plantation there are two mills erected which will this year manufacture 2,000 tons of sugar; …”
The_Pacific_Commercial_Advertiser_1883_07_07_Page_3
The mill built by John Scott in the period 1879-1881 (see above) was the newer of the two mills. But where was the old mill? The clues for its likely location: Two references to “upper and lower mills” (see below). Arial photos taken in the 1920s show a camp upstream near the bridge. Any mill location would favor the gulch because the fluming of cane to the mill worked by gravity.
January 1886 The upper and lower mills at Hakalau, Hawaii are competing with each other for the largest output of sugar this season with a wager of $1,000. They are grinding at a rate of forty tons per day.
Honolulu_Star_Bulletin_1886_01_22_Page_5
December 1, 1892 “It [rough ocean] carried away the landing and trash house and stove in the sides of the lower mill, filling the lower story with rocks and sand.”
Honolulu_Star_Advertiser_1892_12_01_page 6
There remained two mills, “upper and lower”, in Hakalau from 1881 until 1895. Both were torn down and replaced by a single new one in 1895.
December 1895 Carpenters are busily engaged in erecting a new mill at Hakalau to take the place of the two old ones recently torn down.
Honolulu_Star_Advertiser_1895_12_07_page 1
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There remained two mills, “upper and lower”, in Hakalau from 1881 until 1895. Both were torn down and replaced by a single new one in 1895.
December 1895 Carpenters are busily engaged in erecting a new mill at Hakalau to take the place of the two old ones recently torn down. Honolulu_Star_Advertiser_1895_12_07_page 1 |
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The Plantation Grows
Hakalau reported in a series of Directory of Hawaii publications during this period: |
Year Cane acreage Men employed
1880 430 300 1884 1,500 187 (?) 1888 2,800 400 1890 2,800 500 1894 4,000 650 1896 4,000 650 1898 4,000 650 |
Reasons for this growth:
- The labor shortage was met by Japanese immigrants. In 1884 there were almost none in Hawaii. Just in the period between November 1892 and October 1893, 294 immigrant men arrived from Japan for Hakalau Plantation.
- Additional forest in their existing lands, such as in Kamaee, was cleared for cane in this early period.
- Around 1886, Hakalau Plantation acquired nearby Honohina Plantation. This short-lived plantation had cane in cultivation and plans to build a mill but sold out to Hakalau.
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The Immigrant Workforce, Labor Difficulties, Work Safety
Workdays in the cane fields were 10-12 hours, 6 days a week, typically waking up at 4:30am. They wore layers of clothing, heavy gloves, and hats to protect themselves from the sun, rain, dust, mud, insects, and especially from the sharp-edged leaves of the sugarcane. The essential tool was the cane knife, used to cut the stalk close to the ground. With a hook at the end, a worker could grab and pull the cut toward him without bending over constantly. Demanding work. |
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In this era, a luna would sometimes whip a worker with the same whips used on oxen to get him to work harder. As a widespread industry practice, this would end by the turn of the century.
Monthly pay was $12-15 ($420-520 in 2026 dollars). With the 1887 Bayonet Constitution, a plantation laborer was also required to help cover the costs of transportation, medical care and the like. As with other plantations, housing was overcrowded and conditions unsanitary. (This would change. Starting in 1906, a large number of much-improved dwellings were being built in Hakalau according to industry-wide standards established by the newly formed Hawaii Sugar Planter’s Association (HSPA).) Camps were formed by ethnic group to prevent unified demands for improved conditions.
From “Samurai Archives” website
The increased market for sugar and increased milling capacity, Hakalau would reach out for Japanese workers.
December 1887 Hakalau Plantation is short of laborers and in consequence the mill cannot run at full force. One hundred Japanese laborers are coming for this plantation by the steamer about due from Yokohama.
Honolulu_Star_Bulletin_1887_12_10_page 3
As this influx of Japanese began, the Chinese, who had preceded them and who made up a large part of the workforce, began to recede. Months before the 100 Japanese came in December of 1887, the ethnic makeup at Hakalau had been quite different.
October, 1887 Hakalau, Lehmann, Manager. Employs 75 Portuguese, 7 Portuguese women, 8 Portuguese boys, 89 Japanese, 300 Chinese, 20 white men, 7 Hawaiians. Total 517.
The_Hawaiian_Gazette_1887_10_18_Page_1
Monthly pay was $12-15 ($420-520 in 2026 dollars). With the 1887 Bayonet Constitution, a plantation laborer was also required to help cover the costs of transportation, medical care and the like. As with other plantations, housing was overcrowded and conditions unsanitary. (This would change. Starting in 1906, a large number of much-improved dwellings were being built in Hakalau according to industry-wide standards established by the newly formed Hawaii Sugar Planter’s Association (HSPA).) Camps were formed by ethnic group to prevent unified demands for improved conditions.
From “Samurai Archives” website
The increased market for sugar and increased milling capacity, Hakalau would reach out for Japanese workers.
December 1887 Hakalau Plantation is short of laborers and in consequence the mill cannot run at full force. One hundred Japanese laborers are coming for this plantation by the steamer about due from Yokohama.
