Images of Old Hawaiʻi

by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Silva’s Stores

Reportedly, the first Portuguese in Hawai’i were sailors that came on the Eleanora in 1790. It is believed the first Portuguese nationals to live in the Hawaiian kingdom sailed through on whalers, as early as 1794, and jumped ship. John Ignacio Silva was born at Ponta Delgada, São Miguel, Azores, Portugal on October 15, 1868, son of Jose Ignacio and Angelica de Jesus (Gomes) Silva.

He reportedly came to the Islands in the early-1880s and was clerk in Kohala, Wailuku, and Honolulu. He moved to Kauai and bought out Jose De Frias in 1896 and had stores in ʻEleʻele, Hanapepe, Kōloa and Kalihiwai. For a short while he was in politics. His operation was a success … until, in 1922, he assigned all of his property to the benefit of his creditors.

by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Kauai’s South Shore

“The history of Koloa is in many ways Hawai‘i’s history in microcosm.” (Wilcox)  The focus of interest is the region‘s history and the role this area played in helping to shape Hawaiʻi‘s socio-economic past, present and future. The South Shore of the island of Kauai has many scenic, natural and recreational qualities that travelers may […]

by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Daniel Dole

Daniel Dole was born in Bloomfield (now Skowhegan,) Maine, September 9, 1808. He graduated from Bowdoin College in 1836 and Bangor Theological Seminary in 1839, and then married Emily Hoyt Ballard (1807-1844,) October 2, 1840 in Gardiner, Maine. Daniel and Emily Dole sailed from Boston aboard the Gloucester, with the Ninth Company of the American […]

by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Hawaiian Money

Ancient Hawaiians did not use money.  They provided for themselves or simply traded for the things they needed.  As commerce came to Hawai‘i, initial transactions included trading – sandalwood became the primary medium of exchange for Ali‘i, who traded it for western goods. The adoption of a Western style economy created a demand for money.  […]

by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Kōloa Field System

                One of the great achievements of the ancient Hawaiians in this region is evidenced in the agricultural Kōloa Field System on the South Shore of Kaua‘i. Evidence indicates the Kōloa area was forested to the shore before the arrival of the first Polynesians.  When they started to […]