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August 2, 2025 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Pipi Chute

In the middle 1800s, ranching became a significant economic engine in the Hawaiian Islands. On Lānai, Mānele Landing served as the port of call for ships picking up cattle, sheep and goats; and also in service of passengers and freight.

Ranching was the primary commercial enterprise on Lānai between 1860 to 1922. Initial activities focused on goats and sheep, but by the early 1900s cattle had become the primary stock.

To ship the cattle (in Hawaiian, pipi) to Honolulu, the animals were driven down to Mānele, held in pens, and then loaded on interisland steamers.

“They used to send cattle out, and then the Inter-island Steam [Navigation] Company’s boat, you know, freighters, used to come in, take those cattle to Honolulu, O’ahu, anyway.” (Fusako Nishimura Uchimura, UHM Oral History)

“In the early 1900s there were not as many wharves as there are today, and it was in few places that stock could be loaded onto the vessels through chutes as is more general now. The steamer would be anchored out from the shore and a heavy line run to some attachment on the land.”

“A boat was then tied to this shoreline and held in deep water. The cattle would be in a corral above high water or were driven out into the water and kept there by the surrounding cowboys.”

“On Lānai the corral was at Mānele at the top of a wide beach separating it from the sea. A lasso was thrown over the horns of one of the animals in the corral, the other end held by a man on horseback, and it was herded out and down the beach following the horse.”

“The animal’s efforts to escape brought it into the water as the horse headed for the boat. When within reach, just as the led animal lost its footing and the horse was reaching for the bottom with its hind feet the cowboy threw the rope to the men in the boat who would then throw another rope back to him.”

“The boat, with several beasts securely tied to the thwarts on each side, would be towed back to the steamer. Slings were adjusted to the animals and in turn they were hoisted to the deck and tied along the sides.”

“In fine weather this worked out well, but when rough it was risky, and sometimes cattle were injured or drowned. … so we devised a portable chute in sections, for bringing the stock to the water’s edge. The sections were drawn up when not in use. This was a great improvement, but we were not yet satisfied.”

“A corral was then built at the top of a low cliff overlooking a small tidal shelf with fairly deep water close to it. A chute was run out to above the edge of the tidal shelf close to deep water and supported there by posts.”

“Into this another chute was telescoped which, when run out over the water, reached to the deck of the steamer. By using a calf led down the chute, the large cattle were induced to follow, and the loading was done in a few minutes.”

“The calf was brought ashore ready for the next shipment. The steamer then pulled out, and the cattle were tied up as she proceeded on her way.”

“Even with this method, the work could still prove more or less harassing with changes of weather. After the Hawaiian Pineapple Company built the Kaumalapau Harbor and wharf, the cattle were shipped from the wharf through a chute. The pen and chutes were movable and, when not in use, kept out of the way of other work.” (Munro:105)

“I think more in the ‘20s, maybe, that’s when they built that chute. That thing was really something. You know they’d lead the calf down. The cows all follow the calf, they go right onto the ship.”

“But one time that thing broke, the cattle fell in the water. Some died; some, you see them swim. I didn’t know they could swim, they good swimmers. The cows, yeah.” (Violet Keahikoe Gay, UHM Oral History)

“They put the chute down onto the deck of the ship, and the ship would be going [i.e., bobbing] up and down, and the cattle would be bawling their heads off, and they’d have to be prodded to go down this chute to get onto the deck of the ship.” (Jean Forbes Adams, UHM Oral History)

“When I came over here, they had the chute and they had down. When too rough, the boat no can go by the side [of the chute], so they go by the sand side, everybody go swim. Over there, they rope ‘em and drag ‘em inside the water.” (Ernest S. Richardson, UHM Oral History)

After Kaumālapa’u harbor was built, “they still used Manele and the chute … Probably, since that was all built there. Yeah, Kaumalapau was strictly for pineapple shipping.” (Jean Forbes Adams, UHM Oral History)

With construction of the chute, the pipi could be driven along the cliffs to the chute and walked across the water onto the waiting boat. In addition to the “Pipi Chute,” a series of mortar salt making beds were built on the shore of the landing in the 1930s.

In May 1943, the salt making beds were moved to the cliffs. On the south side of the boat harbor were the salt beds and an old fence line that contained cattle as they were being driven down the chute for shipping to Honolulu. The salt beds were periodically filled with salt water, which evaporated and provided fresh sea salt for drying meat and treating hides.