Honolulu_Star_Bulletin_1887_12_10_page 3
As this influx of Japanese began, the Chinese, who had preceded them and who made up a large part of the workforce, began to recede. Months before the 100 Japanese came in December of 1887, the ethnic makeup at Hakalau had been quite different.
October, 1887 Hakalau, Lehmann, Manager. Employs 75 Portuguese, 7 Portuguese women, 8 Portuguese boys, 89 Japanese, 300 Chinese, 20 white men, 7 Hawaiians. Total 517.
The_Hawaiian_Gazette_1887_10_18_Page_1
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In one year (Oct 1, 1892 to Oct 1, 1893), 294 Japanese immigrants arrived in Hakalau from 4 ships. This is a large number but, as shown above, the growth of the workforce between 1890 and 1894 was only 150 men. An indication that, just as for the “white” luna, the turnover of immigrant workers was also quite significant.
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Hilo Sugar 172
Onomea 246 Pepeekeo 145 Honomu 98 Hakalau 294 Honolulu Star-Advertiser Tue, Jan 23, 1894 ·Page 1 |
Contracts with these laborers required them to continue working for 3 years, and managers had some discretion in the demands placed on their labor. The Master and Servants Laws of 1850 by the Hawaiian government had legalized this relationship between the Plantation and the worker. It wasn’t until 1900, with the annexation to the U.S., when these contracts became illegal.
There is one 1895 document in which plantation managers from Hilo to Laupahoehoe weighed in on labor problems and solutions. Interestingly, the managers in this document, as was common, were very much in favor of the U.S. annexation, but apparently weren’t yet planning for the fact that it would make the Master and Servants Act illegal.
George Ross, manager of Hakalau, was part of the group response. Their main conclusions:
We think the Master and Servant Laws sufficient... We would say that the liberal introduction of laborers for agricultural purposes, both under contract and free, preferably Japanese, Chinese and Portuguese in about equal proportions and with a large percentage of women, would go farther towards preventing labor troubles than any legislation...
Report of the Labor Commission on Strikes and Arbitration
By Hawaii. Labor Commission 1895
Here are some news articles on the labor disputes throughout the period:
January 1883 Mr. Severance, Sheriff of the Island of Hawaii, writes to Marshall Parke that on the 19th Inst. about noon he received a letter from Mr. Morrison, manager of the Hakalau Plantation, with regard to thirty-six Chinamen who struck work. Six of them assaulted a luna named Smith [Henry Smith]. Warrants were issued for their arrest and executed at 5 pm the same day. The police who had the six assailants in charge were attacked by a whole gang of Chinese, and in spite of all that could be done by the police and other people on the plantation who risked their lives to assist the constables, the six prisoners were rescued from the police. The Chinese then entrenched themselves….”
Honolulu_Star_Advertiser_1883_01_30_2
November 1885 Trouble at Hakalau Plantation on October 26. A Portuguese threatened Mr. H. Morrison, one of the managers of the plantation. Kanakas came to the rescue and pounded the Portuguese so that he had to be brought into Hilo on a stretcher and the unfortunate, in addition to being pounded was fined $25 and sentenced to one month’s imprisonment.
Daily_Honolulu_Press_1885_11_02_Page_2
May 1890 On the 6th inst. 400 Japanese from Hakalau came to Hilo very dissatisfied on account of being overworked, working extra hours and receiving no compensation for it, and also being fined for trifling matters. The manager says things will be changed, that he will in future pay them for overwork and will remit the fines, and some have returned to work and no doubt all will do so. The Japanese Consul is here and has advised them to return to their work.
Honolulu_Star_Advertiser_1890_05_14_page 3
November 1890 A private letter by the steamer Claudine states that an overseer on the Hakalau Plantation had been attacked by Japanese. They broke into his house, smashed the windows and tried to suffocate him. Full particulars had not been received when the steamer left. The trouble was all about a Japanese woman.
Honolulu_Star_Advertiser_1890_11_06_page 3
October 1891 In the Police Court yesterday a deserting contract laborer was ordered back to the Hakalau Plantation.
Honolulu_Star_Advertiser_1891_10_10_page 3
November 1893 A Japanese laborer signed a contract with W.G. Irwin and Co. for three years on Hakalau Plantation. After working for ten months the Jap deserted and, after being at large for 14 months, was apprehended by Detective Toma, and will be returned on the next steamer.
Honolulu_Star_Bulletin_1893_11_01_Page_3
August 1897 Hickey, the Hakalau overseer, got five years for the killing of a Chinese laborer, and his case is appealed.
Honolulu_Star_Bulletin_1897_08_25_page 5
December 1890 In the Police Court Tuesday ten Japanese from Hakalau refused to go back to work and were committed to jail until they made up their minds. When the officers ordered them below four of them got stupid and had to be removed by force. Late in the afternoon four of them decided to go back to work.
