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April 3, 2019 by Peter T Young 5 Comments

Fort Kamehameha

From 1890 to 1905, the United States undertook a massive program to modernize its coastal defenses. Known as the Endicott era; the huge construction program resulted in all the major harbors being fortified with newly designed steel guns ranging in size from 3 to 12 inches in diameter of bore and 12-inch, breech-loading mortars.

The gun emplacements were constructed with reinforced concrete and had huge earthen or sand parapets in front. Bombproof magazines were placed far underground.

In 1908 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was in the midst of constructing O‘ahu armored fortifications in accordance with the recommendations of the joint board.

These weapons were to be emplaced within new military reservations that were eventually named Forts Armstrong, Kamehameha, DeRussy and Ruger.

Established in 1909, Fort Kamehameha played an important role within a system of coastal defenses of the Army Coast Artillery Corps that served as a key component of the national defense of the United States in the early 20th century.

In a public address on June 11, 1911, Brig. Gen. M. M. Macomb (Commander, District of Hawai‘i) stated that Oʻahu would be encircled with a ring of steel, with mortar batteries at Diamond Head, big guns at Waikīkī and Pearl Harbor, and a series of emplacements from Koko Head around the island to Waianae.

Between 1911 and 1914 the Army Corps of Engineers built four batteries at Fort Kamehameha (Selfridge, Hasbrouck, Hawkins, and Jackson), adding a fifth one (Battery Closson) in 1920.

These batteries were key sections of Oahu’s “ring of steel,” which included Forts Armstrong, DeRussy and Ruger, along with Ford Island Military Reservation.

The Army fortified O‘ahu’s harbors with a system of gun emplacements employing mortars and long-range rifled guns. Although its guns are gone, the old batteries are still there.

Battery Selfridge was 500′ x 90′, the largest of the batteries. With an earth berm concealing the makai side, the massive two-story concrete structure was built to support eight 12-inch mortars (four to a pit). The 12-inch guns could send a 1,046-lb. projectile approximately 17,000 yards.

Battery Hasbrouck was a one-story concrete structure with a total area of 470′ x 100′. Battery Hasbrouck supported eight 12-inch mortars placed in quads of four per pit; each could send a projectile approximately 15,200 yards.

Battery Hawkins was located along the water at the south-eastern edge of the Fort Kamehameha. It supported two 3-inch rapid-fire rifled cannon-mounted pedestals. Each gun had a range of 11,100 yards when firing a 15-pound projectile. These guns were meant to cover the entrance to Pearl Harbor, where submarine mines would be activated in time of war.

Battery Jackson is the smallest of these coastal batteries. This single-story concrete structure includes three magazine sections, with a total area of 73′ x 86′. It supported two 6-inch rifles mounted on disappearing carriages. These breech-loaded cannon could send a 106-lb. projectile a maximum of 14,600 yards.

Battery Closson supported two 12-inch rifles mounted on barbette carriages with a 360-degree field of fire. These guns could cover all but the northern-most Oahu beaches. These guns could be fired at elevation angles up to 35 degrees, and the range of the 12-inch guns was increased to 30,100 yards (17.1 miles) firing a 975-lb. projectile.

OK, that’s the armament part of the story, but there’s more to this than early-1900s military defenses.

The land, once the site of Queen Emma’s home, contained three shallow fishponds, groves of trees and a marsh when the Army purchased it in 1907 and built the first gun battery.

Today, the area has been recognized as an historic area. In addition to the armaments, Fort Kamehameha historic area encompasses a flagpole, chapel and 33 homes built in 1916.

The bungalow style homes are in two styles, four in a large H-shaped plan and 29 in a smaller U-shaped footprint.

When you land at Honolulu International Airport, you almost always fly over Fort Kamehameha and these homes. They are an intact residential complex with a neighborhood feel of mature trees, large expanses of grass and open space, access to the waterfront, and a children’s playground.