On rough days, when the steamers couldn’t safely draw along the Mānele cliff side, cattle were driven into the ocean at Hulopo’e Beach. They were then tied up to a launch, which took them out to the steamer, and hoisted onto the boat for transport. Typically, anywhere from 30 to 70 cattle from Lānai were shipped in one trip.

By 1918, Charles Gay and family began experiments in planting pineapple on Lānai in the uplands near what would become Lānai City. Once harvested, the fruits would be taken by truck down to Mānele Landing via a stone and dirt trail that was almost impassable.

The crop was then loaded onto a small boat and transferred to Maui for canning. It was a difficult trip which caused the loss of much of the fruit, due to bruising. However, as a result of the Gay family’s success, James Dole’s Hawaiian Pineapple Company knew that the crop could be grown, and in 1922 Dole purchased almost the entire island of Lānai.

And the rest, as they say, “is history.”

© 2025 Ho‘okuleana LLC

Filed Under: Economy, Prominent People Tagged With: Hawaii, Lanai, George Munro, Manele, Lanai Ranch, Pipi Chute, Cattle Chute

August 1, 2025 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Swastikas … to Waikiki Surf-Boards

Founded in 1908 by William Butte, Pacific Ready-cut Homes, later Pacific System Homes, made ’kit’ homes.

They were considered one of the largest mass producers of pre-cut houses in the US; over the course of about 30-years, they delivered approximately 40,000-homes.

In the 1920s, working class people aspired to the “good life” of home and auto ownership and Pacific System was there to provide the little California bungalow that they were dreaming of. (AntiqueHome)

When the Stock Market crashed in October of 1929, Butte’s son Meyers was at Stanford and training for the Olympics in wrestling. Sales of homes were slow; the economic crash forced Meyers to come home and get involved with the family business.

When Meyers came on board, he convinced the family that manufacturing surfboards would be a good way to diversify the business. He began to change a small part of the production of Pacific System to surfboards.

Pacific System was one of the first companies to produce commercial surfboards.

Back then, boards were made of single pieces of redwood – and weighed about 100-lbs.

The first Pacific System boards were like the rest at Waikiki Beach – finless, single-slab redwood planks.

Recognizing the solid planks were too heavy, they looked for other options.

To lighten the load, Pacific System started making laminated surfboards; the big break came when they found a water-proof glue that would hold the slabs of wood used in board construction together. (Gault-Williams)

The new, lighter boards were constructed from glued and doweled balsa and redwood strips. They were 10 to 12-feet in length, 20-inches wide and a few inches thick (and weighed closer to 50-lbs.)

At first, the company logo was a swastika on the deck; the boards became known as ‘Swastika’ models.

“The Swastika boards were droolers,” shaper Dale Velzy is quoted as saying. “Everybody had homemades or hand-me-downs, so people really wanted a Pacific System.” (Velzy; Gault-Williams)

Although most boards continued to be custom made by surfers themselves, for the period leading into World War II, Swastikas became the most widely-used production board. (Gaul-Williams)

With the rise of Nazi Germany later in the decade, in about 1938, the swastika name and logos were dropped and the boards became known as ‘Waikiki Surf-Boards.’ (Motil)

Pacific System employed a number of well-known surfers, including Pete Peterson and Lorrin ‘Whitey’ Harrison. (They were the first of the hardcore California surfers to surf Waikiki.) (SurfMuseum)

“All ‘Waikiki’ boards are precision built with modern up-to-date machinery for a life-time of service in the world’s largest home-building plant.”

“The woods are specially selected. The Balsa wood is hand-sorted from finest imported stocks, scientifically kilned, laminated and cabinet finished by expert craftsmen under the personal direction of a professional surf-board aqualist.” (Pacific System Ad)

According to Butte’s son, his father took “great pride in the fact that he had pioneered the making of light surfboards.”

