Images of Old Hawaiʻi

by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Pālolo

Waikīkī (“water spurting from many sources”) ahupuaʻa lies between Honolulu (from the west side of Makiki Valley) and Maunalua (the east side of Wailupe) – essentially from Piʻikoi Street to the ʻĀina Haina/Niu Valley boundary.

Three main valleys Makiki, Mānoa, and Pālolo are mauka of Waikīkī and through them their respective streams (and springs in Mānoa (Punahou and Kānewai)) watered the marshland below.

As they entered the flat Waikīkī Plain (and merge and separate,) the names of the streams changed; the Mānoa became the Kālia and the Pālolo became the Pāhoa (they joined near Hamohamo (now an area mauka of the Kapahulu Library.))

While at the upper elevations, the streams have the ahupuaʻa names, at lower elevations, after merging/dividing, they have different names, as they enter the ocean, Pi‘inaio, ‘Āpuakēhau and Kuekaunahi.

The Pi‘inaio (Makiki) entered the sea at Kālia (near what is now Fort DeRussy as a wide delta (kahawai.))  The ‘Āpuakēhau (Mānoa and Kālia,) also called the Muliwai o Kawehewehe (“the stream that opens the way” on some maps,) emptied in the ocean at Helumoa (between the Royal Hawaiian and Moana Hotels.)

The Kuekaunahi (Pālolo) once emptied into the sea at Hamohamo (near the intersection of ‘Ōhua and Kalākaua Avenues.)  The land between these three streams was called Waikolu, meaning “three waters.”

Pālolo valley, within the ahupuaʻa of Waikīkī, has ʻili for kalo (taro loʻi) and forest products that benefitted other portions of the ahupuaʻa (such as ʻĀina Haina, Wailupe, Niu and areas near the beach) – they are essentially ʻili lele (jumping ʻili) that provide these resource lands (wetland for kalo and mauka forest lands) to the other areas of the ahupuaʻa that do not have them.

According to legend, Kākuhihewa, Māʻilikūkahi’s descendent six generations later, encountered the supernatural rooster, “Kaʻauhelemoa” who flew from Pālolo valley and landed at Waikīkī to challenge Kākuhihewa by scratching the ground.  The place was then named “Helumoa” which means “chicken scratch.”

Kākuhihewa felt that the appearance of the supernatural rooster was an omen, so he planted a grove of trees, which later multiplied into an estimated 10,000-coconut trees (this is the area in and around the Sheraton Waikīkī hotel.)

Fast forward a few centuries.

Pālolo Valley was once home to a golf course, rock quarry, two dairies and, during World War II, an airfield.

Pālolo Elementary School first opened its doors in September 1921 under the leadership of Principal William Kekepa. Its first buildings were converted military barracks and the school was next to a golf course.

Opened in 1931, the nine-hole Pālolo course was first one open to the masses (the Islands’ first course, Moanalua Valley course, opened in 1898; Oʻahu Country Club opened in 1906, Waiʻalae in 1928.)  Later, that golf course was turned into a public housing project that is now Pālolo Valley Homes.

A May 1941 article in the Honolulu Advertiser titled “Army Maps Areas to Be Evacuated in Event of Emergency” informed civilians that 86,000-persons living in Honolulu resided in danger zones, and that half would have to evacuate in the event of a war.  (Johnson)

The Pālolo evacuation camp, which the Office of Civilian Defense had erected in case of another Japanese attack, was later turned over to the Hawaiʻi Housing Authority (HHA) and converted into wartime public housing for several hundred families.  (HHF)

Additional shelters for evacuees were built in Pālolo; however, they were “held in readiness for evacuees in connection with (another) attack.”  The Pālolo Valley Camp never accommodated Islanders displaced after the initial attack on December 7. A memorandum written in February 1942 confirmed that Pālolo remained unoccupied.

The HHA also developed public housing.  Members of a Congressional subcommittee, which came to investigate Honolulu’s housing situation (in Pālolo and elsewhere) in March 1945, learned of “hot bed apartments” where as many as eighteen men occupied one room in three shifts.