A proposal to dispose of Fort Kamehameha is the result of a regulation that limits the uses that can occur along the flight path of runways at nearby Honolulu International Airport, which shares the runways with the Air Force and Hawai‘i Air National Guard.

While at DLNR, I had the opportunity to visit Fort Kamehameha, both the military armament sections, as well as the residential area. (At the time, I was serving as the State Historic Preservation Officer.)

I believed then, as I believe now, that this assemblage of homes needs to be preserved – they tell an important story about Hawai‘i. I think relocation and assemblage in a different area is probably the most practical. (Destruction is not.)

In 2008, Historic Hawai‘i Foundation put Fort Kamehameha on its Most Endangered Historic Sites in Hawai‘i list. I concur with their assessment. The homes were there first, before any airfield in the area.

We need to remember, the homes were built in 1916; Luke Field on Ford Island started in 1919; Honolulu International Airport (HNL) opened in March 1927 as John Rodgers Airport and Hickam Field started in 1934.

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Fort Kamehameha 12-inch railroad mortars, 1930s

Fort Kamehameha Railways Guns, 1930s

Fort Kamehameha, 1930s

Fort Kamehameha mortars, 1930s

Fort Kamehameha 8-inch railway guns, 1930s

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Fort Kamehameha 12-inch railway mortars, 1930s

Fort Kamehameha, November 2, 1932

Fort Kamehameha Landing Strip, Oahu, September 14, 1936

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Fort Kamehameha Landing Strip, Oahu, March 9, 1938

Fort Kamehameha-Map

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Fort_Kamehameha-residences_AF

April 2, 2019 by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Hāna Landing

On December 19, 1853 the Privy Council awarded a monopoly to The Hawaiian Steam Navigation Company to operate steamers inter-island. In 1860 a propeller steamer Kilauea made its appearance; however she had a checkered run due to being laid up for repairs or lack of coal on many occasions.

In November, 1868, the SS Kilauea was withdrawn and the islands were without inter-island steamer service for two years. Sailing ships in the coasting trade filled the void created by the withdrawal of the Kilauea in 1868 until she was refit and returned to service in October, 1870. (HHF)

In the mid-1870s interisland transportation consisted of one steamer and around 30 sailing schooners, sloops and other boats. During this era the sugar cane industry utilized these vessels. In 1871 Samuel G. Wilder became the agent for the government-owned SS Kilauea and started Wilder & Company in 1872. (HHF)

Competitors Wilder Steamship Co (1872) and Inter-Island Steam Navigation Co (1883) ran different routes, rather than engage in head to head competition.

Inter-Island operated the Kauaʻi and Oʻahu ports plus some on Hawaiʻi. Wilder took Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi and Maui plus Hawaiʻi ports not served by Inter-Island. Both companies stopped at Lāhainā, Māʻalaea Bay and Makena on Maui’s leeward coast. (HawaiianStamps)

Later, inter-island trade was carried almost exclusively by the Inter-Island Steam Navigation Co, the successor to the firm of Thomas R Foster & Co (the original founders of the company) and which, in 1905, acquired the Wilder Steamship Co. (Congressional Record)

“The Inter-Island Steam Navigation Co, established in 1883, own(ed) and operate(d) a fleet of first-class vessels engaged exclusively in the transportation of passengers and freight between ports on the islands of the Hawaiian group.” (Annual Report of the Governor, 1939)

Regular sailings of passenger vessels are maintained from Honolulu four times weekly to ports on the island of Hawaiʻi, four times weekly to Molokaʻi, twice weekly to Kauaʻi, three times weekly to Lānaʻi and daily, except Monday and Saturday, to ports on the island of Maui. Included in the fleet are 12 passenger and freight vessels.” (Report of the Governor, 1930)

During the 1920s, 30s, and 40s, Inter-Island Steam Navigation had the SS Haleakalā, Hualālai, Kilauea and Waiʻaleʻale. There were others that carried 12-passengers such as the SS Humuʻula, which was primarily a cattle boat.