The_Hawaiian_Gazette_1890_12_09_Page_3
“Safety first” would become a priority in the 20th century but newspaper accounts from the period include a number of accidents:
February 1897 The body of Fukushima, a laborer for the Hakalau Plantation Company, at the bottom of Opea gulch in Honohina. The man must have been working in the sugar cane field and near the pali and fallen down the precipice. His neck was broken and death happened some hours prior to the finding of his body…. The body was buried by Japanese friends.
Hilo_Daily_Tribune_1897_02_27_page 5
March 1893 A Japanese milkman on the Hakalau Plantation suffered death by the horns of a tame bull last week. The bull hooked him under the chin and lacerated him to such an extent that he died in less than twenty-four hours. The animal was killed.
Hilo_Daily_Tribune_1898_03_12_page 5
November 1886 News was received by the steamer Kilauea Hou, which arrived Sunday, that on last Thursday, a Chinaman, while working at the flumes at Hakalau, Hamakua, Hawaii, missed his footing and was precipitated to the rocks, some five hundred feet below. The body has yet to be recovered.
Honolulu_Star_Advertiser_1886_11_09_page 2
March 1891 Thursday, 5th, a Japanese carpenter at Hakalau fell off a flume about 40 feet high. He broke one leg, cut his throat and nipped off the end of his tongue. Although alive when the steamer left, he was not expected to recover.
Honolulu_Star_Bulletin_1891_03_07_page 2
May 1894 Some time ago, while a Chinaman and three Japanese were working on a cane flume at the crossing of the Hakalau gulch some planks gave way and precipitated two of the workmen, the Chinese and one Japanese, from the dizzy height into the water ponds of the Hakalau gulch. They immediately sank and disappeared. Some days after, the body of the Japanese was recovered, but to this day the Chinaman’s body has not been found.
The_Hawaiian_Gazette_1894_05_01_Page_7
January 1897 A Japanese laborer employed at the mill at Hakalau Plantation fell into the rollers last week. The man had on heavy boots at the time and before he could be extricated from his perilous one of his legs was smashed to the knee. The leg was amputated by Dr. Thompson but the man died on the day following the accident.
Hawaii_Herald_1897_01_21_page 4
There is one 1895 document in which plantation managers from Hilo to Laupahoehoe weighed in on labor problems and solutions. Interestingly, the managers in this document, as was common, were very much in favor of the U.S. annexation, but apparently weren’t yet planning for the fact that it would make the Master and Servants Act illegal.
George Ross, manager of Hakalau, was part of the group response. Their main conclusions:
We think the Master and Servant Laws sufficient... We would say that the liberal introduction of laborers for agricultural purposes, both under contract and free, preferably Japanese, Chinese and Portuguese in about equal proportions and with a large percentage of women, would go farther towards preventing labor troubles than any legislation...
Report of the Labor Commission on Strikes and Arbitration
By Hawaii. Labor Commission 1895
Here are some news articles on the labor disputes throughout the period:
January 1883 Mr. Severance, Sheriff of the Island of Hawaii, writes to Marshall Parke that on the 19th Inst. about noon he received a letter from Mr. Morrison, manager of the Hakalau Plantation, with regard to thirty-six Chinamen who struck work. Six of them assaulted a luna named Smith [Henry Smith]. Warrants were issued for their arrest and executed at 5 pm the same day. The police who had the six assailants in charge were attacked by a whole gang of Chinese, and in spite of all that could be done by the police and other people on the plantation who risked their lives to assist the constables, the six prisoners were rescued from the police. The Chinese then entrenched themselves….”
Honolulu_Star_Advertiser_1883_01_30_2
November 1885 Trouble at Hakalau Plantation on October 26. A Portuguese threatened Mr. H. Morrison, one of the managers of the plantation. Kanakas came to the rescue and pounded the Portuguese so that he had to be brought into Hilo on a stretcher and the unfortunate, in addition to being pounded was fined $25 and sentenced to one month’s imprisonment.
Daily_Honolulu_Press_1885_11_02_Page_2
May 1890 On the 6th inst. 400 Japanese from Hakalau came to Hilo very dissatisfied on account of being overworked, working extra hours and receiving no compensation for it, and also being fined for trifling matters. The manager says things will be changed, that he will in future pay them for overwork and will remit the fines, and some have returned to work and no doubt all will do so. The Japanese Consul is here and has advised them to return to their work.
Honolulu_Star_Advertiser_1890_05_14_page 3
November 1890 A private letter by the steamer Claudine states that an overseer on the Hakalau Plantation had been attacked by Japanese. They broke into his house, smashed the windows and tried to suffocate him. Full particulars had not been received when the steamer left. The trouble was all about a Japanese woman.
Honolulu_Star_Advertiser_1890_11_06_page 3
October 1891 In the Police Court yesterday a deserting contract laborer was ordered back to the Hakalau Plantation.
Honolulu_Star_Advertiser_1891_10_10_page 3
November 1893 A Japanese laborer signed a contract with W.G. Irwin and Co. for three years on Hakalau Plantation. After working for ten months the Jap deserted and, after being at large for 14 months, was apprehended by Detective Toma, and will be returned on the next steamer.