With the conclusion of World War II, the Pālolo School Camp was closed as they were deemed unsatisfactory for occupancy.  The Pālolo Evacuation Camp adjacent to the 362-unit emergency housing project in Pālolo remained in operation.

Pālolo provided post-war housing opportunities; a three-bedroom home in 1950 cost about $11,500.  In 1955, the Pālolo Golf Course was replaced by Jarrett Middle School and the Pālolo Valley District Park.  More housing was also provided.

Jarrett Middle School was established in 1955. The school was named in honor of William Paul Jarrett (1877-1929,) who was a delegate to the US Congress when Hawaiʻi was a Territory. Mr Jarrett gained national and international recognition for his efforts as a humanitarian.

After it closed in 1951, the rock quarry became a 200-home residential subdivision and the airfield was developed into Pālolo Valley Housing.  (Shellabarger)  (Lots of information here from Green and Johnson.)

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Traffic

The first known signal device for regulating street traffic was installed in 1868 in London, at the intersection of George and Bridge Streets near the Houses of Parliament.

The signal had two semaphore arms which, when extended horizontally, meant “stop”; and when drooped at a 45-degree angle, meant “caution.”  At night, red and green gas lights accompanied the “stop” and “caution” positions.

Back in the 1860s (pre-car,) there were still lots of movement on the roads, with animal ridden and driven means.

“By the signal ‘caution,’ all persons in charge of vehicles and horses are warned to pass over the crossing with care and due regard to the safety of foot passengers.”

“The signal ‘stop’ will only be displayed when it is necessary that vehicles and horses shall be actually stopped on each side of the crossing, to allow the passage of persons on foot; notice being thus given to all persons in charge of vehicles and horses to stop clear of the crossing.”  (Proclamation of Richard Mayne, London Police Commissioner, in 1868; Lay)

(At the time, these weren’t set up to handle cars (on January 29, 1886, Carl Benz applied for a patent for his “vehicle powered by a gas engine.” The patent – number 37435 – may be regarded as the birth certificate of the automobile. (Daimler))

Those were the horse and buggy days and traffic in big cities was often heavy. Police officers had to be stationed full time directing traffic at busy intersections.  By 1899, the motor vehicle traffic was a negligible factor in highway traffic.  (Eno, 1939)

That changed.

Spurring a boom, in 1903, Henry Ford officially opened the Ford Motor Company and five years later released the first Model T.  In 1907, Henry Ford announced his goal for the Ford Motor Company: to create “a motor car for the great multitude.”  (pbs)

Additional innovative techniques were incorporated and, on December 1, 1913, the Fords large-scale assembly line was officially in working order.

Ford’s 1914 production rate of 308,162 eclipsed the number of cars produced by all other automobile manufacturers combined.

With the coming of automobiles, the road situation got even worse. These, added to the people, rails, horse-drawn and others started the automobile traffic nightmare that continues today.

In response, “The American Traffic Signal Co turned over to the City of Cleveland on August 5th, the first set of traffic signals, which were installed at East 105th Street and Euclid Avenue. Hon. AA Benesch, Director of Public Safety, placed the signals in operation at five pm, at which time the traffic at that point near the entrance to Wade Park is extremely heavy.  (The Motorist, August 1914)

“The opening of what promises to be a revolutionary method in handling traffic was witnessed by other city officials, members of the ‘Safety First’ committee, officers of the Chamber of Commerce, Automobile Club, insurance men, newspaper representatives, railway officials, and other invited guests of the city.”

“All were unanimous in their endorsement of the system, which consists of eight high candle power lights, four red and four green.”  (The Motorist, August 1914)

The installation was patterned after the design of Cleveland inventor James Hoge; thus started the “Red light means ‘STOP’ and green light means ‘PROCEED.’  The Cleveland included a bell to warn the drivers of color changes.

Police Officer William L. Potts of Detroit, Michigan, adapted railroad signals for street use.  He took the red, amber and green railroad lights and the world’s first 4-way three color traffic light. It was installed in 1920 on the corner of Michigan Avenue and Woodward (Fort Street) in Detroit.  Within a year, Detroit had installed a total of fifteen of the new automatic lights.

