Waipahu

The early Native Hawaiians took pleasure in the cool and clear water gushing from the ground and named this spring Waipahu. Before the Western civilization set foot in Hawaii, the Hawaiians considered Waipahu to be the capital of Oahu. Royalty in the Kingdom of Hawaii would often gather and enjoy the fresh water from the spring Waipahu.

"If the wind will not serve, take to the oars."

In 1897, Oahu Sugar Company was incorporated and imported laborers from many different countries including the Philippines, Japan, China, Portugal, and Norway. Very few laborers working for the Oahu Sugar Co. were actually Hawaiian.

Beautiful Shopping Center.

The majority of the company's first laborers were either Japanese or Chinese. Each ethnic group was broken up into different camps. This division was said to have been the result of different cultures and language barriers.

Beautiful Waipahu before and after the Rail Monstrosity. Auwe!

Field workers received an average monthly salary of $12.50. However, Filipino immigrants were paid less than all of the other laborers because of the fact that they were the cheapest to import. The Filipinos, on average, made less than $10.00 a month. The Chinese generally were paid the most with a monthly average of $15.00.

Dancing has of course been part of life in the plantations and to each his own. In the last century there came a coming together of the American Style of Dancing and danced socially throughout the islands. They are in the same metamorphosis as the rest of the island.