On the Maui and Molokai Route, Wilder’s had the main service for most Maui and Molokai ports. Wilder’s steamers ran a “milk run” stopping at Molokai ports before arriving at Lahaina on the run from Honolulu.

From Lahaina, they proceeded around northern West Maui to Kahului and thence to Hāna or Kipahulu and then retraced their route stopping at various ports along northern East Maui, Kahului, Lahaina and Molokai.

The steamer route along the northern East Maui augmented the often unpredictable overland route between Hāna and Haiku. When overland service between West Maui and Wailuku/Kahului was terminated in 1888, the steamers carried all the mail from Lahaina to Kahului or other parts of Maui.

At Hāna, Maui, a series of landings, jetties, and pier had been in use since at least 1882 – the landing was located near the foot of Keawa Place.

In March 1902, the Hāna Landing was “washed away by the great storm of the first of the month.” (Pacific Commercial Advertiser, March 31, 1902)

It was replaced in 1903. “The wharf measures about sixty feet by thirty feet and has a shed of corrugated iron over the end toward the water measuring forty-nine by thirty-eight feet.”

“A wall of solid masonry was also constructed near the northeast corner of the landing to protect it against heavy surf, which in times of storm has often lined the platform from its foundations.”

“Hāna people are much pleased with the new structure. The covered wharf will make an excellent dancing pavilion, inasmuch as those who have the festivity in charge intend that the floor shall be covered with smooth tongue and groove lumber.” (Pacific Commercial Advertiser, June 29, 1903) (A July 4 luau and dance were held that year.)

But the location of the landing had its challenges. “Unusually stormy weather has been reported from Hāna this week. On Tuesday two of the Claudine’s shore boats were tossed high upon the beach at the Hāna landing by the strong surf running, but no serious damage resulted.” (Maui News, November 5, 1915)

The decision was made to replace the smaller landing with a larger pier. Original drawings were produced by the Board of Harbor Commissioners. They are dated from September 1918 to March 5, 1919, and are signed by Lyman H. Bigelow, Chairman.

The pier at Hāna Bay (also historically known as Kauiki Bay ca. 1920, and as Kapueokahi Bay ca. 1882) was completed in the first half of 1921.

When the 1921 structure was built, it was referred to as “Hāna Wharf”, not as a pier (as it is known today). Because of a manpower shortage due to the military draft for service during World War, about 60 prisoners were used to man its construction.

When the pier was constructed, sugar had been grown commercially in Hāna for about 70 years. The Kaeleku Plantation Company was then the only plantation operating in the Hāna vicinity.

Bagged sugar from the Kaeleku mill was transported to Hāna Pier via the plantation railway system. From the wharf, the bagged sugar would often be lightered to a waiting transport ship anchored a short way offshore. Between 1922 and 1945, all of Kaeleku Plantation Company’s bagged sugar was shipped out of Hāna Pier. (HHF)

It was originally a commercial harbor under the jurisdiction of HDOT. The facility was transferred to the Department of Land & Natural Resources Boating Division in the early 2000s, then conveyed back to HDOT in 2010.

Shortly after the transfer, investigations of the facility determined it was unsafe and the pier was condemned and closed. In 2016, due to safety hazards, the decision to remove the pier was made.

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Hana Landing-HHF

Hana_Landing-HHF

Hana Landing-Howard

Boat at Hana Pier-HHF

Hana_Pier-HHF

Hana Wharf-HHF

Hana Pier-HHF

April 1, 2019 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Pōhaku Kalai a Umi

“The king was over all the people; he was the supreme executive, so long, however, as he did right. His executive duties in the government were to gather the people together in time of war …”

“… to decide all important questions of state, and questions touching the life and death of the common people as well as of the chiefs and his comrades in arms. … It was his duty to consecrate the temples, to oversee the performance of religious rites in the temples (heiau)”. (Malo)

“In the majority of cases Hawaiian heiaus were either walled stone enclosures or open platform structures. They were mostly levelled and stone paved, many being of two to four terraces. All heiaus were without roof covering except as to the several small houses erected within their precincts.”

