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PRINCEVILLE TURNS 50!
MALAMA THE LAND
It was 50 years ago this month that the Charter authorizing the Princeville at Hanalei Community Association, Protective Covenants, and By-Laws were signed and filed in the Bureau of Conveyances. Work was nearing completion on the spectacular 27-hole Makai Golf Course which opened in the winter of 1971.
Looking back 50 years later, it is important to recognize that Princeville has played an important role in open space history on the North Shore. During the reign of Kamehameha III, ambitious planters experimented with crops such as sugar, pineapple, coffee, and tobacco. In 1831, the land was transformed into one of the first ranches in Hawaii when the land was leased for cattle raising by the British consul to the Hawaiian Islands and longhorn cattle were brought in from California. As a result, the Hawaiian paniolo tradition was born nearly two decades before the American cowboy became an iconic figure of the West. (Parker Ranch on the Big Island opened five years later in 1836). Beef was salted and sold to the whalers and butter was exported to Honolulu. In the 1860s, the sweeping lands of Princeville earned their name as a tribute to the only son of Kamehameha IV, Prince Albert.
Ranching and pineapple farming on the sprawling 4000 acres of Princeville continued for decades under several owners. Eagle County Development Corporation from Colorado bought the ranchland from the Lihue Plantation Company in 1969 and ranching operations continue to this day, now run by the Carswell family. In 1978, Curly Carswell and his wife, Gale, the owners of the Po‘oku Stables on the Princeville ranch lands, began offering the first horseback riding adventures on the North Shore. A year later in 1979, they founded the Hanalei Stampede Rodeo, a statewide rodeo that was held for 12 years. It was one of the largest rodeos in the State and horses from across the islands were barged in for paniolo to compete in the event. Held during the relatively dry month of August, the famous Hanalei rains flooded the Princeville arena on more than a few occasions to create a wild and muddy event. Renowned as one of the most popular rodeos in Hawaii, paniolo such as Corky Bryan, Paniolo Hall of Fame Cattleman of the Year in 2006, and kama‘aina from around the state have been heard to fondly reminisce about the Hanalei Stampede Rodeo.
In 1970, the Hawaii Land Use Commission approved the development of approximately 1000 acres of the Princeville ranchland to become the first Master-Planned community in Hawaii. Centered around 27 holes of award-winning golf course interspersed by residential neighborhoods designed to provide spectacular views and a reverence for community, this idyllic slice of paradise has played a special role in preserving the North Shore as a place of extraordinary beauty designed around open space.
In a “talk story” last fall, Princeville’s original chief engineer, Donn “Curly” Carswell, and golf legend Robert Trent “Bobby” Jones, Jr., the designer of the championship 27-hole Makai Golf Course, got together and reminisced about riding the territory on horseback and the beginnings of the community known as Princeville at Hanalei. According to Curly, the most beautiful land and vistas were specifically reserved for the golf course under the Master Plan in order to maintain the breath-taking views and as a strategy to comply with the Land Use Commission’s requirement of a roughly equal balance between open and developed space.
“I vividly remember late afternoons from the sites overlooking Hanalei Bay when we were developing the Master Plan and thinking that the sunsets from this view would awaken a mummy,” said Bobby. “Of equal importance was the integration of subterranean infrastructure consisting of water, drainage, irrigation, and the only sewage treatment facility on the North Shore, as well as roads and underground utilities, into the plan. The land is glorious but Princeville would not have been possible if Curly hadn’t found the water source. Seeing our Master Plan mature into this spectacular community for residents and visitors alike has been heart-warming to say the least. I’m honored to be here to see it turn 50.”
Curly, who sadly passed away in February, will always be remembered for his role in shaping Princeville at Hanalei and stewarding the Princeville Ranch. An icon in the community, Curly was beloved and revered on the North Shore. Born and raised on O‘ahu he was an outstanding student and Hall of Fame athlete at Punahou who played in the 1952 Aloha Bowl, lettered in track and paddled for the Outrigger Canoe Club. After his graduation from Punahou, he earned his degree in civil engineering from Stanford University where he was an All-American football player. After a five-year stint in the Marines, he married his wife of 56 years, Gale Fisher, a descendant of Abner Wilcox, and together they raised their four children on the North Shore of Kauai. He was a good and true friend, neighbor, and man of his word who was highly respected and well loved. His vivid tales of taming the area of the ranchland that became the Princeville at Hanalei community, as well as his life of global adventures, continue to amaze all who were fortunate enough to know him. His ‘ohana continue to run Po‘oku Stables and the cattle operation.
Fifty years later, we continue to be thankful for the hard work, vision, and master planning that enabled Princeville to bloom into the treasured community of open space and sweeping vistas it is today. Stewardship of this special place is left in the hands of the citizens of Princeville at Hanalei, the people of the North Shore, and everyone else who respects the mana of this land and recognizes the importance of preserving its open space.
Princeville at 50 !
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By Luke Evslin (Civil Beat)
By Luke Evslin (Civil Beat)
By Luke Evslin (Civil Beat)