Although previously published articles indicate that Grove Farm’s employee housing Puhi Camp (c. 1917-1980s) was built during the 1920s, newspaper accounts I’ve recently uncovered reveal activity at Puhi Camp as early as 1917.
Puhi Camp once occupied a portion of what is now the campus of Kauai Community College (KCC).
In its heyday, Puhi Camp consisted of about 600 houses occupied by nearly 1,200 Grove Farm workers and their families, many of whom were immigrants from China, the Philippines, Japan, Puerto Rico and Portugal.
Its houses were constructed of milled wood and posts, or Canec, or hollow tile, all with corrugated metal roofs.
Shade trees, fruit trees, hibiscus hedges and wooden fences bordered each property.
Puhi Camp also contained a playground, gardens, lawns, a movie hall, three stores, a Chinese laundry, a slaughterhouse, a reservoir and a hall for social events.
Dirt roads were laid out within the camp.
The demise of Puhi Camp began in 1966, when Grove Farm sold 67 home lots in a new employee housing subdivision located across Kaumualii Highway from Puhi Camp to Grove Farm employees, many of whom were residents of Puhi Camp.
In 1968, when the first of these new subdivision homes were ready for occupancy, Puhi Camp residents began moving out of Puhi Camp into the new subdivision.
And, during the 1970s, many of their former Puhi Camp houses were therefore demolished.
The Puhi Camp property, along with cane field Haiku 8, and an adjoining valley area totaling 200 acres of Grove Farm land donated by Grove Farm to the state, then became available for the construction of KCC, which was dedicated in 1977.
In the 1980s, the few remaining Puhi Camp houses were razed.
A memorable social event occurred at Puhi Hall on Sept, 18, 1921, that featured a fairy dance by Miss Edith Sloggett, a vocal solo sung by Miss Harriett Tokito, musical numbers in comic makeup by the Riposa brothers, and a song and dance in Chinese costume performed by Miss Rose Marie Silva.
An orchestra with Frank Fernandez at the piano filled out the program, followed by an hour or so of dancing.
