Waialua Sugar Mill

The Waialua Sugar Mill is a historical sugar refinery located at the base of the Waiokinaanae Mountains in the town of Waialua on the Hawaiian island of Oahu.

History

In 1865, Levi and Warren Chamberlain started a sugar plantation in Waialua that ultimately failed,Wilcox 1998, p. 108.] and Robert Halstead bought the Chamberlain plantation in 1874 under the partnership of Halstead & Gordon. Gordon died in 1888, and the plantation was managed by the Halstead Brothers, Robert and his two sons, Edgar and Frank.Dorrance & Morgan 2000, p. 42.] In 1898, Castle & Cooke formed the Waialua Agricultural Company and purchased the plantation from the Halstead Brothers.Dorrance & Morgan 2000, pp. 47-49.]

By the end of 1898, a new mill was constructed, and the first crop harvested in 1899, producing 1,741 tons of sugar. Castle & Cooke also expanded the acreage, built a railway system, and maximized ground and surface water storage and irrigation systems. Between 1900 and 1906, four surface water collection systems were constructed, giving the Waialua sugar plantation the largest water storage capacity in the state of Hawaii.Wilcox 1998, p. 109.] [Kirch & Sahlins maintain that the clearing of land by the Waialua Agricultural Company was responsible for the destruction of the surface archaeological record in Waialua, in particular a pondfield system originally used by prehistoric Hawaiians, considered by J. Gilbert McAllister as "the longest irrigation ditch of which there is any memory". Several Hawaiian temples (heiau) in the area had also been destroyed by 1933. See Kirch, P.V. Sahlins, M.D. (1992) "Anahulu: The Anthropology of History in the Kingdom of Hawaii". University of Chicago Press. ISBN 022673361.] As a result of these efforts, sugar production increased from less than 5000 to 20,000 tons from 1900-1905. Mechanical loading of harvested cane began to replace manual labor using self-propelled machines in 1920.Dorrance & Morgan 2000, p. 184.] Later, the Waialua plantation would co-generate electricity and sell it to local communities, contributing a small percentage to Hawaii's energy production.Dorrance & Morgan 2000, p. 172.]

By 1991, the mill was producing eight percent of sugar in Hawaii as the Waialua Sugar Company, a subsidiary of the Dole Food Company.Dorrance & Morgan 2000, pp. 141-142] However, the plantation was unable to increase the tons of sugar per acre yields.Dorrance & Morgan 2000, p. 202.] The Waialua Sugar Mill finally closed in October, 1996 due to profit concerns. and became the last sugar plantation on the island of Oahu. By 1999, the old sugar workers camp was still inhabited by former Filipino laborers.Dorrance & Morgan 2000, p. 133.] The area currently serves as an industrial park for the North Shore of Oahu.

Notes

References

*Citation
last = Dorrance
first = William H.
last2 = Morgan
first2 = Francis S.
title = Sugar Islands: The 165-Year Story of Sugar in Hawaiokinai
place= Honolulu, Hawaii
publisher = Mutual Publishing
year = 2000
edition = First
isbn = 1-56647-503-1
*Citation
last = Wilcox
first = Carol
title = Sugar Water: Hawaii's Plantation Ditches
publisher = University of Hawaii Press
year = 1998
isbn = 0824820444

External links

* [http://sugarmillhawaii.com/ Waialua Sugar Mill]