Pahala Plantation … Sugar Cane to Coffee Beans

        1868 marked the beginning of sugar cane farming at the Pahala Plantation on the Ka’u coast of the Big Island of Hawaii.  While carts were used initially to transport sugar cane from field to mill, flumes carried the cane to the mill by 1928.  Sugar and molasses production continued at these mills until March, 1996 when sugar mill operation ceased.  Today the Pahala area is known for its macadamia nut trees and prize-winning coffee plantations.  

        The Pahala area now maintains its small-town flavor, with the plantation houses being refurbished as funding permits.  Plantation houses today serve as vacation billet for guests to the area, are often the site of international gatherings of musicians (both novice and skilled) as they share their love of slack-key and other traditionally Hawaiian music, provide a scenic backdrop for parties and community gatherings, and proudly stand as reminders and tutors of the area’s history.

        Come, step back in time and relax as you spend the morning walking through the rich history of the Pahala Plantation.

http://podcast.uhh.hawaii.edu/users/ed314shared/    ... scroll down to Pahala Plantation ... Sugar Cane to Coffee Beans

Anna Ranch ... a part of Cattle Ranching on the Big Island

The year was 1793. Captain George Vancouver gifted King Kamehameha I with several head of (longhorn) cattle. King Kamehameha declared the cattle "kapu", preventing locals from hunting or killing cattle for some ten years.  The cattle, left untended and free to roam the island at-will became both destructive and dangerous -- tearing up gardens and other local crops and injuring or killing other animals and even people.  Cowboys, locally called "paniolo", were brought over from California to help Hawaiians learn to care for and manage the herds of cattle.  


Hawaiian land grants became a reality in 1848. The Lindsey family had staked a claim on the piece of property which soon became known as Lindsey Ranch. It was to this family that Anna Leialoha Lindsey Perry-Fiske was born in 1900. She grew up loving ranching -- grew up working side-by-side with her brothers and father on the ranch.  Anna's love for the ranch and the labors involved in maintaining it later led her to seek possession of the property her great-grandfather, grandfather, and father had ranched when her father died. The courts deeded the ranch to Anna rather than either of her brothers.  When Anna received the ranch it was in bankruptcy.  A large loan, one ranch hand, and Anna's hard work resulted in the ultimate success of the ranch which became known as Anna Ranch in 1941.


Anna was a working cowboy -- she mended fences, herded cattle, drove them to market, branded, etc. She was a skilled in all types of horse riding. Anna was a philanthropist -- supporting the Hawaii Preparatory Academy from the time of its opening in 1945, Easter Seals, and the Hawaii and American Heart Associations.  She raised more money for the American Heart Association than any other individual for many years. She made donations from her personal monies to help build the emergency room at the Waimea Hospital.

There is a lovely rolling creek and a "swimming hole" behind the barn and rental hall on the property.

The ranch house is a single wall construction house based on the traditional rectangle house. There were two or three additions to the home over the years (all completed prior to the 1940's.)

 

The gardens and grounds remain today as they appeared when Anna and her family lived on the ranch. The landscapers who currently work the property are the third generation to work the grounds.

 

Artifacts, the trappings of a lifetime, often help to tell the story of one's life. 

Anna Ranch is richly furnished with pieces -- large and small -- that help us know Anna and her family better. Hats and beautiful clothing, KOA wood furnishings passed down through generations, Chinese figurines, china, crystal, photographs ... each contributes to the telling of the tale of the Lindsey family and especially the making of Anna and her ranch.

Anna Ranch ... Inspiration

Water trickling, rushing, flowing 

in the stream below the barn.

Leaves on branches rustling, clattering

in wind-blown trees that stand so tall.

In the distance, green and brown,

the hillside reaches for the sky.

Clouds are floating, dancing, playing

Soft and white against so-blue sky.

Light years from here the sun is shining

Sharing light born long ago...

Long before Hawaiian ranchers

learned the ancient cattle song.

Meeeha ... unusual name (from what I've been told)

I am fortunate to get to do a job I love.  Young children who face challenges learning to communicate, to move, to do the things most children do easily are the munchkins who warm my world each day!  Several years ago, teaching in a classroom for such children in north-central Texas I had a 3-year-old boy who wasn't able to say my name clearly -- his best tries resulted in something that sounded like "meeeha".  I quickly adopted that as my "handle" for many online situations.  

"Meeeha" sounds very similar to "mi hija" (Spanish for my little girl) -- I'm neither "little" nor hispanic in origin. When I met up with some online friends in Fredricksburg, TX for a 'reunion' of sorts -- an opportunity for a group of online teacher friends to meet face-to-face --  one of the gals I met  was quite surprised to see me with fair skin and blond hair!  What's in a name?  Sometimes you just might be surprised!