As the whaling era faded and sugar dominated Lahaina, more and more native traditions retreated. In 1860, the plantation era was ushered in and remained active in Lahaina until 1999. This time period coincided with the founding and closing of the Pioneer Mill Co., one of Hawai‘i’s first sugar mills.
Sugar plantation operations were the impetus for laborers to be imported from China, Japan, the Philippines, Portugal, Korea and Puerto Rico to harvest crops in West Maui. The company built self-sustaining camps with housing, a post office, general store and recreational facilities to provide for the workers’ families. These camps thrived in Lahaina for over 100 years.
When pineapple cultivation began after the turn of the 20th century at Honolua Ranch, more plantation camps were established throughout West Maui. In the 1920s, Baldwin Packers opened a pineapple cannery in Lahaina, which remained one of the town’s largest employers until the early 1960s.