Hawaii | Images of Old Hawaiʻi

January 30, 2026 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Grace Stevens

John Stevens, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States, on “January 4 took passage for Hilo and the volcano on the U. S. S. Boston for the benefit of the health of himself and of his daughter …”

“… it being also desirable that the town of the second importance in the islands should have this attention at the time the Boston was making a visit to Hawaii, the chief island in the group.” (Stevens to Foster, Jan 18, 1893)

“The USS Boston arrived on Thursday morning with the American Minister, His Ex John L Stevens and daughter on board. As party is composed of Mr Stevens, daughter, and a number of officers of the vessel left on Friday morning for the volcano for a visit of three or four days.” (PCA, Jan 12, 1893)

“While many are familiar with the public tragedy of the overthrow of Queen Lili’uokalani, far fewer know of the private, personal misfortune that affected the fami[y] … of the key United States participants in the events of January 17, 1893.”

“The public actions of John Leavitt Stevens, American minister… especially during the establishment of a U.S. Protectorate over the Provisional Government, helped assure the success of the revolution that toppled the Kingdom of Hawai’i.” (Kam)

“Amidst the national turmoil, personal calamity would strike the American minister less than two weeks after the overthrow.”

“On January 30, 1893, Grace Louise Stevens, the thirty-seven-year-old daughter of John L. Stevens, and Mary Lowell Stevens (née Smith), drowned off Kūka‘iau Landing at Hāmākua, Hawai’i, while trying to board an inter-island steamer to return to O’ahu.” (Kam)

“Miss Stevens had during January visited the Volcano with her father”. John Stevens returned to Honolulu on January 14; Grace remained behind for a period of rest and “to visit friends in the beautiful district of Hamakua.”

“Hearing of the revolution in Honolulu, and of her father’s need of her wonted aid as his private secretary, she hastened to his help, heroically encountering the somewhat perilous, yet rarely disastrous transit from the precipice to the ship, in order to expedite her coming.”

“On the night when the terrible blow fell upon his household, the Minister was deeply engrossed in preparing for the morning’s mail his final despatches to his government respecting the revolution, and the raising of the American flag to take place the next morning by heroic effort of will, grief was postponed for duty, and the dispatches were completed.” (The Friend, March 1893)

Kūka‘iau Landing “consists of a twenty-ton derrick on a staging 20 feet above water at the foot of the bluff, and an incline cable railway to a second landing 195 feet above the sea.”

“This incline cable railway is on a 52 degree uniform slope, and consists of double tracks with 2 cars or car elevators, the top of which are tracked, connected by cable-one going up while the other goes down; the derrick and cable railway being operated by steam.”

“About 1,500 to 2,000 tons of merchandise, and about 100,000 feet of lumber per year are handled over this landing besides the sugar output of Kukaiau. This landing is seldom used for mail or passengers ….”

“About three Inter-Island steamers call at this landing each month at irregular intervals, the sugar being shipped to Honolulu.” (1910 ‘Report of the Commission Appointed to Investigate Private Wharves and Landings.’)

Grace “had been safely lowered into the boat of the Kinau, which had also pushed out towards the ship, but owing to a misunderstanding turned back. A heavy roller capsized the boat, which was shattered upon the rocks.”

“The native mate, a powerful man, seized Miss Stevens, but a second roller tore her from his grasp and hung her against the rocks. A second boat came in and rescued the live natives, who were good swimmers, and recovered the body of the unfortunate lady.” (The Friend, March 1893)

Following the incident, Stevens, “the other day presented the native boat steerer [Kumahoa] of the SS Kinau who heroically tried to save the late Miss Stevens, with a purse of $100. The Wilder’s SS Co also showed their appreciation of the noble conduct of their faithful employee by presenting him with $50.: (Hawaiian Gazette, Feb 21, 1893)

An investigation of Grace’s death by Deputy Sheriff George H. Williams included the facts that “the landing was ‘somewhat’ rough, but not dangerously so, if the boat contained a smart crew” and that “Mrs. Albert Horner was informed by Telephone that the party or parties using the landing would take their own chances.”