Interconnected signals were first used in Salt Lake City in 1917. The first progressive system was proposed in 1922. The first actuated signals were installed in New Haven, East Norwalk and Baltimore in 1928.

The first automobiles appeared on the streets of Honolulu on October 8, 1899, the date on which both Henry P Baldwin and Edward D Tenney took possession of their newly arrived vehicles (both described as Wood electrics.)  (Schmitt)

In the Islands, traffic was growing, as well, as reported in 1900 newspaper article, “It has been estimated that 3,594 vehicles pass the intersection at Fort and Queen Streets from 7 am to 5 pm. ….”  (Pacific Commercial Advertiser, August 3, 1900; Schmitt)

The “first gas-engined automobile complete with steering wheel and tonneau,” acquired by C. M. Cooke in 1904, and the Honolulu Automobile Club later adopted this date for the “first real automobile” in the Islands.  (Schmitt)

The first traffic lights in the Islands were installed at the intersection of Nuʻuanu Avenue and Beretania Street, Honolulu; an overhead signal was put into operation February 19, 1936.

On February 24 the overhead lights were “replaced by side bracket lights, flashing the green go and red stop light from a post at each corner.” The new lights were “operated by the flow of traffic itself.”  (Schmitt)

The first parking meters in Hawaii were those installed by the Hawaiʻi Aeronautics Commission in the parking lot at Honolulu International Airport in August 1951.

One-hundred and one of these meters required one cent for 12 minutes or five cents an hour.  The Honolulu central business district did not have on-street parking meters until February 1, 1952.

The earliest public off-street parking facility operated by the City and County of Honolulu was one opened at Beretania and Smith Streets on December 19, 1952.  (Schmitt)

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by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Royal Hawaiian Band

The “King’s Band” had its beginning in 1836, it continues today; founded by King Kamehameha III, it became a staple of daily life by performing for state occasions, funerals and marching in parades.

The band accompanied reigning monarchs on frequent trips to the neighbor islands and brought their music to remote destinations of the kingdom such as Kalaupapa on the island of Molokai.

In 1848, Band members signed contracts to serve, noting they “agree to serve under the orders of William Merseburgh, the captain appointed by His Majesty … (and) to meet from time to time for the purpose of practicing and improvement in instrumental music.”

“We agree to play for the king and for the other officers of the government whenever called on by our captain for such reasonable compensation as he shall award, not less than one dollar nor more than three dollars per man for any time not to exceed one day.”  (Hawaiian Star, September 22, 1906)

In the 1880s, the Royal Hawaiian Band played concerts twice a week in Queen Emma Square.  “One of our pleasant diversions was to go to and hear Captain Berger’s band play at Emma Square every Saturday afternoon.  … we all went and sat in the carriage just outside the park.  There was usually a crowd there, as it was very popular.”  (Sutherland Journal)

When the Provisional Government under Sanford B Dole in the wake of the Overthrow demanded a loyalty oath of all employees, the musicians of the Royal Hawaiian Band, renamed Government Band, refused to do so, an act of courage celebrated in Ellen Prendergast’s “Mele ‘ai  pohaku” (The Stone Eating Song,) also known as “Kaulana nā pua” (“Famous are the Flowers (Children.”)  (RoyalHawaiianBand)

The bandmembers then organized into the “Pana Lāhui Hawaiʻi”, “The Hawaiian National Band”, which under the leadership of José Liborno went to the United States to drum up support for the Queen and for Hawaiʻi’s continuing independence. (RoyalHawaiianBand)

One notable bandmaster was Heinrich (Henri or Henry) Berger.  He came from Prussia at the request of Kamehameha V, who asked Emperor Wilhelm I to send a conductor.  On June 3, 1872, Berger arrived in Honolulu on board the steamer “Mohongo” and one week later conducted his first public concerts.

It took him just two months to receive this accolade from the “Pacific Commercial Advertiser”: “The Band, under the able direction of Mr. Berger, has resumed the practice initiated two years ago by the band of the Austrian frigate Donau…”

“The neighborhood of Emma Square looked quite lively for an hour or so on Thursday afternoon where lots of people in carriages and on foot had assembled to hear the really fine sounds of the ‘Hawaiian Military Band.’”

