Many ranches took advantage of the natural resources of the land. From 1921 until World War II, Chun Quan Yee Hop owned the territory’s principal Hawaiian lumber mill and was one of the major suppliers of koa for Honolulu’s cabinet makers.  Born in China in 1867, Chun Quan Yee Hop emigrated to the United States and was lured to HawaiÊ»i by a cousin in Honolulu with reports of great opportunity.

In 1921, C.Q. Yee Hop bought the forfeited Bolte Brothers Sawmill in Kona which included 1,198 acres and all the tools he would need for his operations. In the next decade, his holdings increased to nearly 13,000 which he stocked with about 1,000 head of beef cattle for his Honolulu Market.

In this photograph, David Kema stands on the trunk of an ʻōhiʻa tree.

This photograph on canvas appeared in Kona Historical Society's 2016 exhibit, Kona Ranching and Kona Cowboys. Dimensions are 11"x16".

From the Collections of Kona Historical Society.