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, (~$766,103 in 2023) 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]
^Of the three plantations and mills in operation on Molokai in 1880, Moanui Sugar Mill and Plantation was established in 1875 and Kalae Sugar Plantation was established in 1876.
^Pukui, Mary Kawena, Samuel H. Elbert and Esther T. Mookini (1974). Place Names of Hawaii (Revised & expanded ed.). Honolulu, HI: The University Press of Hawaii. p. 150. ISBN978-0-8248-0524-1.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^"Local and General". The Pacific Commercial Advertiser. 12 August 1891. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
^1880-1881: The Hawaiian Kingdom Statistical and Commercial Directory and Tourist's Guide. Honolulu; San Francisco: George Bowser & Co. 1880. p. 411. hdl:10524/19432.
^1888: Husted's Directory of Honolulu and the Hawaiian Territory. Honolulu; San Francisco: George Bowser & Co. 1888. p. 496. hdl:10524/12272.