Pacific System models were popular and demand grew; they were shipping 60-boards a month to Hawaiʻi. (Marcus)

Pacific System Homes, as a Butte family enterprise, soon changed; although Pacific System still sold ready-cut houses throughout the thirties, homebuilding did not really recover until after World War II. (Flynn; Gault-William)

Founder/father William Butte died in 1936; sons Meyers and Robert ran the business for a while, then sold the company in 1942 and enlisted in the military. (Flynn; Gault-Williams)

© 2025 Hoʻokuleana LLC

Filed Under: Hawaiian Traditions, Economy Tagged With: Hawaii, Surfing, Surf

July 31, 2025 by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Kahalaopuna

Hanohano wale noʻoe
E ke anuenue o Mānoa
Ku kamahaʻo ʻo Kahalaopuna
Pua lei a ka ua me ka makani

Famous is the story of
The Rainbow Goddess of Mānoa
Kahalaopuna, the sacred one
Born of the wind and the rain
(Cabral, Boyd & Makuakane)

During the days of Kākuhihewa, ruling chief of O‘ahu from about 1640 to 1660, Kahaukani ((K) Mānoa wind) and Kaʻaukuahine ((W) Mānoa rain) were brother and sister twins.

When the children were grown up, their foster parents decided they should be united; they were married and Kahalaopuna was born to them – a uniting of the Mānoa wind and rain. She is deemed of semi-supernatural descent.

A house was built for her in a grove of sandalwood trees at Kahaiamano (some say the home was at Kahoiwai) on the way to Waiakeakua, where she lived with a few devoted servants. The house was embowered in vines and two poloulou (tabu staves) were kept standing beside the entrance (to indicate that they guarded from intrusion a person of high rank.)

Kahalaopuna “was so beautiful that a rainbow followed her wherever she went.” “Her cheeks were so red and her face so bright that a glow emanated therefrom which shone through the thatch of her house when she was in.

A rosy light seemed to envelop the house, and bright rays seemed to play over it constantly. When she went to bathe in the spring below her house, the rays of light surrounded her like a halo.”

She was betrothed in childhood to Kauhi, a young chief of Kailua.

When she was grown to young womanhood, she was so exquisitely beautiful that the people of the valley would make visits to the outer puloulou at the sacred precinct of Luaʻalaea, the land adjoining Kahaiamano, just to get a glimpse of the beauty.

Two men, Kumauna and Keawaʻa, had never seen Kahalaopuna, but they fell in love with her from the stories told of her. They would weave and deck themselves lei of maile, ginger and ferns and go bathing at Waikīkī and boast of their conquest of the famous beauty.

When the surf was up, it would attract people from all parts of the island. Kauhi, the betrothed of Kahalaopuna, was one of these. The time set for his marriage to Kahalaopuna was drawing near, and as yet he had not seen her, when he heard the assertions of the two men.

“How strange indeed was the behavior of your intended wife, Kahalaopuna! She went dancing two nights now, and on each night had a separate lover.”

Kauhi eventually believed them and he went into a jealous rage, stating he would kill Kahalaopuna.

He took her to the back of the valley; Kauhi struck her across the temple with a heavy bunch of hala nuts. The blow killed the girl instantly, and Kauhi hastily dug a hole under the side of the rock and buried her; then he started down the valley toward Waikiki.

As soon as he was gone, a large pueo (owl – a god and a relative of Kahalaopuna) immediately started digging out the body and restored life back to Kahalaopuna.

Kauhi then took Kahalaopuna to the ridge between Mānoa Valley and Nuʻuanu and killed her again. The owl, again, scratched her out and revived her. This was repeated again and again at Nuʻuanu and then in Kalihi. Finally, at Pōhākea, on the ʻEwa slope of Mount Kaʻala, he killed her again; this time the owl was not able to free and revive her and the owl left.

There had been another witness to Kauhi’s cruelties, ʻElepaio, a little green bird (a cousin to Kahalaopuna.) As soon as this bird saw that the owl had deserted the body of Kahalaopuna, it flew straight to her parent, Kahaukani and Kauakuahine, and told them all that had happened.

There was disbelief that anyone in his senses, including Kauhi, could be guilty of such cruelty to such a lovely, innocent being, and one, too, belonging entirely to himself.

In the meantime, the spirit of Kahalaopuna discovered itself to a party who were passing by; and one of them, a young man, moved with compassion, went to the tree indicated by the spirit, and, removing the dirt and roots, found the body.

He wrapped it in his kihei (shoulder scarf), and then covered it entirely with maile, ferns and ginger, and carried it to his home at Mōʻiliʻili. There, he submitted the body to his elder brother, who called upon two spirit sisters of theirs, with whose aid they finally succeeded in restoring her to life. They kept her last resurrection secret.