The testimony of Robert Horner, assistant manager of the landing, noted that the last time his father arrived at the landing it “was considerably rougher, and yet considered safe for landing.” (Kam)

“The funeral of Miss Grace Stevens, eldest daughter of Hon. J.L. Stevens, U.S. Minister Plenipotentiary, was attended at 4 p.m. yesterday at her parents’ residence in Nuuanu avenue.”

“There was a large gathering of ladies among whom Miss Stevens’ social gifts and graces had won for her a large share of affection and respect. …”

“Many were the heart felt expressions of sympathy for the bereaved family, and in fact the whole community is touched with a fellow-feeling of sorrow at the sudden death of one who had so graciously sustained the social amenities of her position in the American Ministers household.” (Pacific Commercial Advertiser, Feb 3, 1893)

January 29, 2026 by Peter T Young 3 Comments

Kapihe’s Prophecy

“When Kamehameha I was ruler over only Hawaii Island, and not all of the islands were his, and while the eating kapu was still enforced, and while he was living in Kohala, Kona, Hawaii, it was there that a certain man lived named Kapihe (also called Kamaloihi) and his god was called Kaonohiokala.” (Hoku o ka Pakipika, March 20, 1862)

“This man named Kapihe went before Kamehameha I and before the alii of Kona, and he said …”

E hui ana na aina
E iho mai ana ko ka lani
E pii aku ana ko lalo nei
E iho mai ana ke Akua ilalo nei
E kamailio kamailio pu ana me kanaka
E pii mai ana o wekea dek iluna
E ohi aku ana o Milu ilalo
E noho pu ana ke Akua me kanaka

The lands shall be united
What is heaven’s shall descend
What is earth’s shall ascend
God shall descend
And converse with mankind
Wakea shall ascend up above
Milu shall descend below
God shall live with mankind
(Kapihe; Velasco)

Spoken about three years before Christian missionaries arrived in the Hawaiian Islands with bibles and scriptures, the prophecy of Kapihe seemed to foretell the abolishment of the kapu and transformation to Christianity and westernization.

“The chiefs and commoners were astounded at these shocking words spoken by Kapihe, and they called him crazy. This perhaps is the truth, for some of his predictions came true and others were denied.” (Hoku o ka Pakipika, March 20, 1862)

“(I)t might be thought that Kapihe’s was a riddle and the land would not literally join together … Perhaps his words were not his alone, but from God.”

“Maybe … it was of Kapihe, the prophet of Hawaii; God gave the words for his mouth to speak, and Kapihe spoke what God of the heavens gave to us. And the nations of man joined as one, from America, and the other inhabited lands, they are here together with us. And the souls of the righteous are the same up above.”

“The alii of whom Kapihe predicted was Kamehameha I, who was victorious over Maui and Oahu, and Kauai was left, and his grandchildren now rule over his Kingdom. This is the nature of Kapihe’s words. (Kauakoiawe, Hoku o ka Pakipika, March 20, 1862)

The last High Priest under the old religion, Hewahewa, served as kahuna for both Kamehameha I and Liholiho (Kamehameha II.)

“He could not have known that, although the missionaries set sail on October 23rd (1819,) one day before the Makahiki began, they would take six months to arrive. Therefore, it was quite prophetic that, when he saw the missionaries’ ship off in the distance, he announced ‘The new God is coming.’ One must wonder how Hewahewa knew that this was the ship.” (Kikawa)

There were seven American couples sent by the ABCFM to convert the Hawaiians to Christianity in the Pioneer Company, led by Hiram Bingham.) The Prudential Committee of the ABCFM in giving instructions to the pioneers of 1819 said: “Your mission is a mission of mercy, and your work is to be wholly a labor of love”

“Your views are not to be limited to a low, narrow scale, but you are to open your hearts wide, and set your marks high. You are to aim at nothing short of covering these islands with fruitful fields, and pleasant dwellings and schools and churches, and of Christian civilization.” (The Friend)

By the time the Pioneer Company arrived, Kamehameha I had died and the centuries-old kapu system had been abolished; through the actions of King Kamehameha II (Liholiho,) with encouragement by former Queens Kaʻahumanu and Keōpūolani (Liholiho’s mother,) the Hawaiian people had already dismantled their heiau and had rejected their religious beliefs.