Honolulu_Star_Bulletin_1893_11_01_Page_3
August 1897 Hickey, the Hakalau overseer, got five years for the killing of a Chinese laborer, and his case is appealed.
Honolulu_Star_Bulletin_1897_08_25_page 5
December 1890 In the Police Court Tuesday ten Japanese from Hakalau refused to go back to work and were committed to jail until they made up their minds. When the officers ordered them below four of them got stupid and had to be removed by force. Late in the afternoon four of them decided to go back to work.
The_Hawaiian_Gazette_1890_12_09_Page_3
“Safety first” would become a priority in the 20th century but newspaper accounts from the period include a number of accidents:
February 1897 The body of Fukushima, a laborer for the Hakalau Plantation Company, at the bottom of Opea gulch in Honohina. The man must have been working in the sugar cane field and near the pali and fallen down the precipice. His neck was broken and death happened some hours prior to the finding of his body…. The body was buried by Japanese friends.
Hilo_Daily_Tribune_1897_02_27_page 5
March 1893 A Japanese milkman on the Hakalau Plantation suffered death by the horns of a tame bull last week. The bull hooked him under the chin and lacerated him to such an extent that he died in less than twenty-four hours. The animal was killed.
Hilo_Daily_Tribune_1898_03_12_page 5
November 1886 News was received by the steamer Kilauea Hou, which arrived Sunday, that on last Thursday, a Chinaman, while working at the flumes at Hakalau, Hamakua, Hawaii, missed his footing and was precipitated to the rocks, some five hundred feet below. The body has yet to be recovered.
Honolulu_Star_Advertiser_1886_11_09_page 2
March 1891 Thursday, 5th, a Japanese carpenter at Hakalau fell off a flume about 40 feet high. He broke one leg, cut his throat and nipped off the end of his tongue. Although alive when the steamer left, he was not expected to recover.
Honolulu_Star_Bulletin_1891_03_07_page 2
May 1894 Some time ago, while a Chinaman and three Japanese were working on a cane flume at the crossing of the Hakalau gulch some planks gave way and precipitated two of the workmen, the Chinese and one Japanese, from the dizzy height into the water ponds of the Hakalau gulch. They immediately sank and disappeared. Some days after, the body of the Japanese was recovered, but to this day the Chinaman’s body has not been found.
The_Hawaiian_Gazette_1894_05_01_Page_7
January 1897 A Japanese laborer employed at the mill at Hakalau Plantation fell into the rollers last week. The man had on heavy boots at the time and before he could be extricated from his perilous one of his legs was smashed to the knee. The leg was amputated by Dr. Thompson but the man died on the day following the accident.
Hawaii_Herald_1897_01_21_page 4
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Schooners, Steamers, Scows, the Landing and the Surf
There was no good way to get the raw sugar on its way to the refinery in San Francisco. Mule pack trains to the Hilo wharf would have been impractical, especially in this period when the “roads” (horse trails) were so bad and when weather events could make such travel impossible. The other choice was having a schooner or a steamer come up to the mouth of Hakalau gulch where the sugar bags were loaded from a rowboat (scow). Not a great option because of the unpredictable ocean but the only viable one for most of this period. “In those days, two bags of sugar were a sling load and it took time to get a schooner filled. We worked two hatches, Captain Matson, a dozen Hawaiians and one mule at one fall, and I, with a gang of Portuguese and a mule, at the other.” Honolulu_Star_Advertiser_1930_12_07_20 |
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A cable system was installed at the landing in 1895. It could be attached to a steamer so the sugar bags could be loaded directly from land to ship, twenty bags at a time. This coincided with the use of steamers, not schooners, which would anchor at Hakalau. The other plantations along the coast would do the same.
Honolulu_Star_Bulletin_1898_04_13_Page 7 Honolulu_Star_Advertiser_1894_11_28_Page 2 The Hawaiian Gazette, March 22, 1895, page 8 |
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Loading sugar from land to sea was often frustrating, costly and sometimes dangerous. News clips about this started in the earliest years of the Plantation.
March 18, 1882 Joseph Potter, a carpenter in the employ of Hakalau Plantation, was drown March 7th, by the upsetting of a boat. He thought the scow was in danger that had gone out of the schooner with a load of sugar, and went out with only two natives beside himself in a boat…”
Daily_Honolulu_Press_1882_03_18_Page 5
It didn’t take long to hear from those advocating for a coastal railroad to transport the sugar to Hilo, then on to California.
March 30, 1882 “Editor Saturday Press [March 30, 1882]: A railroad is much needed to bring sugar from various places on the coast to ship it directly to California. Not long since there were 10,000 bags at Hakalau waiting transportation; on account of the heavy sea at the place it could not be shipped for some time. It is a great loss to the owners to have such delay. The sooner a railroad is built the better.”
Daily_Honolulu_Press_1882_04_08_Page 4
There were close calls.
April 21, 1884 “The Emma Claudia lost an anchor and chain on the 7th Inst.. at Hakalau, and nearly went ashore.”