“In two instances, both of which were on the island of Oahu, at Waialua and at Honolulu, heiaus were described as having been of stick fence construction.”

“And there were also sacred places of more than local fame to which pilgrimages were made and sacrificial offerings placed on outcropping rocks on a level plain”. (Thrum)

“Umi is reported to have been a very religious king, according to the ideas of his time, for he enriched the priests, and is said to have built a number of Heiaus; though in the latter case tradition often assigns the first erection of a Heiau to a chief, when in reality he only rebuilt or repaired an ancient one on the same site.” (Fornander)

ʻUmi-a-Līloa (ʻUmi) from Waipiʻo, son of Līloa, defeated Kona chief Ehunuikaimalino and united the island of Hawai‘i. He then moved his Royal Center from Waipi‘o to Kona.

“Umi-a-Liloa was a devout king, and … (he) had two principal occupations which he undertook to do with his own hands: they are farming and fishing.”

“He built large taro patches in Waipio, and he tilled the soil in all places where he resided, and when in Kona that was his great occupation; he was noted as the husbandman king. … All the chiefs of his government were noted in cultivating the land and in fishing, and other important works which would make them independent.” (Fornander)

“It is presumed that Umi’s life passed tranquilly after his removal from Waipio; at least no wars, convulsions, or stirring events have been recorded.”

“In making his tours around the island, Umi erected several Heiaus, distinguished from the generality of Heiaus by the employment of hewn stones.” (Fornander)

“He employed workmen from all quarters to hew stones which were to serve, some say, to construct a sepulchral vault, or, according to others, a magnificent palace.” (Thrum)

“A number of hewn stones of this period – at least tradition, by calling them the Pōhaku Kalai a Umi (‘the hewn stones of Umi’), does so imply …”

“… were found scattered about the Kona coast of Hawaii, especially in the neighbourhood of Kailua, and, after the arrival of the missionaries (1820), furnished splendid material wherewith to build the first Christian church at Kailua.” (Fornander)

“(T)he stones were admirably cut. In our day the Calvanistic missionaries have employed them in building the great church at Kailua, without there being any necessity for cutting them anew.”

“It is natural to suppose that for cutting these hard and very large stones, they used tools different from those of Hawaiian origin.”

“Iron must have been known in the time of Umi, and its presence would be explained by wrecks of ships which the ocean currents might have drifted ashore.”

“It is certain that it was known long before the arrival of Captain Cook, as is also shown by a passage from an old romance: ‘O luna, o lalo, kai, o uka, o ka hao pae, ko ke lii’ (‘What is above, below the sea, the mountain, and the iron that drifts ashore, belong to the king.’)” (Thrum)

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Umi stones

Bayside_view_of_Hulihee_Palace,_prior_to_1884-portion-Umi stones in corners

Umi stones in corners of Mokuaikaua Church

Umi stones in Mokuaikaua Church

Umi stones

Pa_o_Umi-where_Umi_is_said_to_have_landed_at_Kailua-(the_little_girl_at_left_is_my_mother-next_to_her_my_grandmother)-1928

March 31, 2019 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Seeking A Vision of Hale Hālāwai as Piko of Historic Kailua Village

Over the past few months, I have been helping the Kailua Village Business Improvement District in a process for a Revitalized Vision for Hale Hālāwai.

After some individual and small focus discussions, last week we held two public meetings at Hale Hālāwai to get further input.

Dave Corrigan from Big Island Video News stopped by at one and did some interviews; you may see that here:

Hale Hālāwai translates to meeting house or gathering place.

We are seeking input to develop a community vision. “A revitalized vision of Hale Hālāwai as the piko of Historic Kailua Village will celebrate our heritage, encourage interaction between residents and promote a deeper sense of community.”

