Kualoa Sugar Mill
Dr. Gerrit P. Judd purchased the 622-acre Kualoa ahupuaʻa (land division) from King Kamehameha III on November 20, 1850. Here Judd began ranching on what he named 'Glen Hala', with cattle, horses, geese, chickens, and several crops. In 1863, Judd, his son Charles, and son-in-law Samuel G. Wilder had accrued enough additional lands in the neighboring ahupuaʻa to begin the Kualoa Sugar Plantation, with 627 acres of sugar cane. The next year, they built the first sugar mill on Oʻahu, which soon gained the nickname 'Wili-kaʻāʻī' meaning "twist the neck" after a one-eyed Hawaiian worker who, not accustomed to using a shovel, developed a sore neck while watching each shovelful fly. By 1867, the Kualoa Plantation employed 97 workers. Low rainfall and difficult access and transportation ultimately led to the endeavor's abandonment in 1871, however. Wilder moved on to the Big Island to pursue other ventures (see Māhukona) while the Judd family resumed ranching. Generations later, the famous Kualoa Ranch is still owned and operated by descendents of Dr. Judd.