Honolulu_Star_Advertiser_1884_04_21_page 2
Delays were common.
October 10, 1887 “…The sea was so rough at Hakalau last Thursday that the Kilauea Hou [steamer] was compelled to put back to Hilo, where she remained for 24 hours.”
Honolulu_Star_Bulletin_1887_10_10_page 3
Damage could be costly.
December 28, 1887 “One of the Kilauea Hou boats was dashed on to the rocks at Hakalau, during the steamers last trip, and broken.”
Honolulu_Star_Bulletin_1887_12_28_page 3.jpg
December 1, 1892 ““…Hakalau probably received the worst damage, as there the sea, running dead on, broke with appalling force. It carried away the landing and trash house and stove in the sides of the lower mill, filling the lower story with rocks and sand.”
Honolulu_Star_Advertiser_1892_12_01_page 6
February 2, 1895 “What last week was one of the best steamers belonging to the Wilder’s S.S. Company [the Kihilani] is now nothing but a lot of shivered wreckage, scattered along the coast from Hakalau to East Point.”
Honolulu_Star_Advertiser_1895_02_02_page 1
March 14, 1895 “Two weeks were spent in the vicinity of Hakalau awaiting weather favorable to the heaving of the Kihilani’s machinery from the rocks [at Hakalau] in which it has been cradled for so long a time.”
Honolulu_Star_Advertiser_1895_03_14_page 6
November 27, 1897 “The sea has been washing 15 feet over the Hakalau and Honohina landings during the week.”
Hilo_Daily_Tribune_1897_11_27_page 6
April 6, 1899 “While a nine-ton roller [for the mill] was being landed from the steamer Hawaii at Hakalau on Wednesday of last week, the rigging gave way and the roller dropped into 9 fathoms of water. Preparations are being made for raising it.”
Hawaii_Herald_1899_04_06_page 5
March 18, 1882 Joseph Potter, a carpenter in the employ of Hakalau Plantation, was drown March 7th, by the upsetting of a boat. He thought the scow was in danger that had gone out of the schooner with a load of sugar, and went out with only two natives beside himself in a boat…”
Daily_Honolulu_Press_1882_03_18_Page 5
It didn’t take long to hear from those advocating for a coastal railroad to transport the sugar to Hilo, then on to California.
March 30, 1882 “Editor Saturday Press [March 30, 1882]: A railroad is much needed to bring sugar from various places on the coast to ship it directly to California. Not long since there were 10,000 bags at Hakalau waiting transportation; on account of the heavy sea at the place it could not be shipped for some time. It is a great loss to the owners to have such delay. The sooner a railroad is built the better.”
Daily_Honolulu_Press_1882_04_08_Page 4
There were close calls.
April 21, 1884 “The Emma Claudia lost an anchor and chain on the 7th Inst.. at Hakalau, and nearly went ashore.”
Honolulu_Star_Advertiser_1884_04_21_page 2
Delays were common.
October 10, 1887 “…The sea was so rough at Hakalau last Thursday that the Kilauea Hou [steamer] was compelled to put back to Hilo, where she remained for 24 hours.”
Honolulu_Star_Bulletin_1887_10_10_page 3
Damage could be costly.
December 28, 1887 “One of the Kilauea Hou boats was dashed on to the rocks at Hakalau, during the steamers last trip, and broken.”
Honolulu_Star_Bulletin_1887_12_28_page 3.jpg
December 1, 1892 ““…Hakalau probably received the worst damage, as there the sea, running dead on, broke with appalling force. It carried away the landing and trash house and stove in the sides of the lower mill, filling the lower story with rocks and sand.”
Honolulu_Star_Advertiser_1892_12_01_page 6
February 2, 1895 “What last week was one of the best steamers belonging to the Wilder’s S.S. Company [the Kihilani] is now nothing but a lot of shivered wreckage, scattered along the coast from Hakalau to East Point.”
Honolulu_Star_Advertiser_1895_02_02_page 1
March 14, 1895 “Two weeks were spent in the vicinity of Hakalau awaiting weather favorable to the heaving of the Kihilani’s machinery from the rocks [at Hakalau] in which it has been cradled for so long a time.”
Honolulu_Star_Advertiser_1895_03_14_page 6
November 27, 1897 “The sea has been washing 15 feet over the Hakalau and Honohina landings during the week.”
Hilo_Daily_Tribune_1897_11_27_page 6
April 6, 1899 “While a nine-ton roller [for the mill] was being landed from the steamer Hawaii at Hakalau on Wednesday of last week, the rigging gave way and the roller dropped into 9 fathoms of water. Preparations are being made for raising it.”