Where are we now?

Where are we going?

Where do we want to be?

How do we get there?

Hale Hālāwai has long been a community gathering place, but it had a shaky start …

The people of Kailua-Kona almost lost the only remaining public land fronting the ocean in 1938 when a resolution was passed asking “the land commissioner to consummate an exchange with the Inter-Island Steam Navigation Co., Ltd., by which an area of approximately 39 acres of land at Keauhou belonging to Inter-Island, would be traded to the county for the courthouse tract on the beach next to the Kona Inn.” (Honolulu Star-Bulletin, July 9, 1938)

Effective March 20, 1943, Governor’s Executive Order 1013 set aside the property for the Kona Court House, under the control and management of the Board of Supervisors of the County of Hawai‘i. (EO 1949) Then in the 1950s, “The alert Kona Outdoor Circle has issued a protest and a warning. It protests increased use of the old Kona courthouse site as a parking lot. And it warns that unless action is taken soon, the public may lose access to Kona beaches. There is a connection between the two.” (Honolulu Star Bulletin, March 3, 1956)

The matter was formally resolved when Governor Samuel Wilder King “ended a long controversy over future use of the 3.2-acre waterfront site with a statement at a press conference that the Territory has decided against sale or lease of the grounds.” (Honolulu Advertiser, August 25, 1955)

County Sought Site for Park Purposes

Then, the Hawai‘i County Board of Supervisors, by Resolution 255, dated November 4, 1959, requested that the area be set aside for park and recreational purposes. On May 3, 1961, Governor William F Quinn cancelled Executive Order 1013 and issued Executive Order 1949 and set aside the property “for a public purpose, namely as a Civic Center, under the control and management of the Board of Supervisors of the County of Hawai‘i.” (EO1949)

Initial thoughts for its use noted that the “conversion of the old courthouse site into a cultural center consisting of a library, auditorium and amphitheatre.” (Honolulu Star Bulletin, November 25, 1958) It was initially referred to as the “Kona Cultural Center” (sometimes Kailua Cultural Center). In 1961, the facility was well under construction and groups were already using it, even prior to its completion.

The Naming of “Hale Hālāwai”

The Kona Torch noted that in July 1962, the Kona Outdoor Circle had a “contest for naming the new Kona Cultural Center. Mrs. Grace Napaepae, the naming winner, received $25 for the name, Hale Hālāwai.”

Hale Hālāwai continues to be a community gathering place …

It was sometimes referenced as “Hale Hālāwai, a meeting house next to the Kona Inn” (Honolulu Advertiser, March 20, 1963), as well as “Hale Hālāwai, Kona’s civic center.” (Star Bulletin & Advertiser, April 21, 1963) and “Hale Hālāwai, Kona’s community center.” (Honolulu Advertiser, October 11, 1963)

It became Kona’s gathering place … “we had get-together, you see, down the Hale Hālāwai. So, they pick up the old-timers in [coffee] farming. … Everybody meet at the Hale Hālāwai.” (Katherine ‘Nina’ Kālaiwa‘a, 70, farmer; A Social History of Kona, 1981)

Others note, today, “currently there are only two areas (Hale Hālāwai and Maka‘eo [Old Airport]) in North Kona that can host large family gatherings.” (Malia Kipapa)

In thinking of the Vision for Hale Hālāwai – Think About the Future:

What do you value about Hale Hālāwai that you do not want to see changed?
What changes would you most like to see Hale Hālāwai in the future? (near-term and long-term)
What do you want Hale Hālāwai to be like in 5, 10, 20 years?

What about the existing site & facilities? Keep them? Change them (to what?) Make it all open space?

What about the existing programs and uses: Keep them? Change them (to what?) Add more (what?)