In 1820, the American missionaries arrived at Kailua (Kona) Hawai`i. Hewahewa expressed “much satisfaction in meeting with a brother priest from America”, the Reverend Hiram Bingham.

Hewahewa, the highest religious expert of the kingdom, participated in the first discussions between missionaries and chiefs. He welcomed the new god as a hopeful solution to the current problems of Hawaiians and understood the Christian message largely in traditional terms. He envisioned a Hawaiian Christian community led by the land’s own religious experts. (Charlot)

“Hewahewa … expressed most unexpectedly his gratification on meeting us … On our being introduced to (Liholiho,) he, with a smile, gave us the customary ‘Aloha.’”

“As ambassadors of the King of Heaven … we made to him the offer of the Gospel of eternal life, and proposed to teach him and his people the written, life-giving Word of the God of Heaven. … and asked permission to settle in his country, for the purpose of teaching the nation Christianity, literature and the arts.” (Bingham)

Within a few years, “a number of serious men putting off their heathen habits, and willing to be known as seekers of the great salvation, and as, in some sense, pledged to one another to abstain from immoralities and to follow the teachings of the Word of God, united in an association for prayer and improvement similar to that formed by the females a month earlier.” (Bingham)

Hewahewa became a devout Christian and composed a prayer which antedated the use of The Lord’s Prayer in Hawaiʻi. In part, it spoke of ‘Jehovah, a visitor from the skies’ thus putting a name to the god whom Kapihe, before him, had predicted as “god will be in the heavens”. (HMHOF)

The image shows Hiram Bingham preaching to Queen Kaʻahumanu and other Hawaiians at Waimea, Oʻahu, home of Hewahewa.

January 27, 2026 by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Plundered

“Kalākaua’s crown has been robbed of its jewels. The theft was discovered on Monday morning when James Robertson turned over some property to the Government.”

“Ever since the monarchy was overthrown Robertson has been custodian of the Palace and everything was in his charge. The other day the Government decided to dispense with his services and his successor was appointed.”

“The dismissed custodian was ordered to turn over all property in his possession to his successor, and while doing so the robbery of the jewels was discovered.”

“The details of the sensational affair were hard to obtain and they are as follows:”

“Two Crowns, one formerly worn by the late King Kalākaua and the other by his wife, Kapiʻolani, were encased in a handsome plush box.”

“They were kept in a vault at Bishop & Co.’s bank for a long time, but eventually the coronets were turned over to the Chamberlain at the Palace. Whether they were first handed to George Macfarlane or to Robertson it could not be learned last evening.”

“When the jewels reached the place they were placed in a sole-leather trunk, where they remained for an indefinite time. The trunk was kept constantly locked, and for safekeeping it was deposited in the Chamberlain’s office, which is situated on the basement floor of the Palace.”

“When the trunk was brought forth on Monday it was found that the lock had been broken. The box containing the coronets had been opened and Kalākaua’s crown had been robbed of its ornaments. All that was left of it was the velvet cap.”

“The crown was nearly oval in shape, and was ornamented with a Maltese cross at the apex and brilliantly studded with diamonds and other precious stones, and on either side were gold kalo leaves. In the center of the cross was a large diamond about the size of a ten cent piece. It was taken along with a number of other smaller precious stones.”

“The Chamberlain’s office was searched, and some of the filigree work was found in a small closet.”

