Kapaa, like most rural towns on Kauai and many in Hawaii, got its start in the 19th century as a sugar town. But, within five years, Kapaas sugar mill was gone; the little village almost disappeared. By the early 20th century, Kapaa was once again a thriving community. Self-reliant merchants and shopkeepers, first mostly Chinese and then Japanese, competed with the neighboring plantation store. Homesteaders populated the hills behind Kapaa, and two pineapple canneries offered employment. Several movie theaters provided alternatives to the bars and taxi-dance halls. By the 1970s, pineapple,...
Kapaa, like most rural towns on Kauai and many in Hawaii, got its start in the 19th century as a sugar town. But, within five years, Kapaas sugar mill...
