From the Horse's Mouth
Let's jump in a time machine and head back to Kailua in the 1950s.
Picture this: On the North end of town near Duck Road (Kainui Drive) there is a horse racing track. On the South end of town stretching all the way along Kailua Road (by current day Target) is a 1,000 acre dairy farm with over 1,200 cattle roaming free. Everywhere in between are residential houses scattered among empty plots of land.
In the 1940s, horse racing brought spectators over to the windward side of the island to the sleepy, rural town of Kailua with its 1,600 residents. By the 1950s, the population had increased to an astonishing 7,700 and the numbers continued to sky rocket to over 25,000 by 1960.
There was an empty lot next to my family house on North Kainalu Drive. A neighbor had purchased an old, retired race horse for recreational riding and kept him tethered up in the yard. Every so often, the horse would go missing but the owner would never panic. The owner knew his old horse had a favorite hangout spot down the street at the track with his old racing buddies.
Back in the 1950s and 1960s, it was not uncommon to use horses as a mode of transportation. Locals would often take the scenic route to visit your house by commuting with their horse down the beach to Lanikai or Kailua.
Horses on the beach, however, were less common than your run of the mill beach dog. At the time, no one had fences and there was no such thing as 'leash laws'. For the most part, animals just roamed free. The dogs knew where to come home for dinner and had the freedom to explore as they wished. Often when heading on a beach stroll, you would be accompanied by a random beach dog who would trot along beside you until it had reached its destination and then bid you adieu.
Campos Dairy emerged in 1925 and was in operation until the late 1960s. I very clearly remember seeing my first cow born there - that image is burned in my brain forever. The Campos family did very well for themselves with the milk and daily endeavor - some say they used to herd cattle with Cadillacs just because they could.
So many memories of old Kailua Town - I could go on for days. Make sure to share some of your favorites as well!
Comments
From the mouth of the canal, to Kaiwainui Bridge on North Kalaheo Avenue, to Kamehameha Schools picnic grounds, And down to the beach, where the fence was just a suggestion and the horses would be out wherever they liked some company.
There were stables over by the mud flats and quiet kids were welcome to hang out and brush their hair... They were basically "Old Man Castle's" pets.
I didn't know about the races! Of course that's why he had so many horses... Thanks!