“Nobody knows who the thief is, but from a hurried examination made on the day the robbery was discovered, it is almost a certainty that it occurred during the old regime and not since the Provisional Government has been established.”

“The most curious portion of the affair is that the crown worn by Kapiʻolani was untouched and nothing else in the trunk was disturbed.”

“It is a strange coincidence.”

“It will be remembered by old residents that the crowns were made in London at a cost of $5000 each. They were worn by Kalākaua and Kapiʻolani on February 12, 1883, when the late king was crowned.”

“At the time the taxpayers of this country strenuously objected to the expenses of the coronation exercises, but their objections carried no weight and the expensive festivities went on.”

“Marshal Hitchcock will take up the case on his return from Hawaii today, and as there is a faint clue to the identity of the thieves he may be fortunate enough to capture them. (Pacific Commercial Advertiser, April 5, 1893)

George Ryan (an alias, he reportedly is really known as Preston Horner) was sentenced to a “three year term for the larceny of the crown jewels, with an additional sentence of six months imposed as a check to his jail break proclivities.”

“He escaped July 27, 1893, while awaiting trial, but was recaptured the same day. Ryan is a noted ‘crook’ and a smooth talker.”

“At his trial, be conducted his own case. He boasts of his sharpness and his ability to mislead one, and claims to be an escaped convict from the Oregon State Penitentiary. He has time and again bragged of his ability to break jail, and says that the Oahu prison is not strong enough to hold him.” (Hawaiian Gazette, March 16, 1894)

“He was pardoned by the Executive Council last year (1898) and left the prison on December 31. After leaving jail Ryan went to Hawaii. He worked a while for CVE Dove, the surveyor. The job was irksome, however, and he decided to go to Manila.”

“He stowed away on one of the transports here early in March and reached the Philippines on the 27th of that month.” (Hawaiian Star, May 22, 1899) Disguised as a soldier, Horner was murdered in Malolos, Philippines in 1899.

(A February 11, 1894 Chicago Tribune story notes his sister, Hattie McGinnis, notes his name as Preston Horner; George Ryan was his alias.)

While a few of the precious stones were recovered (including some Horner sent to his sister,) Kalākaua’s crown was repaired in 1925 with artificial gemstones.

January 26, 2026 by Peter T Young 2 Comments

Naupaka

Naupaka kahakai (naupaka by the sea) is one of the most, if not the most, widely used of all native plants for commercial and residential landscapes in Hawaiʻi.

They can be planted in practically every form of landscape, from beach parks, along roads and highways, commercial lots, and anywhere else requiring low maintenance and xeric needs.

Plants can be used as an informal hedge, a tall filler to occupy “dead” space, as border planting, or as a windbreak against prevailing sea breeze. (hawaii-edu)

Naupaka kuahiwi (in the mountains) is a mid to high elevation plant for the landscape. People often plant coastal naupaka kahakai on the makai side of the house and naupaka kuahiwi on the mauka side.

A couple stories speak of naupaka.

It is said that two lovers, greatly devoted to each other, came to the attention of the Goddess Pele who had found out that the young man appeared to him as a stranger.

But no matter what Pele did the lovers had always remained devoted to each other. Angered, Pele chased the young man into the mountains, throwing molten lava at him.

Pele’s sisters witnessed this and to save the young man from a certain death they changed him into the mountain Naupaka.

Pele immediately went after the young woman and chased her towards the sea – but again Pele’s sisters stepped in and changed the young lover into beach Naupaka.

It is said that if the mountain Naupaka and beach Naupaka flowers are reunited, the two young lovers will be together again. (ksbe)

In another story, Naupaka was a beautiful princess who fell in love with a commoner named Kaui.

“But Kaui is not of noble birth—he is a commoner.” According to Hawaiian tradition, it was strictly forbidden for members of royalty to marry people from the common ranks.

