KILAUEA, KAUAI
PLANTATION HISTORY

The idea of a “company town” is somewhat of a bygone notion today, but that’s exactly how Kilauea got its start. Many of the old buildings you’ll see here were purpose-built to serve functions within the Kilauea Sugar Plantation or to answer a need of its employees.

Looking back through history, it’s rather hard to point to an exact date when the area around Kilauea got tied to the sugar industry. Kilauea Sugar was incorporated in 1880, but the consolidation of its land by non-native owners had started 30 prior (with Mr. Charles Titcomb beginning a private sugar cane plantation in 1863). Since sugar cane grows naturally around the islands, Hawaii found itself poised for massive industrial-scale agriculture in the nineteenth century–all it needed was a market for its products and the enough hands to work the fields and mills. In 1876, the United States opened trade with Hawaii, creating the market. And about that same time, economic troubles in China and Portugal made moving to Hawaii an attractive proposition for adventurous workers.

With all these pieces in place (and 300 shares sold at $1000 apiece), Kilauea Sugar Plantation got off to a fast start. Within a few short years, the plantation scooped up more and more land, built the island’s first railroad, and supported a large multinational body of workers.

Kong Lung

As with any company town, workers relied on the plantation to provide for many of their needs, including meals, shelter, and medical care. And for everything else, there was the company store. In Kilauea’s case, the name Lung has almost always been synonymous with retail. In 1902, the plantation rented one of their buildings on the current Kung Lung Market Center site to a Chinese businessman named Lung Wah Chee. Lung operated his business to meet a wide variety of needs to Kilauea’s workers. It was an all-in-one general merchandise store, barber shop, butcher shop, diner, and post office. In the 1940s, the original woodframe building was replaced by the stone building that stands today. And in 1955, the business was passed to Lung the original owner’s son, K.C. Lung.

After the plantation processed its last harvest in the 1970s, the Kong Lung store continued its business in commercial retail. Today, it and many other buildings around Kilauea holds a place on the National Register of Historic Places for its painstaking restoration and its role in the town’s development.

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Illustration of Father Alexander, who was stationed at Hanalei, preaching under a Kukui Tree in Pila‘a, circa 1931. Sketched by a member of the U.S. Exploring Expedition in 1840.
Image courtesy of Kauai Museum
The Kilauea Sugar Mill processed the raw cane that was harvested from the nearby fields. Here, the mill is seen with an extension added on, plus more buildings are seen under construction as well as a railway on the right side.
Image courtesy of Kauai Museum
Even though Kauai sees plenty of rainfall around the year, sugarcane requires a massive amount of water. So successful production hinged on developing effective irrigation systems. Here, workers are seen cutting watercourse.
Image courtesy of Kauai Museum, photo donated by Dale Anderson, the last plantation manager at Kilauea
Kilauea Bridge, 1890-1901.
Image courtesy of Kauai Museum
The original plantation manager, Mr. Meyers. The plantation manager’s company house (seen here) remains a landmark of Kilauea today.
Henry Funk.
Image courtesy of Kauai Museum
Henry Funk photo of unidentified Kilauea residents during the plantation era.
Image courtesy of Kauai Museum
The Baldwin Locomotive “Pila‘a” warms her boiler in front of the mill, 1894. The plantation at Kilauea had the first working train system on the island. It was used to transport cane from the fields to the mill.
Henry Funk photo courtesy of Kauai Museum
Immigrant workers arrived from all over the world for a chance to make a living in the sugar cane fields. Many of them came from China (above), Japan, and Portugal.
Image courtesy of Kauai Museum
Many of the plantation’s buildings, including Kong Lung Trading, were constructed using field stones. As seen here, the process involved creating a wood frame to guide craftsmen in the creation of walls and windows.
Image courtesy of Kauai Museum
“Hapai Ko,” which loosely translates as harvest. The literal translation means something closer to pregnant, or full of juice.
Image courtesy of Kauai Museum
Workers (identified in the archives from left to right, Yamamoto, Imada, Kagawa, Okimoto, Okasaka, Miyashiro, and at top Idda, which could be a misspelling for Iida) in the plantation mill’s bagging room. Note bags used as aprons and the stencil marks identify bag’s origin.
Image courtesy of Kauai Museum
A tractor driven by steam engine navigates the field. Kilauea was the first plantation in Hawaii to have steam engines.
Image courtesy of Kauai Museum
Henry Funk photo of Dispensary. One of the historic stone buildings in Kilauea.
Image courtesy of Kauai Museum
K.C. Lung (in white hat) and friends display a “trophy” from a shark shoot at Kilauea Point 1920s. The son of original Lung store owner, Kwai Chew Lung, was known as Chow.
Photo courtesy of U.S. Department of Fish & Wildlife Service.
Receipt dating from 7/2/48 from the Kong Lung Co.
Photo courtesy of U.S. Department of Fish & Wildlife Service.
The KSPCo Service Truck No. 27 with operator Frankie Quinones. Late 1930s early 40s.
Photo courtesy of Kilauea Sugar Plantation Company.
“Down Camp Kilauea” circa 1970 on what would be now Momi Street.
Photo courtesy of Les Gushiken.
The store front circa 1940. Kong Lung Co. is now the Kong Lung Trading.
Photo courtesy of Kilauea Sugar Plantation Company.
The Plantation Manager’s house circa 1930’s. Donated by the Larsen family.
Photo courtesy of Les Gushiken
Wet conditions in the fields often made service roads impassible for trucks, hence the need for an effective rail system to make the plantation move efficiently.
Photo courtesy of Kilauea Sugar Plantation Company.
Eusibio Tumbaga with a Merry Tiller, 1960s. Merry Tillers were used to for covering seed in replant fields.
Photo courtesy of Ernest Smith.
Rough seas at Kilauea Point. Note the “breaker” is estimated to be about about 25 feet high.
Photo courtesy of U.S. Department of Fish & Wildlife Service.
Ko‘o Lau Hui‘ia Church, next the the existing graveyard. Photo from the 1970s.
Photo courtesy of Les Gushiken.
Victor Adalos works in the field as a pani ditch (dam) irrigates the land.
Photo courtesy of Ernest Smith

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KILAUEA, KAUAIPLANTATION HISTORY

Kong Lung

KILAUEA, KAUAI
PLANTATION HISTORY