Kauhi was caught and subjected to a test. He lost and he and the two false accusers are put to death. His spirit, however, enters a man-eating shark, which lurks along the coast until it catches the girl out sea-bathing and finally consumes her body so that resuscitation is impossible.

Kumauna and Keawaʻa were, through the power of their family gods, transformed into the mountain peaks on the eastern side of Mānoa Valley.

Just above Puʻu o Manoa (Rocky Hill at the top of Punahou School) is another hill known as Puʻu Pueo. This was where the Owl God, Pueo, resided.

Today, you can still find the spirit of Kahalaopuna (the Princess of Mānoa) in the ānuenue (rainbows) spanning Mānoa Valley. (Information here is from Nakuina, Beckwith, Fornander, Thrum, Westervelt and Kalākaua.)

© 2025 Hoʻokuleana LLC

Waterfalls-back of Manoa-BM
Waterfalls-back of Manoa-BM
Surfing-Waikiki
Surfing-Waikiki
'Rainbow_above_Taro_Patch_in_Manoa_Valley'_by_D._Howard_Hitchcock,_1910
‘Rainbow_above_Taro_Patch_in_Manoa_Valley’_by_D._Howard_Hitchcock,_1910
Pueo
Pueo
manoa-rainbow
manoa-rainbow
Manoa_valley-BM
Manoa_valley-BM
Manoa_Valley-Baldwin-(DAGS)-Reg1068-1882-Google_Earth-Kaohiwai noted
Manoa_Valley-Baldwin-(DAGS)-Reg1068-1882-Google_Earth-Kaohiwai noted
Manoa_Valley-1935
Manoa_Valley-1935
Manoa_Valley_from_Waikiki,_oil_on_canvas_by_Enoch_Wood_Perry_Jr.-1860s
Manoa_Valley_from_Waikiki,_oil_on_canvas_by_Enoch_Wood_Perry_Jr.-1860s
Kahalaopuna - Manoa-Google Earth
Kahalaopuna – Manoa-Google Earth
Eastern Side of Manoa-Valley-from-Round-Top-Drive
Eastern Side of Manoa-Valley-from-Round-Top-Drive
Back of Manoa Valley
Back of Manoa Valley

Filed Under: Hawaiian Traditions, Place Names Tagged With: Hawaii, Oahu, Manoa, Kahalaopuna

July 30, 2025 by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Moʻikeha

Eia Hawai‘i, he moku, he kanaka
He kanaka Hawai‘i, e …
O Moʻikeha ka lani nana e noho
Noho kuʻu lani ia Hawai‘i – a …
Moʻikeha, the chief.

Behold Hawai‘i, an island, a man
A man is Hawaiʻi …
Moʻikeha is the chief who will live there
My chief shall dwell in Hawai‘i …
Moʻikeha, the chief.

By the time European explorers entered the Pacific in the 15th century almost all of the habitable islands had been settled for hundreds of years and oral traditions told of explorations, migrations and travels across this immense watery world.

Double-hulled canoes were seaworthy enough to make voyages of over 2,000-miles along the longest sea roads of Polynesia, like the one between Hawai‘i and Tahiti.

And though these canoes had less carrying capacity than the broad-beamed ships of the European explorers, the Polynesian canoes were faster: one of Captain Cook’s crew estimated a canoe could sail “three miles to our two.” (Kawaharada)

The motivations of the voyagers varied. Some left to explore the world or to seek adventure. Others departed to find new land or new resources because of growing populations or prolonged droughts and other ecological disasters in their homelands.

Within the sphere of known islands, others sailed to wage war or seek vengeance, to escape political persecution or unhappy love affairs, to find a wife or visit relatives, or to obtain prized objects, like red feathers, not available at home.

Whatever the motivation for voyaging, the challenge was always the same – the huge, trackless expanses of sun-heated saltwater capable of generating fierce winds and battering waves.

The challenge was met again and again by Pacific island voyagers, long before sailors in other parts of the world ventured beyond the coastlines of continents or inland seas and lakes. (PVS)

Born at Waipi‘o on the island of Hawai‘i, Moʻikeha sailed to Kahiki (Tahiti), the home of his grandfather Maweke, after a disastrous flood. (Cultural Surveys)

Moʻikeha was an aliʻi nui (high chief) from Moa‘ulanuiakea, Tahiti, where he lived with his wife Kapo. They had a child named Laʻamaikahiki.

