Kamalō Sugar Plantation

The Kamalō Sugar Plantation was founded by Irish-born businessman John C. McColgan (1814-1890) in 1873. In July of that year, he was reported to have leased a 4,000-acre tract of land from the late King Kamehameha V's estate that was located between Kaunakakai and Kalua‘aha.^[3] The mill and plantation were managed by McColgan's cousins, the Irish-born brothers Hugh McCorriston (1836-1926) and Daniel McCorriston (1840-1927).^[4][5]

The mill equipment for the Kamalō Sugar Plantation was the same as used at McColgan's sugarcane plantation located in Waiau, O‘ahu. ^[3]

The Kamalō Sugar Plantation began exporting sugar to California in the 1880s, with a reported shipment of 353 bags aboard the SS Mariposa (1883) in September 1884.^[6]

Upon McColgan's death in 1890, ownership of the Kamalō Sugar Plantation passed in part to the McCorriston brothers.^[7]

On August 7, 1891, the Kamalō Sugar Plantation burned to the ground due to unknown causes.^[7] The mill and plantation were insured for $25,000, (~$786,216 in 2024) and cattle turned onto the land for ranching.^[8]

In 1897, the McCorriston brothers began discussing reviving the Kamalō Sugar Plantation.^[8] In 1899, the brothers sold their land to Frank Hustace, J.J. Egan, and Hugh's stepson Frank Hudson Foster, who incorporated under the name Kamalō Sugar Company, Limited. ^[9]