For most of the 20th century, the Kekaha Sugar Mill (owned by Amfac) was the centerpiece of agriculture on Kauaʻi's west side.

The sugar mill had a major influence in Kekaha's development, including banking, employment, transportation, housing and utilities such as water and electricity.

Police recovered the money in a swamp near the home of a local fisherman, whose suspicious behavior soon resulted in his arrest and conviction.

The fisherman was a big fan of Western movies, and was thought to have been inspired by some of the films he had seen.

Located near Kekaha is the U.S. Navy Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF).

Within PMRF's property is located WWVH, the U.S.'s Pacific-region shortwave station operated by NIST broadcasting time signals from an atomic clock.

Kekaha Beach Park offers splendid views of Niʻihau, Hawaiʻi's Forbidden Island.

Circa 1962, the Army Radio Station a few miles west of Kekaha provided ionospheric and tropospheric scatter communications as part of a line of stations from California to Vietnam, sending TTY (Teleprinter) traffic back and forth during the Vietnam War.