As we prepare for the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the LDS Church in Laie, we feature the third installment in a series of stories about the rich history of our beloved town.

We express our appreciation to the Mormon Pacific Historical Society which has graciously authored these vignettes to help us remember and honor our wonderful heritage.

"Plantation Days"

With the January 26, 1865 purchase of the 6000 acre, two ahupua'a of Laie completed, the reality and immensity of the task must have seemed daunting to Francis Hammond. In a letter to the Millennial Star (LDS Church magazine) in February, he wrote, "A person would require the wisdom of Solomon and the patience of Job to accomplish anything; but, as patience and perseverance will sometimes accomplish a great deal, we do not mean to get discouraged, but to persevere in well doing, believing that all will work out right in the end."

To meet Brigham Young's expectations, and eventually repay the church loan, Laie was expected to be not only a place of peace and safety, but a productive and profitable community as well. The question became, which cash crop was best suited to the land and provided the best chances of profit.

 

With the arrival of several couple missionaries carefully chosen and sent from Utah, Bro. Hammond grew more optimistic. In May he wrote, "If we are permitted to dwell here in peace, in a few years we can make a grand garden of this place . . .We have some 40 acres fenced, about 20 planted in corn and cotton -- it looks well." He went on to say, "I think sugar will be our main crop as the land is well adapted to the sugar culture."

 

Original mule-powered sugar mill, circa 1870 (Courtesy of BYU-Hawaii Archives)

As it turned out, the corn and cotton did not do well, and full attention was given to the cultivation of sugarcane. Within five years, under the competent direction of the Elder George Nebeker, a small mule-powered sugar mill was erected, and 150 acres were in cultivation.

Unlike any other sugar plantation in the islands, people in the community worked for the plantation only when they wanted to, and for better than average wages. In addition to working for the plantation, local saints grew taro and watermelons successfully enough to sell to the markets in Honolulu.

 

The good times did not last for long, as a drought began to affect the islands. With sugarcane being one of the thirstiest plants in the world, increased efforts to improve irrigation and increase water flow were crucial to the continued success of the plantation. By the late 1870s, it was also clear that the original sugar mill needed to be replaced with a modern steam-powered mill of greater capacity.

 

Church leadership in Utah approved of the idea for a larger mill, and a loan was secured for its construction (mauka of the recently constructed Heber J. Grant Building on the BYU-Hawaii campus).

 

Modern steam-powered sugar mill, late 1880s (Courtesy BYU-Hawaii Archives)

Other improvements included the drilling of several artesian wells and the construction of a pier in Laie Malo'o, near what is now called Pounder's Beach (pilings still visible today). With the pier in place, it was both easier and safer to bring in supplies and ship out the molasses and sugar. Stability also improved through the long-term calling of Samuel E. Woolley as plantation manager and mission president (1895-1921).

 

The increase of acreage and production increased the need for labor, but people in Laie were beginning to find "better" options working for the government (in road construction, utilities, etc). This labor shortage led to a shift in the dynamics of the community. The Laie plantation contracted with the nearby Kahuku Sugar Mill to hire some of its laborers; soon Laie had Japanese, Portuguese, and Filipino labor camps in its midst.

 

In 1922, management of the plantation and property shifted from ecclesiastical leadership to the newly formed, Zions Securities Corporation (predecessor to current land management company, Hawaii Reserves, Inc). By the late 1920's, it was clear that the Laie mill was aging and that competition with larger plantations was becoming more and more difficult.

 

In 1931, the plantation management decided that it was in the best interest of the church to sell all sugar operations, equipment, and supplies to the Kahuku Sugar Mill, lease all its sugarcane lands, and pay off all its debts.

Kahuku Plantation Co. train hauling cane, circa 1915 (Courtesy BYU-Hawaii Archives)

Eventually, the Kahuku mill harvested sugarcane from the North Shore all the way to Kahana Bay, and remained in operation until 1971.

 

A few in our community still remember their childhood days when they would see the sugar train as it travelled along the tracks from Kahana to the mill, passing through what is now the BYU-Hawaii campus and along Naniloa Loop.

And some might even tell you they remember seeing Hamana Kalili's now-famous "shaka" wave! Hamana worked as a guard on the train after losing several fingers in a work-related accident.

 

A few of our kupuna were there that fateful day 60 years ago when President David O. McKay stood in a small clearing among the cane and dedicated the surrounding lands for the building of a new college -- the Church College of Hawaii. 

 

Church College of Hawaii groundbreaking, February 12, 1955 (Courtesy BYU-Hawaii Archives)

Interested readers may learn more from Gathering to Laie (by Riley Moffat, Fred Woods, & Jeffrey Walker) and The Making of the Ahupua'a of Laie into a Gathering Place and a Plantation (by Cynthia Woolley Compton).

 

- The Mormon Pacific Historical Society

 

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Mahalo,

 

The Envision Lā'ie Team