Hawaii_Herald_1899_04_06_page 5
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LAND TRAVEL
For the people who worked at Hakalau, there was everyday travel within the Plantation, about six miles of coastline, and travel between Hakalau and Hilo. The gulches were the main problem. Considerable road work done in 1897 finally made it possible for carriages and stages to travel from Hilo to Hakalau, although weather events could still make these roads impassable for them. This is an account from the 1884 Directory of Hawaii about traveling in the area of Hakalau: “One day last October (1883) a storm netted this humid district seventeen inches and carried away all the bridges which had spanned the streams in the gulches, besides played great havoc with the roads (trails). This damage has not yet been repaired to any great extent worth mentioning, and so the trip, as we said, is full of novelty. Sliding down precipitous gulches, tumbling over loose rock, sinking into mud of incalculable depth, and crossing deep streams made swift by cataracts and falls -not without an involuntary bath once in a while- we finally reached Hilo, glad to be alive. |
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This 1884 report is around the time Hakalau Plantation acquired Honohina, about 3 miles up the coast from Hakalau proper.
August 1884 …As one planter said, ‘There are not fifty yards of safe road between Hakalau and Laupahoehoe. For some reason or another, the bridges along the route… are so placed that no animal can get onto them. As for instance the bridge over the stream as Umauma gulch between Hakalau and Honohina..’
The_Hawaiian_Gazette_1884_08_13_page 7
When a stream became a roaring river, travel became dangerous.
September 1885 Dr. Arning came near being washed away while crossing the Hakalau gulch on Saturday, Sept 12. A few hours previous the mail carrier was washed down the stream and caught on the scow in the harbor, thereby saving his life. That same morning Mr. Talloch, the telephone operator of the Hilo and Hawaii Telephone and Telegraph Co., came near losing his life in crossing the gulch.
The_Hawaiian_Gazette_1885_09_23_Page_3
Incidentally, the 1893 news clip below refers to a dangerous “steep grade” beside a “railway track” into Hakalau gulch. This is quite likely the present-day trail down to the mill. Formerly the trolley track, it was still operational when the mill closed in 1972.
September 1893 The traveling public will note with pleasure that sealed tenders for the construction of new grade across the Hakalau gulch have been asked for by the minister of the interior. The present roadway has a steep grade and is one of the most dangerous in the district owing to the railway track which occupies more than half its width.
Honolulu_Star_Advertiser_1893_09_21_page 4
July 1894 Goods at present are delivered by Hilo stores for distances of one to fourteen miles [Hakalau] by pack train. There are many of the gulches that cannot be passed by wheeled vehicles unless grades are changed…
The_Hawaiian_Star_1894_07_13_Page_3
Major road improvements were made in 1897.
September 1897 …we find that there are issued from the sheriff’s office almost 60 passenger and freight wagon licenses, and these licenses are enforced between Hakalau and the Volcano.
The_Hawaiian_Star_1897_09_08_Page_3
July 1997 The Hakalau store people have imported recently several fine brakes [large carriages], which they hold for sale at satisfactory prices. The recent extension of fine driving roads cause these vehicles to be in considerable demand.
Hawaii_Herald_1897_07_29_page 5
January 1899 The traffic from Hakalau to Hilo is considerable at present, for there are many stages going backwards and forwards daily. ..A stage leaves the Volcano Stables [in Hilo] daily for Hakalau.
The_Independent_1899_01_09_Page_3-2
Even after the 1897 work on the roads, they remained vulnerable to rain storms.
March 1898 On Monday it was impossible for Wilson’s stage to make the trip to Hakalau owing to the condition of the road.
Hawaii_Herald_1898_03_31_page 5
By March 1899, there was a stage line to and from Honohina although it appears that ended about a mile and a half before Honohina Store. In October, 1899, funds were appropriated to complete that last section. Quite significant because it completed the Big Island belt carriage road.
“By its completion, there will exist a main or belt carriage road around the Island of Hawaii…”
Hilo Tribune Sat, Mar 18, 1899, Page 5
Hawaii Herald Thu, Oct 19, 1899, Page 8
The_Independent_1899_01_09_Page_3
August 1884 …As one planter said, ‘There are not fifty yards of safe road between Hakalau and Laupahoehoe. For some reason or another, the bridges along the route… are so placed that no animal can get onto them. As for instance the bridge over the stream as Umauma gulch between Hakalau and Honohina..’
The_Hawaiian_Gazette_1884_08_13_page 7
When a stream became a roaring river, travel became dangerous.
September 1885 Dr. Arning came near being washed away while crossing the Hakalau gulch on Saturday, Sept 12. A few hours previous the mail carrier was washed down the stream and caught on the scow in the harbor, thereby saving his life. That same morning Mr. Talloch, the telephone operator of the Hilo and Hawaii Telephone and Telegraph Co., came near losing his life in crossing the gulch.
The_Hawaiian_Gazette_1885_09_23_Page_3
Incidentally, the 1893 news clip below refers to a dangerous “steep grade” beside a “railway track” into Hakalau gulch. This is quite likely the present-day trail down to the mill. Formerly the trolley track, it was still operational when the mill closed in 1972.
September 1893 The traveling public will note with pleasure that sealed tenders for the construction of new grade across the Hakalau gulch have been asked for by the minister of the interior. The present roadway has a steep grade and is one of the most dangerous in the district owing to the railway track which occupies more than half its width.