“As was remarked by one of the Honolulu delegation in the Assembly when the appropriation for the support of the military was under discussion: ‘The band is by far the best part of the army.’”  (Atlantic Times)

After four years, Berger returned to Germany, had himself released from his duties in the Prussian military and then came back to Hawaiʻi for good. He gave 32,000 concerts, composed 250 Hawaiian songs, some of which are still being sung around the world, and 1,000 other tunes.

He wrote down indigenous hymns that had until then only been passed on orally. And on Sundays, taking turns with his friend, Queen Liliʻuokalani; he played the organ in Kawaiahaʻo Church. Lili’uokalani was a formidable composer in her own right. Her song, “Aloha ‘Oe” (Farewell to Thee), became world-famous. Berger had arranged it for her.

During the Second Wilcox Rebellion of 1895, Berger had to find new, mostly non-Hawaiian musicians.  He was commanded by the now Republic of Hawaiʻi to give concerts in order to soothe the agitated mood of the citizenry.

As the twentieth century rolled around, things began to normalize, at least on the surface. The Band regained its former royal name and would perpetuate cherished traditions close to the hearts not only of many Hawaiians but of a good number of locals and visitors alike. (RoyalHawaiianBand)

The Royal Hawaiian Band was a cornerstone of the monarch and the essence of music of Hawaiʻi’s monarchy and continues the tradition of keeping Hawaiian marches and band arrangements alive by including several of these compositions among its repertoire.  (AssociationOfHawaiianCivicClubs)

During its long history, band leaders included an escaped American slave, a Portuguese, a New Zealander, a Prussian and a German from Weimar.  (SI-edu)

Today, the Royal Hawaiian Band is an agency of the City and County of Honolulu and is the only full-time municipal band in the United States.  The Band is made up of 40 full-time positions and functions as a concert band, a marching band and a glee club ensemble.

The band performs and marches in over 300 concerts and parades each year including: city, state and military functions; schools, community centers, shopping malls, retirement communities, graduations and private events. Weekly public performances are held on Fridays at ʻIolani Palace and Sundays at the Kapiʻolani Park Bandstand.

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by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Nāhuku

Nāhuku (the protuberances) is a lava cave, or more commonly called a lava tube.

Lava tubes are natural conduits through which lava travels beneath the surface of a lava flow. Tubes form by the crusting over of lava channels and pāhoehoe flows.  When the supply of lava stops at the end of an eruption or lava is diverted elsewhere, lava in the tube system drains downslope and leaves partially empty conduits beneath the ground.  (USGS)

One of the most photographed lava tubes is Nāhuku in the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.  It was found in 1913 by Lorrin Andrews Thurston (July 31, 1858 – May 11, 1931,) a local newspaper publisher, a lawyer, politician and businessman.

Thurston was born and raised in the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi, grandson of the first Christian missionaries to Hawaiʻi. He played a prominent role in the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom that replaced Queen Liliʻuokalani with the Republic of Hawaiʻi.

But this story is about a cave in Volcano, not politics.

Thurston first visited Kīlauea in 1879 at the age of 21 with Louis von Tempsky.  Thurston wrote that “we hired horses in Hilo and rode to the volcano, from about eight o’clock in the morning to five in the afternoon.”  (NPS)

Ten years later Thurston’s first mark upon the Volcano landscape appeared. In 1889, using his position as Minister of the Interior, he oversaw the construction of an improved carriage road from Hilo to Volcano.

The road was completed in 1894 allowing four-horse stages to transport visitors from Hilo to Volcano in seven hours. This feat would greatly increase the number of people able to view the volcano at Kīlauea.  (NPS)

The cave/lava tube he later found is also known as Keanakakina (Cave of Thurston – keana meaning cave and kakina the Hawaiian name for Thurston.)

“On Aug. 2nd a large party headed by LA Thurston explored the lava tube in the twin Craters recently discovered by Lorrin Thurston, Jr. Two ladders lashed together gave comparatively easy access to the tube and the whole party, including several ladies, climbed up.”