If you have ideas, we want your input. Please e-mail me at PeterYoung@Hookuleana.com

March 31, 2019 by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Wailau

“The glimpses of Molokai which one obtains from a steamer’s deck while passing to Honolulu from San Francisco or in passing to and from Maui (along its south shore,) give the impression that the island is bleak, mountainous and desolate.”

“Skirting its (north) shores on the Hālawa, Wailua and Pelekunu sides on Wilder’s fine steamer Likelike, gives a far different picture. For miles sheer precipices rise from the sea and tower 1,500 feet into the air.”

“Now and then, and sometimes in groups, beautiful waterfalls are seen on the face of the cliff, now falling in clear view for a couple of hundred feet, now hidden under denses masses of foliage, only to reappear further down, another silvery link in the watery thread which ends In a splash and scintillating mist in the breakers below.” (Hawaiian Gazette, March 31, 1905)

“Early the next morning, with a pleasant breeze from the NE, we stood over towards the east point of Mororoi (Molokai.) … we sailed to the westward … In this the land rises rather abruptly from the sea, towards the lofty mountains in the center of the east part of Morotoi …”

“… and though the acclivity was great, yet the face of the country, diversified by eminences and vallies, bore a verdant and fertile appearance. It seemed to be well inhabited, in a high state of cultivation, and presented not only a rich but a romantic prospect.” (Captain George Vancouver, March 19, 1793)

The windward valleys developed into areas of intensive irrigated taro cultivation and seasonal migrations took place to stock up on fish and precious salt for the rest of the year. Kalaupapa was well known for its bountiful ʻuala (sweet potato) crops and its fine-grained, white salt which was preferred over that from the salt ponds of Kawela and Kaunakakai. (Strazar)

The large windward valleys – Pelekunu, Wailau and Halawa – and Papalaua, along with all of Kalaupapa comprise the old Hawaiian Koʻolau Moku (district) of Molokai.

Wailau Valley (“many waters” – the largest along the coast) on Molokai’s North Shore has some interesting history.

The sea cliffs that surround Wailau on the island’s north shore were formed by the ‘Wailau Slide,’ in which a portion of the volcano collapsed into the ocean, leaving a swath of debris strewn across the ocean floor.

The sea cliffs represent the scar left by the collapse and Wailau and the other windward valleys were cut into the scar after the slide.

The Kalaupapa Peninsula, in north central Molokai, was formed later by volcanic rejuvenation.

Molokai’s North Shore Cliffs were designated a National Natural Landmark in December 1972. The Landmark includes 27,100 acres located along 17 miles of the northeast coast between Hālawa and Kalaupapa.

Four major valleys span the coastline, from Hālawa (at the east end of the island of Molokai) westward toward Kalaupapa: from east to west they are Pāpalaua, Wailau, Pelekunu and Waikolu.

This area is accessible by boat and trails into the valleys; there are no roads through North Shore Molokai.

Wailau is made up of a smaller broad valley on the east and a deeper valley on the west, with two major streams flowing down through them – Kahawai‘iki Stream and Wailau Stream.

The Wailau stream, which runs the entire length of the valley, is said to have received its name “because it began in many brooks that flowed from the palis on every side.”

Wailau was a major area of taro production from the pre-contact era until the 1930s, when the valley was abandoned due to a combination of factors, including flooding and unfavorable economic conditions.

A series of intact lo‘i, or taro terraces, forms an agricultural system distributed across almost the entire valley.

There are extensive terraces in the seaward lowlands and back in the lower valleys of streams. Approximately 80 acres were planted in taro. The banks of the numerous taro patches in the lowlands can still be seen from the air.

They say Wailau also has high terracing of valley sides comparable to that on the Napali coast of Kaua‘i.

The cliffs just beyond Pāpalaua Valley are home to Kahiwa Falls, the longest waterfall in the state (over 1,700-feet.) (Lots of the information and images come from reports by Windy K McElroy.)

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Wailau (Windy K McElroy)

Wailau

Wailau (Windy K McElroy)