Honolulu_Star_Advertiser_1893_09_21_page 4
July 1894 Goods at present are delivered by Hilo stores for distances of one to fourteen miles [Hakalau] by pack train. There are many of the gulches that cannot be passed by wheeled vehicles unless grades are changed…
The_Hawaiian_Star_1894_07_13_Page_3
Major road improvements were made in 1897.
September 1897 …we find that there are issued from the sheriff’s office almost 60 passenger and freight wagon licenses, and these licenses are enforced between Hakalau and the Volcano.
The_Hawaiian_Star_1897_09_08_Page_3
July 1997 The Hakalau store people have imported recently several fine brakes [large carriages], which they hold for sale at satisfactory prices. The recent extension of fine driving roads cause these vehicles to be in considerable demand.
Hawaii_Herald_1897_07_29_page 5
January 1899 The traffic from Hakalau to Hilo is considerable at present, for there are many stages going backwards and forwards daily. ..A stage leaves the Volcano Stables [in Hilo] daily for Hakalau.
The_Independent_1899_01_09_Page_3-2
Even after the 1897 work on the roads, they remained vulnerable to rain storms.
March 1898 On Monday it was impossible for Wilson’s stage to make the trip to Hakalau owing to the condition of the road.
Hawaii_Herald_1898_03_31_page 5
By March 1899, there was a stage line to and from Honohina although it appears that ended about a mile and a half before Honohina Store. In October, 1899, funds were appropriated to complete that last section. Quite significant because it completed the Big Island belt carriage road.
“By its completion, there will exist a main or belt carriage road around the Island of Hawaii…”
Hilo Tribune Sat, Mar 18, 1899, Page 5
Hawaii Herald Thu, Oct 19, 1899, Page 8
The_Independent_1899_01_09_Page_3
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Hawaiians Living in the Hakalau Area
Significant numbers of Hawaiian landowners lived near Hakalau cane fields. The 1880 Directory (see table) accounted for those owning land and had Post Office addresses at Hakalau. The lands in cultivation were for taro. (Notice that some of these place names are lost to history -Ohea, Wailua, Kooloa.) |
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It was well known that Hawaiians were seldom employed in plantation work cutting cane, but it appears that contracting for a specific job like clearing land was happening here. This news clip is about the murder of a Kamaee Hawaiian man which noted that the victim had just been paid by Hakalau Plantation for clearing land. He owned land in Kamaee and was paid $600, about $20,000 in today’s dollars, making it likely that he led a group of men in the work. In the same time period, the 1888 voter registration list includes the names of 10 Hawaiians and one “white” Hakalau Plantation overseer, Benjamin Macy (married to a Hawaiian), all living in Kamaee.
Honolulu_Star_Advertiser_1885_09_28_page 2
Another indication of a working relationship with some Hawaiians is an article about the first manager, Christian Lehmann, leaving his position for the U.S.
… The natives also presented him with two large silver mounted calabashes.
Honolulu_Star_Advertiser_1889_07_11_page 3
Honolulu_Star_Advertiser_1885_09_28_page 2
Another indication of a working relationship with some Hawaiians is an article about the first manager, Christian Lehmann, leaving his position for the U.S.
… The natives also presented him with two large silver mounted calabashes.
Honolulu_Star_Advertiser_1889_07_11_page 3
Government Physicians
“Government physicians” served the Hakalau area during this period. They worked for the Board of Health of the Kingdom, then the Republic. Responsibilities included sanitation, and treating and controlling infectious diseases including leprosy, bubonic plague and smallpox. They also functioned as plantation physicians, paid a “retainer” to provide care to laborers and their families. Throughout this period, there were concerns raised about how well they served native Hawaiians and the poor as intended.
In the 1880s, the “government physician” serving Hakalau lived in Laupahoehoe, 10 miles up the coast. The first who lived in Hakalau was, according to Directories, Dr L. S. Thompson in 1892. He was followed by Dr Archer Irwin in 1897.
Dr L. S. Thompson (1892-1897)
He was first a “government physician” in Kohala. In a 1881 article, he reacted to a claim that Portuguese laborers were being “treated as slaves”, saying that “..the new laborers in the Hawaiian Islands are well treated in every respect, perfectly protected by the law, to which they can all appeal, and thoroughly contented.” At the least, they were not “thoroughly contented.” Regarded as “low class”, many would leave for California in search of better opportunities.
The Pacific Commercial Advertiser Sat, Dec 03, 1881 ·Page 2
He was the “government physician” for the “North Hilo” district, first appearing in a “City Directory” in 1892, living in Hakalau. From voter records, he was living in Honohina in 1892, a part of the Plantation. A U.S. citizen from Ohio. After handing off to Dr Archer Irwin in 1897, he took a trip back to the mainland, later returning to serve as government physician in the Kau district.
Hilo Tribune Sat, Nov 20, 1897 ·Page 5
“Government physicians” served the Hakalau area during this period. They worked for the Board of Health of the Kingdom, then the Republic. Responsibilities included sanitation, and treating and controlling infectious diseases including leprosy, bubonic plague and smallpox. They also functioned as plantation physicians, paid a “retainer” to provide care to laborers and their families. Throughout this period, there were concerns raised about how well they served native Hawaiians and the poor as intended.