“No other human beings had been in the tube, as was evidenced by the perfect condition of the numerous stalactites and stalagmites. Dr. Jaggar estimated the length of the tube as slightly over 1900 feet. It runs northeasterly from the crater and at the end pinches down until the floor and roof come together…”  (Thayer, Kempe)

Thurston and George Lycurgus (Uncle George) were instrumental in getting the volcano recognized as Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.  Starting in 1906, the two were working to have the Mauna Loa and Kilauea Volcanoes area so designated.  In 1912, geologist Thomas Augustus Jaggar arrived to investigate and joined their effort.

Jaggar had tried to lead several expeditions to the top of Mauna Loa in 1914 but was unsuccessful due to the elevation (13,678 feet) and the harsh conditions: rough lava, violent winds, noxious fumes, shifting weather, extreme temperatures and a lack of shelter, water and food.  (Takara)

On August 1, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed the country’s 13th National Park into existence – Hawaiʻi National Park.  At first, the park consisted of only the summits of Kīlauea and Mauna Loa on Hawaiʻi and Haleakalā on Maui.

Eventually, Kīlauea Caldera was added to the park, followed by the forests of Mauna Loa, the Kaʻū Desert, the rain forest of Olaʻa and the Kalapana archaeological area of the Puna/Kaʻū Historic District.

On, July 1, 1961, Hawaiʻi National Park’s units were separated and re-designated as Haleakalā National Park and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

OK, back to Nāhuku.

This 500-year old, 600-foot long (with ceilings between 10 and 30-feet) lava tube is accessed via a short trail down, through and around back to the starting point (overall, it’s about 1/3-mile and takes about 20-30-minutes.)  (The lava tube available for viewing is about 600-feet, the actual tube is approximately 1,500-feet.)

It is one of the very few readily-accessible lava caves/tubes for folks to see in Hawaiʻi.  The cave has two openings used as an entrance/exit for the trail. The primary entrance is reached via a bridge.  The cave/tube is lit with electric lights and has a flat rock floor.

The main entrance of the cave is near the top of the side wall of a closed depression. Its location is close to the margin of the Kilauea Iki section of the present-day Kilauea caldera-crater complex. This closed depression has the Hawaiian name Kaluaiki.  (Halliday)  The other entrance is a ceiling hole, caused by roof collapse much after the cave had cooled.  (Kempe)

Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park is worth seeing, and a stop at Nāhuku (Thurston Lava Tube) is worth making, even if you have seen it a million times before.  Enjoy this and other day hikes in the Park.

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French Invasion of Honolulu

In 1846, a treaty had been concluded with France, eliminating the harsh terms of the treaty of 1839. This produced an exceedingly friendly feeling toward France.

However, in 1848, Consul Dudoit retired from the French consulship and William Patrice Dillon was appointed in his place.  Later, things got worse.

The French Invasion of Honolulu (also known as the Sacking of Honolulu, or the Tromelin Affair) was an attack on Honolulu by Louis Tromelin for the persecution of Catholics and repression on French trade.

On August 12, 1849, French admiral Louis Tromelin arrived in Honolulu Harbor on the corvette Gassendi with the frigate La Poursuivante.  Upon arrival, de Tromelin met with French Consul Dillon.

Dillon immediately initiated a systematic and irritating interference in the internal affairs of the Kingdom, arising largely out of personal hostility to RC Wyllie, minister of foreign affairs, picking flaws and making matters of extended diplomatic correspondence over circumstances of trifling importance.

This continued until the French Admiral Tromelin arrived, and after a conference with Dillon the celebrated “ten demands” were formulated and presented to the Hawaiian Government with the commanding request for immediate action.

