Images of Old Hawaiʻi

by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Kaleleakeʻanae

The battle was the last stand of Kalanikūpule and 9,000-warriors of O‘ahu against Kamehameha and his invading army of 12,000-warriors from Hawai‘i. Kamehameha’s fleet landed at Waikiki where it covered the beaches from Waiʻalae to Waikiki. Kalanikūpule and his chiefs were stationed at strategic points in Nuʻuanu at Kanoneakapueo, Kahapaʻakai, Luakaha, Kawananakoa, Kaukahoku, Kapaʻeli, Kaumuʻohena, and Puʻiwa (where the fighting began.)

Kamehameha’s cannon’s rained fire down on Kalanikūpule’s forces, which disorganized under the assault. From that point on, it was a running fight, a desperate rear-guard action as Oʻahu’s defenders were herded up Nuʻuanu Valley. The name of the Battle of Nuʻuanu is also referred to as Kaleleakeʻanae, which means “the leaping of the mullet fish.” With their backs to the sheer cliff of the Nuʻuanu Pali, many chose to fall to their deaths than submit to Kamehameha.

by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Dowsett Tract

Honolulu, by the end of the 19th century, was densely populated. Overcrowding and unsanitary living conditions were of great concern. In part because of the 1900 plague and the Chinatown fire, residents began moving away from the city and into the surrounding valleys, wanting to escape from the overcrowded city into the quiet and serene rural areas.

By 1890, there were already two reservoirs in place in Nuʻuanu Valley, and a third one was under construction. Plans for a fourth reservoir was underway after the 1891 drought, and construction on this reservoir began in 1905. With the area’s water system development, it supported the lifestyles of those living in the valley area. This area was one of the first on O‘ahu to be developed as a residential subdivision. It was called the Dowsett Tract, was named after the family that once owned the land.

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Walker Estate

Captain Heinrich Hackfeld was an adventurer born Germany. He was a sea captain on the China run when he sailed into Honolulu Harbor for provisions. He stayed; he and his brother-in-law Johann Carl Pflueger founded a dry goods store called H Hackfeld and Company in 1849 in Honolulu. George Rodiek was first vice president of H Hackfeld & Co; he also served as German consul in the Islands.

In 1905, Rodiek built a two-story home with a series of garden featuring ferns, rocks and orchard in Nuʻuanu. Later, the Nuʻuanu home was taken over by Henry Alexander Walker (Walker became president of American Factors in the 1930s) – American Factors shortened its name to “Amfac” in 1966. His son, Henry, turned the estate into world famous orchid gardens.

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Kaukahoku

In 1848, John George Lewis acquired 8.92-acres of land in the ili of Kaukahoku (the stars have arisen,) of open land and tropical forest about 2-miles from the city of Honolulu. (Kamehameha the Great marched through here during what would become the Battle of the Nuʻuanu in April 1795 (the last major battle before the unification of the Hawaiian Islands.))

This land was originally designated as Fort Land, probably as agricultural land. Tradition claims that Lewis built the house at Kaukahoku in 1847, modeled in the Greek Revival style. Around 1850, Lewis sold the land to John Young II (Keoni Ana.) Young gave the name Hānaiakamālama to the house. Young willed the property to his niece, Queen Emma. Queen Emma used the home as a summer house until her death in 1885.

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Taking Hawaiʻi and Oʻahu

Kamehameha was especially fortunate in securing the services of John Young and Isaac Davis, who took an active part in the campaigns of the final conquest. Captain George Vancouver observed that both Young and Davis “are in his (Kamehameha’s) most perfect confidence”.

Because of their knowledge of European warfare, Young and Davis are said to have trained Kamehameha and his men in the use of muskets and cannons. In addition, both Young and Davis fought alongside Kamehameha in his many battles. “Thus did Tamahamaah, with the help of Young and Davis, and with hardly any firearms, easily conquer this important island (Oʻahu.)”