In the 1880s, the “government physician” serving Hakalau lived in Laupahoehoe, 10 miles up the coast. The first who lived in Hakalau was, according to Directories, Dr L. S. Thompson in 1892. He was followed by Dr Archer Irwin in 1897.
Dr L. S. Thompson (1892-1897)
He was first a “government physician” in Kohala. In a 1881 article, he reacted to a claim that Portuguese laborers were being “treated as slaves”, saying that “..the new laborers in the Hawaiian Islands are well treated in every respect, perfectly protected by the law, to which they can all appeal, and thoroughly contented.” At the least, they were not “thoroughly contented.” Regarded as “low class”, many would leave for California in search of better opportunities.
The Pacific Commercial Advertiser Sat, Dec 03, 1881 ·Page 2
He was the “government physician” for the “North Hilo” district, first appearing in a “City Directory” in 1892, living in Hakalau. From voter records, he was living in Honohina in 1892, a part of the Plantation. A U.S. citizen from Ohio. After handing off to Dr Archer Irwin in 1897, he took a trip back to the mainland, later returning to serve as government physician in the Kau district.
Hilo Tribune Sat, Nov 20, 1897 ·Page 5
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Dr. Archer Irwin (1897-1913)
He had graduated from Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine, Halifax in 1892. He would complain about the medicines used by Japanese physicians and report his concern that a source of clean water was needed, uncontaminated by “washings” from houses and camps along streams. |
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In the later 1880s, the Hawaiian Bureau of Immigration began recruiting Japanese “government physicians” to care for immigrants. Plantations would apply for them. At least one Japanese physician was available in the North Hilo district in 1893 as evident from a news article in which our own Dr. L.S. Thompson reported that a Japanese physician failed to report a case of typhoid, required by law. Tensions continued and Japanese physicians soon transitioned to private practice.
Honolulu Star-Advertiser Thu, Jun 08, 1893 ·Page 3
Honolulu Star-Advertiser Thu, Jun 08, 1893 ·Page 3
LAST WORD
The first half of the 20th century would see a transformation for Hakalau workers and their families. It didn’t happen all at once. Building dwellings and community facilities would happen first. This supported the development of a real community with sports, scouts, 4H and PTA. But it took a 79-day industry-wide labor strike in 1946 to finally bring about the 8-hour day, 40-hour week and a 20% to 40% increase in pay. Those who grew up in Hakalau in the 1950s still share fond memories. Many have attended annual reunions to keep those old friendships alive.
For most, working for Hakalau during the 19th century was decidedly tough, low-paying, and sometimes dangerous. It was a time when many employees came and went. It was an unstable community with poor housing, insufficient health care and sanitation problems. White privilege prevailed. Workers were often coerced and seldom rewarded. There was a lot to fix.
For the industry, producing and transporting raw sugar had its challenges. There was the remoteness, the unpredictable and sometimes dangerous ocean, the difficulties traveling by land and the challenges in securing a stable workforce. Both the Kingdom of Hawaii and the later Republic of Hawaii were heavily dependent on the booming sugar industry so there was every incentive to do something about these issues.
Finally, a note about the Hawaiians who lived near the cane fields of Hakalau, mostly landowners and taro farmers. While they weren’t inclined to work in those fields, some did find a niche doing particular plantation work. One wonders about their perspectives on all that went on at the Plantation in this period. A lot of changes to nearby lands, and changes in the government they were very much against. The sugar industry was behind much of that and Hakalau Plantation was in their front yards.
The first half of the 20th century would see a transformation for Hakalau workers and their families. It didn’t happen all at once. Building dwellings and community facilities would happen first. This supported the development of a real community with sports, scouts, 4H and PTA. But it took a 79-day industry-wide labor strike in 1946 to finally bring about the 8-hour day, 40-hour week and a 20% to 40% increase in pay. Those who grew up in Hakalau in the 1950s still share fond memories. Many have attended annual reunions to keep those old friendships alive.
For most, working for Hakalau during the 19th century was decidedly tough, low-paying, and sometimes dangerous. It was a time when many employees came and went. It was an unstable community with poor housing, insufficient health care and sanitation problems. White privilege prevailed. Workers were often coerced and seldom rewarded. There was a lot to fix.
For the industry, producing and transporting raw sugar had its challenges. There was the remoteness, the unpredictable and sometimes dangerous ocean, the difficulties traveling by land and the challenges in securing a stable workforce. Both the Kingdom of Hawaii and the later Republic of Hawaii were heavily dependent on the booming sugar industry so there was every incentive to do something about these issues.
Finally, a note about the Hawaiians who lived near the cane fields of Hakalau, mostly landowners and taro farmers. While they weren’t inclined to work in those fields, some did find a niche doing particular plantation work. One wonders about their perspectives on all that went on at the Plantation in this period. A lot of changes to nearby lands, and changes in the government they were very much against. The sugar industry was behind much of that and Hakalau Plantation was in their front yards.