Kikiaola Land Company evolved from the sugar businesses of Hans Peter (H.P.) Faye. Faye was a Norwegian immigrant who came to Kauai in the 1880s and leased land in Waimea and Kekaha from his uncle, Valdemar Knudsen. In the decades that followed, Faye grew his business into Kekaha Sugar Company, which he, his son, and grandson managed for more than 75 years, and Waimea Sugar Mill Company, which the Faye family owned and managed until 1969. Although the family sold the Waimea sugar business, Faye’s family kept title to the land and they continue to operate it today as the Kikiaola Land Company.
The first commercially successful sugarcane plantation in Hawaii, was founded in Koloa in 1835. Over the century that followed, sugar became Hawaii’s largest industry, and the companies that owned the canefields and processing mills needed large labor forces. They recruited workers from China, Japan, the Philippines, Portugal, and other locations, which contributed to making Hawaii the ethnic melting pot that it is today.
Mill Camps and their Residents
Hawaii’s plantations were more than workplaces. The plantations were social hubs and self-contained communities of homes, schools, churches, shops, medical facilities and gathering places such as movie theaters, social halls and athletic fields.
Kekaha Sugar Company and Waimea Sugar Mill Company provided housing for employees and their families. Built in the 1880s, the mill camp houses were modest one-story cottages that were approximately 700 square feet with an outhouse toilet and a washhouse. In the late 1930s, indoor bathrooms and plumbing were installed along with cesspools, larger kitchens, and electricity.
Waimea Sugar Mill Company workers who raised their families in these houses hold strong connections and memories of mill camp life. Periodically, they return for reunions.
Kikiaola Land Company still owns more than 80 of these historic houses. After hurricanes damaged these homes in 1984 and 1992, the company repaired and upgraded 59 of them and converted them into a historic resort replete with lush landscaping, a restaurant, swimming pool, and other amenities. Today, Waimea Plantation Cottages welcomes and serves residents and visitors on their West Kauai vacations.
