in 1865, levi and warren chamberlain started a sugarcane plantation in waialua that ultimately failed, and robert halstead bought the chamberlain plantation in 1874 under the partnership of halstead & gordon. gordon died in 1888, and the plantation was managed by the halstead brothers, robert and his two sons, edgar and frank. in 1898, castle & cooke formed the waialua agricultural company and purchased the plantation from the halstead brothers.