Moʻikeha became infatuated with Luʻukia, but she created some domestic difficulties; Moʻikeha directed his foster-son Kamahualele to ready a double-hulled canoe to go to Hawaiʻi.

Moʻikeha planned to take his sisters, Makapuʻu and Makaʻaoa, his two younger brothers, Kumukahi and Haʻehaʻe, his priest Moʻokini, and his prominent men (na kanaka koikoi) – navigators (ho‘okele), favorite priests (kahuna punahele) and his lookouts (kiu nana,) who would spy out land.

Early one morning at dawn, at the rise of the navigation star (ka hoku ho‘okelewa‘a; possibly Sirius), Moʻikeha boarded his double-hulled canoe with his fellow voyagers (hoa holo), and left Tahiti.

After the canoe landed at Hilo, Kumukahi and Haʻehaʻe were charmed by the land and told Moʻikeha they wanted to remain there, so Moʻikeha let them off the canoe.

Soon after, Moʻikeha set sail from Hilo, passing along the north coast of Hawai‘i until he arrived at Kohala. Moʻokini and Kaluawilinau wanted to reside at Kohala, so Mōʻīkeha put them ashore there.

He sailed on to the east coast of Maui and landed at Hāna. Honua‘ula wanted to reside there, so he was allowed to remain behind. Moʻikeha sailed on.

Moʻikeha and his people continued on their journey. Arriving at O‘ahu, Mo‘ikeha’s sisters Makapu‘u and Makaaoa said: “We wish to reside here, where we can see the cloud drifts of Tahiti.” So Makapu‘u and Makaaoa were allowed to remain on O‘ahu.

Moʻikeha left O‘ahu and sailed to Kauai, landing at Wailua. The canoe was brought ashore and the travellers got off. Meanwhile the locals were gathering in a crowd to go surf-riding at Ka-makaiwa. Among them were the two daughters of the ali‘i nui of Kauai, Ho‘oipoikamalanai and Hinauʻu.

When the two sisters saw Moʻikeha, they immediately fell in love with him, and they decided to take him for their husband; Moʻikeha was also struck. Their father approved.

Kila, Moʻikeha’s favorite of three sons by the Kauai chiefess Ho‘oipoikamalanai, was born at Kapaʻa and was said to be the most handsome man on the island. It was Kila who was sent by his father back to Kahiki to slay his old enemies and retrieve a foster son, the high chief La‘amaikahiki.

Moʻikeha settled at Kapaʻa Kauai as ruling chief of the island. Upon his death, Kila, his son, became ruling chief of Kauai. (McGregor) After Moʻikeha’s death, his corpse was taken to the cliffs of Haʻena where it was deposited.

After returning to Tahiti, then sailing again to Hawaiʻi, Laʻamaikahiki set sail again, going up the Kona coast of Hawaiʻi Island. It was on this visit that Laʻamaikahiki introduced hula dancing, accompanied by the drum, to Hawaiʻi. (Bentley)

“To Kauai from far-off Kahiki came Laʻa to see his father Moʻikeha. With him came the first drum ever seen in these islands. La’amaikahiki landed at a small canoe landing called Ahukini, a little south of Hanamaulu bay and the present ahukini landing. His drum was taken to the heiau of Ka Lae o Ka Manu at Wailua.” (Hula Historical Perspectives)

Laʻamaikahiki lived on Kauai for a while. Then he moved to Kahikinui on Maui (the place was named for Laʻamaikahiki’s homeland, in honor of him.) As the place was too windy, however, Laʻamaikahiki left for the west coast of the island of Kahoʻolawe, where he lived until he finally returned to Tahiti.

Because Laʻamaikahiki lived on Kahoʻolawe and set sail for home from that island, the ocean to the west of Kahoʻolawe is called Kealaikahiki, “The Road to Tahiti.”

Laʻamaikahiki took his brother Kila and the bones of their father to Tahiti with him. The bones were to be deposited in the mountain of Kapaahu, Tahiti. Laʻamaikahiki and Kila also lived there until their death. Little more was heard about these two brothers. (Lots of information here is from PVS, Cultural Surveys and Fornander.)

