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Francis I'i Brown: The Last Ali'i
Francis I'i Brown: The Last Ali'i
Francis I'i Brown bought the Keawaiki Territory at a public auction in 1922. He bought the Mauna Lani development (Kalāhuipuaʻa at the time) in 1932. Francis paid $6,000 for the small Eva Woods Parker cottage along with the surrounding 1,359 acres of Kalāhuipuaʻa. Francis Iʻi Brown was the last individual owner of Kalāhuipuaʻa. He upgraded the ponds, modified the ponds, and upkept them for years. In 1972, Brown sold to the Mauna Lani Resort and they integrated the ponds into their project management.
4 Reasons to Buy Kalāhuipuaʻa
4 Reasons to Buy Kalāhuipuaʻa
1) Winona Love: Francis I'i Brown bought Kalāhuipuaʻa as a vacation home for him and the love of his life, Winona Love.
2) Communications with Oahu: As he became more and more involved in politics he needed a way to stay in touch with Oahu so he had a telephone line built that ran to the Eva Woods Parker cottage.
3) Loved Fishponds: Francis also bought the property because he loved fishponds. He rebuilt the Makaha gate and restocked the fish ponds with fish from Hilo Bay.
4) The Remoteness of the Property: Francis Iʻi Brown was a busy man and he loved the isolation and peacefulness Kalāhuipuʻa had to offer.
Who does Francis Iʻi Brown Come From?
The Iʻi Brown Family
The Royal Line
John Papa Iʻi was a famous politician who served under Kamehameha II & Kamehameha III. He was an infuential member in the court of Kamehameha. He was also one of the first Hawaiians to study reading and writing with the missionaries. He served in the House of Nobles from 1841-1870 and later became the Speaker of the House.
Irene Iʻi was the daughter of John Papa Iʻi. She held a great camaraderie with Queen Liliʻuokalani because they were both aliʻi (royalty) who served together in the government. Irene was a social hostess and philanthropist. She was one of the first women selected to the Hawaiian Board of Missions and she served on the charity board for the Daughters of Hawaiʻi.
Charles Augustus Brown was from Massachusetts and he came to Hawaiʻi in the late 1800s. He married Irene Iʻi and he took care of the John Iʻi Estate which consisted of Ford Island (Pearl Harbor), the Waipiʻo Pennisula, and the Koʻolau Mountains. He took the estate and made it into a corporation.
Kenneth Francis Brown is the nephew of Francis Iʻi Brown and he served in the Hawaiʻi State Senate. Kenneth was influential on environment and land development issues in Hawaiʻi. He was also on the Board of Trustees for the Queenʻs Health Systems. He emphasized cultural initiatives, preventitive medicine, and supported the Polynesian Voyaging Society.
The Kennedy's of the Pacific
The Kennedy's of the Pacific
The Iʻi Brown family was powerful in the political and cultural world of Hawaiʻi. Francis Iʻi Brown fits perfectly into his family because he embodied everything their family stood for: class, culture, and hospitality. Francis Iʻi Brown inherited great wealth through an abundance of land from his relative, John Papa Iʻi. Everyone who met Francis loved him because he was so kind and treated everyone as his equals. The crowds used to say, "Here comes Francis Brown!" to emphasize how much they enjoyed his company. He lived lavishly and with class. Wherever he went his cars went too and he always wore a black tie in public to honor Irene Iʻi (his mother) who had passed away.
How did they travel to Makaiwa Bay?
How did they travel to Makaiwa Bay?
In the 1930s, airplanes didn't exist so the Brown family had to travel by boat and jeep to get to Kalāhuipuaʻa. They would be dropped off at Hilo Bay then they would drive on a Jeep trail along the Puako coastline from Paniau to Kalāhuipuaʻa.
Old Family Memories
Left: dragging the ponds back in the day for awa and mullet.
Right: The Makaha gate pond next to the boat ramp.
Left: George Kaono jumping off an old style outboard powered canoe to swim in Keawaiki.
Right: Left kid is Alan's Brother, center is a family friend, and the right is Alan Brown.
Left: Francis Brown and Winona Love.
Right: Francis Brown and Duke Kahanamoku.
Left: The Brown ʻOhana (family) L-R (Turkey Love, Francis Brown, Winona Love).
Right: Francis Brown trying to start up an old boat.
Where did Mauna Lani come from?
Where did Mauna Lani come from?
In 1980, the Hawaiian scholar Emma de Fries suggested Kalāhuipuaʻa be changed to Mauna Lani ("Heavenly Mountain"). She came up with the idea while she was on the golf course one day observing the beautiful scenery around her. It is called Mauna Lani because of the clear visible mountains that are seen from all angles of the Francis Brown golf course.
Francis Iʻi Brown Golf Course
Francis Iʻi Brown Golf Course
The golf course was named after Francis Iʻi Brown because he was the last individual owner of Kalāhuipuaʻa and he was a 9x Manoa Cup Champion (between 1920 & 1934). Francis is the greatest golfer in Hawaiʻiʻs history. At one point, he held titles in Japan, California, and Hawaiʻi at the same time! His last win was the most significant because he had just recovered from a terrible car accident and the doctors told him he would never be able to golf again (clearly they were wrong).
Today, the golf course has 18 holes (the front 9 are on aʻa (rough) lava and the back 9 are on pāhoehoe (smooth) lava. Francis brought championship golf to the islands with this newly built course and in 1978 he was named to the Hawaiʻi Sports Hall of Fame.
If you are interested in reading more information about Francis I'i Brown and his family I've attached some articles below. Enjoy!!
Fun Facts Section
Mauna Lani opened on February 1, 1983.
The access trail opened in 1983 with the hotel.
The beach in front of the Mauna Lani hotel is called Nānuku Inlet.
The fish from the ponds were served to hotel guests when the hotel opened.
The ponds were described by Helen Desha Beamer in her song "Keawaiki Hula".
Honokaʻape (the black sand beach in Mauna Lani) is known for sand dunes pushed far in land from the blowing wind in Mauna Lani.
The Ala Loa trail (southside of the clubhouse & maintenance facilities) was used for cattles in the 1890s.
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