Kualapu'u Village Families: ca. 1935-1988, in the days of CPC / Del Monte Pineapple Plantation   Home page        click on area to see families' names/some pictures     Read conditions for use  YOU can help: Do contact me with your corrections, names, approximate dates so we can truly honor our families of Kualapuu plantation days. My address is at bottom of this page . Thanks, eh...rob

A selected summary of Kualapu'u Town events 1908 George Cooke and his wife Sophie and daughter Dora move into the former manager's house, composed of "three plantation houses put together". Molokai Ranch was founded on the landholdings of the defunct American Sugar Company. 1922 Hawaiian Homesteads begin on Moloka'i 1927 California Packing Corporation ("Calpac") leases 3,669 acres from Molokai Ranch and 300 acres from the Meyer family in Kala'e. Wilson "Jake" Jacobson and wife Martha nove into the manager's house. Plantation "started" with just one tractor operator and one mule driver. Homes are built beginning this year. 1929 The Great Depression. Homestead contracts honored even as quantities of fruit disposed of in the gulches, excess for Honolulu canning (1932). Many sakada (Filipino contract laborers) live with homesteaders to help in pine cultivation. Hence, many Hawaiian words were used by the sakada, e.g. "pololoi". 1930 census shows quantities of sakada in Maunaloa and Kualapu'u. 1935-1939 "New Addition" built about this time, comprising most of central  and south Kualapuu village. ca. 1936-1937 Kanaio Camp 1936 established. Dismantled ca.1939-1940 and the houses were moved to Kualapu'u (behind the theater) to become the "Kanaio Addition", as it was called then. ca. 1948-1950 Balance of houses built makai-ward of south Kualapu'u. This is a guesstimate. 1950s, 1960s Most of us were youngsters and worked in the pineapple fields during the summers. No guesstimates here. 1978 Del Monte plans to close Kualapu'u plantation. However, due to the efforts of Frank F. Dillard, the plantation remains open till 1988, for the sake of the workers and their retirement plans.  From 1983 onwards; fresh fruit production only (Honolulu Cannery closed) 1988 Del Monte finally closes.

Other interesting stuffs:

Holomua School - History & Alma Mater                                                     Moloka'i Hawaiian Language Song Collection
Holomua School Pictures - Name those folks (eek, we were young!)           More pix below of Kualapu'u, Kanaio Camp
Kualapu'u Music Band(s) - Name those folks!
A Village Funeral Photo - Name those folks!                                                                                                    contact mondoymusic AT gmail DOT com  (you'll need to re-type this; done to curtail address-harvesting by unsavory parties)

Kualapu'u Village ca. 1913 From George P. Cooke's "Moolelo O Molokai", 1949

Kanaio Camp 1936-1939 Can you help fill in some of the blanks? Although this map says "1930's-1940's", the above bookend dates of 1936-1939 are reasonable if not accurate.

Kanaio Camp (site) today [Mondoy, 2011]

 

Kualapu'u Village ca. 1939 Aerial shot from a 1946 magazine labeled "taken a few years ago.", labeled as the "New Addition" as well. Given the absence of the "Kanaio Addition" the more correct date would be 1939. The blockhouses of CE are already up, but not the blockhouse of CW

More picture(s) below...scroll down

 

Below: same 1946 magazine. Given house architecture style, tree shadow orientation (assuming a.m.)  and the windbreak, looking at houses SE 9.7.5.3.1.
The size of the eucalyptus trees looks like they are 8-10 yrs old, dating these homes to a likely 1935 construction date