© 2025 Hoʻokuleana LLC

Moikeha_the_Voyaging_King-(HerbKane)
Moikeha_the_Voyaging_King-(HerbKane)

Filed Under: Ali'i / Chiefs / Governance, Hawaiian Traditions Tagged With: Moikeha, Hawaii, Kauai, Kapaa, Alii

July 29, 2025 by Peter T Young 2 Comments

John Rudolph Slattery

During the American Revolution, George Washington appointed the first engineer officers of the Army on June 16, 1775; in 1779 Congress created a separate Corps of Engineers.

At the end of the Revolutionary War, the engineers mustered out of service. In 1794, Congress organized a Corps of Artillerists and Engineers, but it was not until March 16, 1802 that it reestablished a separate Corps of Engineers (the Corps’ continuous existence dates from then.)

At the same time, Congress established a new military academy and gave the engineers responsibility for founding and operating the US Military Academy at West Point, New York. During the first half of the 19th-century, West Point was the major and for a while, the only engineering school in the country.

John Rudolph Slattery graduated fifth in his class at West Point Class in 1900. He was appointed to the Academy by Charles P Taft, brother of President William Howard Taft.

Typical for a new engineer officer, after graduation, Slattery was assigned to the Philippines to work on bridges and roads. Within a couple of years he was living and working in Honolulu.

Before Slattery’s arrival in the islands, the Army engineer presence included work from engineer officer Maj. William C Langfitt who led a force of American soldiers, including the Third Battalion of US Volunteer Engineers, which established itself at Camp McKinley in 1898. Before leaving in 1899, Langfitt drew up a defense plan for Pearl Harbor.

In 1901 the chief of engineers, with the War Department’s approval, established a board of engineer and artillery officers to study Oʻahu’s defense requirements. The board also recommended that Pearl Harbor be given first priority for the construction of seacoast fortifications, but included some defenses for Honolulu Harbor.

While the Corps of Engineers was planning the seacoast defenses of Oahu, it also received a request from local authorities in Hawaiʻi to establish harbor lines in Honolulu harbor (Harbor lines regulate where piers and other structures can be built.) Likewise, channels and other harbor space needed dredging.

While planning for fortifications, laying out harbor lines and dredging were important, when US Senate subcommittee members surveying the needs of the new territory could not enter Honolulu harbor at night because the ship’s captain could not distinguish navigation lights from the Honolulu city lights, the federal government launched a large new lighthouse construction program for the islands.

The Pacific lighthouse district engineer sent Slattery to Hawaiʻi in 1904 to supervise the construction. The US government appropriated funds for acquiring land in Hawaii to be used as sites for coastal fortifications.

By August 1904, Slattery was also tasked with preparing a project for the improvement of Honolulu Harbor. His plans to widen and deepen both the harbor and its entrance were submitted by that December and the project was both approved and funded in March 1905.

On April 15, 1905, Slattery opened the first Honolulu Engineer District office in the Alexander Young Building on Bishop Street – this marked the birthdate of the Honolulu Engineering District for the Army Corps.

Slattery’s duties were divided between land acquisition and lighthouse matters. Several lasting legacies of his work remain in the Islands.

Slattery negotiated the purchase of land in Waikiki for the establishment of Fort DeRussy. Battery Randolph within Fort DeRussy was built between 1909 and 1911 and gained international, national, state and local significance at a time when British, French, Russian, German and even the Japanese had ships in the Pacific, and were expressing interest in Hawai‘i.

The Army mission in Hawai‘i was defined as “the defense of Pearl Harbor Naval Base against damage from naval or aerial bombardment or by enemy sympathizers and attack by enemy expeditionary force or forces, supported or unsupported by an enemy fleet or fleets.”

Slattery prepared the design for Makapuʻu Lighthouse. Makapuʻu (meaning bulging eye) Point is the extreme southeastern point of the island of Oʻahu. To the east of it is the Ka‘iwi Channel, which passes between the islands of Oʻahu and Molokaʻi.

For years, there was no light on the entire northern coast of the Hawaiian Islands to guide ships or warn them as they approach those islands. Essentially, all the commerce from the west coast of North America bound to Honolulu passes Makapuʻu Lighthouse.

On October 1, 1909, the light from another bright, bulging eye was seen on the rocky point of Makapuʻu as the giant lens in the Makapuʻu lighthouse was illuminated for the first time.

Just before Slattery’s arrival, the War Department, a board of Army officers, recommended establishment of the principal infantry post at Kahauiki.