Distressed, Naupaka and Kaui traveled long and far, seeking a solution to their dilemma. They climbed up a mountain to see a kahuna who was staying at a heiau (temple). Alas, he had no clear answer for the young lovers. “There is nothing I can do,” he told them, “but you should pray. Pray at this heiau.”

So they did. And as they prayed, rain began to fall. Their hearts torn by sorrow, Naupaka and Kaui embraced for a final time.

Then Naupaka took a flower from her ear and tore it in half, giving one half to Kaui. “The gods won’t allow us to be together,” she said. “You go live down by the water, while I will stay up here in the mountains.”

As the two lovers separated, the naupaka plants that grew nearby saw how sad they were. The very next day, they began to bloom in only half flowers.

There are different versions of the naupaka legend, but all carry the same unhappy theme: lovers that are separated forever, one banished to the mountains, the other to the beach. (hawaii-edu)

Today you may notice the Naupaka flowers bloom in halves. It is said that when the flower from the mountain (Naupaka Kuahiwi) joins the seashore Naupaka (Naupaka Kahakai), both Hawaiian lovers are together once again. (hawaii-aloha)

January 25, 2026 by Peter T Young 2 Comments

Fred Harvey Company

The rapid growth of railroads after the Civil War was both a response to an existing need and an attempt to meet the challenge of future development. The frontier was pushing across the Kansas plains. (Snell)

Cyrus K Holliday took concrete steps toward the building of a railroad to the west as early as 1859; he has been credited with inaugurating the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe (Santa Fe) railroad system.

“The said company is hereby authorized and empowered to survey, locate, construct, complete, alter, maintain and operate a railroad, with one or more tracks, from or near Atchison, on the Missouri River, in Kansas Territory, to the town of Topeka, in Kansas Territory, and to such a point on the southern or western boundary of said Territory, in the direction of Santa Fe, in the Territory of New Mexico”. (AT&SF Charter; Snell)

After getting to Santa Fe, New Mexico, the rail reached Needles, California in 1883 and would later reach all the way to Los Angeles in 1885 with a connection to San Francisco by 1900.

Frederick Henry Harvey was born on June 27, 1835 to Charles and Helen Manning Harvey, he lived in Liverpool, England with his family until they immigrated to the United States in 1850.

He first worked as a dishwasher with Smith and McNeill Café in New York for just $2 per day. He moved to New Orleans; then in 1853, he moved to St. Louis, Missouri. Six years later, he and a partner opened a restaurant in St. Louis (just before the Civil War broke out.)

The Civil War was bad for the restaurant industry, but good for the rail industry. Mr Harvey’s business partner left to join the Confederacy and the restaurant closed.

Harvey went to work for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (commonly called the ‘Burlington.’) On January 14, 1860 he married Barbara Sarah Mattas; they had 7 children, 5 of which survived to adulthood.

During this time, Harvey noticed that the lunchrooms serving rail passengers were deplorable and most trains did not have dining cars, even on extended trips. The custom at the time was typically to make dining stops every 100-miles or so.

The dining stops were short, no longer than an hour, and the passengers were expected to find a restaurant, order their meal, get served and eat. When the train was ready to go, it left, often leaving passengers stranded at the station.

Harvey tried unsuccessfully to interest the Burlington in a co-operative arrangement to provide good food for travelers. But the Santa Fe was interested and early in 1876 he acquired the lunchroom at the Topeka depot. Service and food were dramatically improved, and both Harvey and the Santa Fe desired to see his operations expanded.

Before long, the first Harvey House Restaurant opened in the Topeka, Kansas Santa Fe Depot Station in 1876. Leasing the lunch counter at the depot, Harvey’s business focused on cleanliness, service, reasonable prices and good food. It was an immediate success.

The Harvey Houses became the first chain restaurants, with the Topeka depot becoming the training base for the new chain along the Santa Fe Route. Soon Harvey lunchrooms extended from Kansas to California.