The ten demands:

  1. The complete and loyal adoption of the treaty of March 26th 1846.
  2. The reduction of the duty on French brandy to fifty per cent ad valorem.
  3. The subjection of Catholic schools to the direction of the chief of the French Mission and to special inspectors not Protestants and a treatment rigorously equal granted to the two worships and to their schools.
  4. The use of the French language in all business intercourse between French citizens and the Hawaiian Government.
  5. The withdrawal of the (alleged) exception by which French whalers which imported wine and spirits were affected and the abrogation of a regulation which obliged vessels laden with liquors to pay the custom house officers placed on board to superintend their loading and unloading.
  6. The return of all duties collected by virtue of the regulation the withdrawal of which was demanded by the fifth article.
  7. The return of a fine of twenty-five dollars paid by the whale ship ‘General Teste’ besides an indemnity of sixty dollars for the time that she was detained in port.
  8. The punishment of certain school boys whose impious conduct (in church) had occasioned complaint.
  9. The removal of the governor of Hawaii for allowing the domicile of a priest to be violated (by police officers who entered it to make an arrest) or the order that the governor make reparation to that missionary.
  10. The payment to a French hotel keeper of the damages committed in his house by sailors from HBM’s (His Britannic Majesty’s) ship ‘Amphitrite.’  (Alexander)

The Hawaiian Government was allowed three days in which to make a satisfactory reply to these demands.  If they were not acceded to, the admiral threatened to cancel the existing treaty, and to “employ the means at his disposal to obtain a complete reparation.”

Sensing disaster, King Kamehameha III issued orders: “Make no resistance if the French fire on the town, land under arms, or take possession of the Fort; but keep the flag flying ’till the French take it down. … Strict orders to all native inhabitants to offer no insult to any French officer, soldier or sailor, or afford them any pretext whatever for acts of violence.”

On August 25, the demands had not been met.

About noon of the 25th, a firm but courteous reply was sent to the admiral, declaring that the Hawaiian government had faithfully observed the treaty of 1846; that the existing duty on brandy was so far from being “an absolute prohibition” that the importation of French brandy had greatly increased under it …”

“… that rigorous equality in the treatment of different forms of worship was already provided for, but that public schools supported by government funds should not be placed under the direction of any mission, whether Catholic or Protestant; and that the adoption of the French language in business was not required by the treaty or by international law, and was impracticable in the state of the islands.

The Hawaiian government offered to refer any dispute to the mediation of a neutral power, and informed the admiral that no resistance would be made to the force at his disposal, and that in any event the persons and property of French residents would be scrupulously guarded.

After a second warning of the impending invasion, 140-French Marines, two field pieces and scaling ladders were landed by boat, which were met with no opposition and Tromelin’s troops took possession of an empty fort.

The invaders also took possession of the customhouse and other government buildings, and seized the king’s yacht, together with seven merchant vessels in port.

But the Admiral was careful not to lower the Hawaiian flag.

The marines broke the coastal guns, threw kegs of powder into the harbor and destroyed all the other weapons they found (mainly muskets and ammunition).

They raided government buildings and general property in Honolulu, including destruction of furniture, calabashes and ornaments in the governor’s house.  After these raids, the invasion force withdrew to the fort.

On the 30th, the admiral issued a proclamation, declaring that by way of “reprisal” the fort had been dismantled, and the king’s yacht, “Kamehameha III,” confiscated (and then sailed to Tahiti,) but that private property would be restored. He also declared the treaty of 1846 to be annulled, and replaced by the Laplace Convention of 1839. This last act, however, was promptly disavowed by the French Government.

He sailed away with the understanding that the King would send an agent to France to settle the difficulties.

In 1850, the Hawaiian government instructed commissioners JJ Jarves and GP Judd to demand an indemnity of $100,060 on account of the seizure of the Kamehameha and damage wrought by de Tromelin’s forces.

But for the consideration of a loss of face, the indemnity would have been paid. Instead, a compromise was decided upon. To Consul Perrin, successor of Dillon, the Minister of Foreign Affairs wrote:
“There is no need to tell you that indemnities are out of question. The word itself should be avoided: however, the Prince-President … wishes that … in his name, you put in the hands of King Kamehameha a very costly present.”

The present turned out to be an elaborate silverware table service. Today, the heavy, ornate silver service sent to Kamehameha III by Louis Napoleon of France is the formal tableware of the Governor of Hawaiʻi in Washington Place.

The image shows Fort Kekuanohu, Fort Honolulu in a drawing by Emmert in 1853 (this is to show a representation of the fort – this was not drawn during the occupancy by the French.)  (The inspiration and information here is primarily from reports in the Hawaiʻi Journal of History through UH-Mānoa.)

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