Construction started in 1905 at what was first called Kahauiki Military Reservation. It was later named Fort Shafter and was Hawaiʻi’s first permanent US military installation. (Camp McKinley remained in existence until Fort Shafter was opened.)

First, they started construction of officers’ quarters and battalion barracks around Palm Circle, as well as support facilities on and near Funston Road.

Slattery helped Fort Shafter become a major anti-aircraft installation. In addition, a number of military fortifications for Oahu’s defense were built including Pearl Harbor, Forts Ruger, Armstrong, Weaver, Barrette and Kamehameha as well as Batteries Randolph, Williston, Hatch, Dudley and Harlow.

The District also began improvements to Hilo Harbor with construction of the breakwater in September 1908. In 1910, the breakwater at Kahului Harbor was extended.

Slattery eventually retired as a Colonel in 1925 and became the Deputy Chief Engineer of the Board of Transportation, in charge of such projects as the tunnels to Queens and Staten Island and the New York Central Railroad.

Slattery was married to Elizabeth B Slattery on February 22, 1905; they had one child, Nathaniel B Slattery. John R Slattery, born in Athens, Ohio, on January 31, 1877, died on September 23, 1932 at the age of 55.

In April 1962, the Army Corps of Engineers completed the Lt John R Slattery Bridge, the two-lane bascule bridge connecting Sand Island to Oʻahu in Honolulu Harbor. (It originally was a draw bridge, originally designed to be raised and lowered to allow boat traffic to pass underneath.)

In the late-1980s, though, the state permanently sealed the metal bridge and built a new concrete bridge alongside, creating four lanes to accommodate the growing traffic on and off the island.

© 2025 Hoʻokuleana LLC

John R Slattery
John R Slattery
John R Slattery Bridge-Access to Sand Island-(ArmyCorps)
John R Slattery Bridge-Access to Sand Island-(ArmyCorps)
PalmCircle_USAMH34_l-1913
PalmCircle_USAMH34_l-1913
Quarters5_USAMH70_l-Completed in 1909, Quarters 5 originally served as the Post Commander’s quarters-1916
Quarters5_USAMH70_l-Completed in 1909, Quarters 5 originally served as the Post Commander’s quarters-1916
CentPlaza_FP_03_l-Flagpole in Palm Circle-(photo_between-1908-1912)
CentPlaza_FP_03_l-Flagpole in Palm Circle-(photo_between-1908-1912)
Makapuʻu_Lighthouse
Makapuʻu_Lighthouse
Lighthouse Keeper John Sweeney-1934
Lighthouse Keeper John Sweeney-1934
Honolulu_Waterfront-1905
Honolulu_Waterfront-1905
Boats_in_Honolulu_Harbor-1900
Boats_in_Honolulu_Harbor-1900
Kewalo_to_Waikiki-Dredged_Channels_Parallel_to_Shore-(Army_Museum)-1938
Kewalo_to_Waikiki-Dredged_Channels_Parallel_to_Shore-(Army_Museum)-1938
Fort DeRussy is nearly complete - area north (right) is still generally undeveloped-Battery Dudley in lower center-CoastDefenseJourna)-1919
Fort DeRussy is nearly complete – area north (right) is still generally undeveloped-Battery Dudley in lower center-CoastDefenseJourna)-1919
Battery_Randolph-Fort_DeRussy-(army-mil)
Battery_Randolph-Fort_DeRussy-(army-mil)
Honolulu_Harbor-USACE-Slattery-Map-1906
Honolulu_Harbor-USACE-Slattery-Map-1906
Honolulu_Harbor-early-lighthouse
Honolulu_Harbor-early-lighthouse
Honolulu Harbor Light Station-(left)
Honolulu Harbor Light Station-(left)
Honolulu_Harbor_in_1900
Honolulu_Harbor_in_1900
Hilo-Breakwater-(WC)
Hilo-Breakwater-(WC)
Hilo_Breakwater-stones-(DMY)
Hilo_Breakwater-stones-(DMY)
Hilo_Breakwater-Map-USACE
Hilo_Breakwater-Map-USACE
Alexander Young Hotel-early 1900s
Alexander Young Hotel-early 1900s

Filed Under: Military Tagged With: Hawaii, Hilo, Fort Shafter, Makapuu Lighthouse, Army Corps of Engineers, John Rudolph Slattery, Fort Derussey

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Images of Old Hawaiʻi

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