Kapulena Hamakua EA PBR Final TMK No. 4-7-005 and 006

Home

KAPULENA AGRICULTURAL PARK FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT Isabella Bird also traveled through the area in 1872. She noted the rough and steep trails on her journey from Hilo to Waipi`o. Bird also describes the sugar plantation at Kaiwiaki (Onomea Plantation). At the time of her journey, the Hamakua Mill Company and Pacific Sugar Mill Company had not yet been established. Between 1869 and 1880, seven sugar companies were established along the Hamakua coast. The Pacific Sugar Mill Company, established in 1878 in Kukuihaele maintained cultivated sugar cane fields in the project area. The AIS includes information from the University of Hawai`i's Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association Plantation Archives about the Pacific Sugar Mill Company, documenting that the plantation extended along the coast for four miles and up the mountains from two to nine miles. The elevation ranged from 300 to 1,900 feet giving a variety of growing conditions. Pacific Sugar Mill has the distinction of introducing the mongoose into Hawaii. The plantation had cattle and was unique for its many head of sheep. Free mutton was given to employees along with housing and healthcare. The plantation did not prosper due to mis- management and in 1913 it was decided to close the mill and merge with Honokaa Sugar Mill Company. In 1916 the mill equipment was sold. The Honokaa sugar mill grew to encompass more than 9,000 acres. It had an extensive flume system to carry the cane to railroad cars and eventually to the mill. Bagged sugar was transported by a tramway from the mill to a warehouse at the boat landing. Wire cable conveyed the bagged sugar from the warehouse to steamships. By this method Honokaa Sugar Company was able to ship raw sugar directly to the US mainland, bypassing Honolulu. The Honokaa Sugar Company eventually operated as the Hamakua Sugar Company which was in operation until October, 1994. The AIS also documents previous archaeological investigations in the area, indicating that most studies focused on sites in Waipi`o Valley and that no studies have been conducted at the project site. The Archaeological Inventory Survey Results recorded 17 sites comprised of 28 features (see Appendix Q. Information recorded during the current study has adequately ascertained the timing and function of all features at all 16 sites. The majority of the sites are associated with Historic -era sugarcane field clearing. Four of the sites are associated with pre- Contact temporary habitation. Artifact recovered from the rock shelters were traditional basalt and volcanic -glass tool debitage and marine shell. One site (SITE 28385 TS -5, Appendix C) is a possible heiau remnant from the pre- Contact era. The multi- tiered platform is located at the top of a mauka/makai oriented ridgeline at an elevation of 1,440 feet in Kapulena ahupua`a. The area surrounding the site is old sugarcane fields dominated by ironwood trees. There are several Christmas berry and guava trees growing on top of the platform. There is a sugarcane dirt road and ditch just west and north of the platform. The entire east and south sides of the platform have been truncated by bulldozer. The AIS speculates that it is possible that the remaining platform is only the west end or the northwest corner of a much larger structure. The northeast and southwest tiers have been altered by bulldozers pushing portions of the feature and loose rock from the surrounding fields into them. There is a length of one inch thick wire cable embedded in the soil and rock on the east side of the feature. The AIS speculates that the cable might have been attached to a bulldozer during field clearing. The AIS concludes that the feature has been altered by sugarcane clearing activities and is in poor condition. However, based on the amount of labor that went into the multi -tier platform at this site and based on the construction style and are of the feature, it is possible that this is the remains of Pukioi `aka heiau. Evidence to support this hypothesis is the 4 -2