By the late-1880s, there was a Harvey establishment every one hundred miles along the Santa Fe line. Setting high standards for efficiency and cleanliness, the food was always served on china and customers were required to wear coats.

Harvey found that the men he hired to work in his restaurants weren’t working out; he began hiring women at a time when the only jobs for respectable females were as domestics or teachers. Harvey began to recruit them in newspaper ads across the country.

In order to qualify as one of the ‘Harvey Girls,’ the women had to have at least an eighth grade education, good moral character, good manners, and be neat and articulate. Harvey paid good wages, as much as $17.50 per month with free room, board and uniforms.

In return for employment, the Harvey Girls would agree to a six month contract, agree not to marry and abide by all company rules during the term of employment. In no time, these became much sought after jobs.

The famous ‘Harvey Girls,’ carefully trained, well-groomed young women who were hired as waitresses, further increased customer traffic. Before long, Harvey was operating restaurants, hotels, gift shops and newsstands in increasing numbers along the railroad route.

Fred Harvey’s rest houses became gathering places for visitors searching for mementos of Indian land and the Native residents of some of the West’s most striking cultural and geographic terrain.

In the 1890s, the Santa Fe Railway began including dining cars on some of its trains; Harvey got the contract to serve food on those, as well. About this same time, George Pullman began building (and staffing) his own sleeping cars.

After World War I, rising affluence, more automobiles and more leisure time hurt the Harvey Company. While keeping many Harvey Houses, they moved away from full reliance on train passengers. They packaged motor trips of the southwest, including tours of Native American villages (Indian Detours) and natural wonders(such as the Grand Canyon

At its peak, there were 84 Harvey Houses. They continued to be built and operated into the 1930s and 1940s (in 1946, its 7,000 employees served 33,000,000 meals a year to travelers.)

So, what’s the Hawai‘i connection? … In 1968, Amfac (one of Hawai‘i’s ‘Big Five’ companies) bought the Fred Harvey Company.

Amfac had its beginning in the Islands when, on September 26, 1849, German sea captain Heinrich (Henry) Hackfeld arrived in Honolulu and opened a general merchandise business (dry goods, crockery, hardware and stationery,) wholesale, as well as retail store.

Hackfeld later became a prominent ‘factor’ – business agent and shipper – for the sugar plantations. However, with the advent of the US involvement in World War I, things changed. In 1918, the US government seized H Hackfeld & Company and ordered the sale of German-owned shares. (Jung)

The patriotic sounding ‘American Factors, Ltd,’ the newly-formed Hawaiʻi-based corporation (whose largest shareholders included Alexander & Baldwin, C Brewer & Company, Castle & Cooke, HP Baldwin Ltd, Matson Navigation Company and Welch & Company,) bought the H Hackfeld stock. (Jung) At that same time, the BF Ehlers dry goods store took the patriotic ‘Liberty House’ name.

American Factors shortened its name to “Amfac” in 1966. The next year (1967,) Henry Alexander Walker became president and later Board Chairman of Amfac.

Amfac first got into resort management in 1962 when it developed some of its land at Kāʻanapali Beach Resort, Hawaiʻi’s first master-planned resort. Twenty-five years after it started, the Urban Land Institute recognized Kāʻanapali Beach Resort with an Award of Excellence for Large-Scale Recreational Development.

Amfac expanded its resort experience in the Islands in 1969 when it acquired Island Holidays Hotel Co and its chain of ‘Palms’ resorts (including Kona Palms, Maui Palms and Coco Palms) started by ‘Gus’ and Grace Guslander.

Walker took Amfac from a company that largely depended on sugar production in Hawaiʻi to a broadly diversified conglomerate (which included the acquisition of the Fred Harvey Company in 1968.)

Later (2002,) the resort management company became known as Xanterra Parks and Resorts. (Lots of information here is from Harvey Houses, Armstrong, Legends of America and Xanterra.)