Lanai | Images of Old Hawaiʻi

September 7, 2025 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Lanai Tsunami

The name Kaluakapo Crater or “Kalua Kapo” means “hole of darkness” (according to the field notes of Stearns, 1936; Keating & Helsley).

Three ancient shorelines (the Mahana, Kaluakapo and Manele) have been described at elevations of 365, 190 and 170 m [1,200, 625, and 560 feet] in the Kaluakapo Crater. Original observations/theories of a fossil-bearing outcrop at 1,200-feet was interpreted as an ancient shoreline.

Subsequently, some argued that this fossil evidence represented the highest inundation of tsunami waves associated with the collapse of the flanks of the Hawaiian Islands chain. (Keating & Helsley)

“Geologists have long debated whether the Hawaiian Islands have been periodically hit by ‘megatsunamis,’ triggered by massive landslides plunging into the ocean.”

“Indeed, several such slides have cascaded from the western flanks of the Big Island–including the 350-cubic-kilometer Alika 2 slide about 120,000 years ago.” (Robert Irion)

“Some researchers think that a megatsunami from that slide deposited coral and seashells high on the slopes of the island of Lanai more than 100 kilometers away.”

“Others reject that interpretation, claiming that the deposits mark the level of shorelines carved into Lanai before tectonic processes lifted the island.” (Robert Irion)

“[T]he giant wave hypothesis (GWH) suggests a submarine landslide southeast of Lanai triggered three ‘giant waves’ that rushed toward Lanai with initial velocities of 149 m/s, at intervals of only one and a half minutes.”

“The first wave reached 190 m elevation on Lanai and eroded the soils and churned up boulders. The second wave reached the 375 m elevation, and picked up the gravels in suspension and stripped the terrain.”

“The third wave reached 190 m high on the island slope taking boulders in suspension, then accelerated down slope, stripping soil and molding the boulders into mound-shaped bed forms.” (Keating & Helsley)

“Computer simulations show that the tsunami would have swamped the other islands as well. ‘These waves were truly catastrophic,’ [Geologist Gary McMurtry of the University of Hawai‘i, Mānoa] says.”

“Still, [McMurtry] notes, they would be about as rare as megatsunamis from asteroids hitting the ocean–grave threats, but extremely unlikely in our lifetimes.” (Robert Irion)

Giant tsunamis, generated by submarine landslides in the Hawaiian Islands, have been thought to be responsible for the deposition of chaotic gravels high on the southern coastal slopes of the islands of Lanai and Molokai, Hawai‘i. Investigators used uranium-thorium dating and a study of stratigraphic relationships.

That late investigation showed that deposits were formed by multiple events, separated by considerable periods of time, thus invalidating the main premise of the ‘giant wave’ theory.

Instead, the gravels were probably deposited during interglacial periods (when sea level was relatively high) by typical Hawaiian shoreline processes such as seasonal wave patterns, storm events and possibly ‘normal’ tsunamis, and reached their present height by uplift of Lanai. (Rubin, et al)

While the general consensus seems to be that a megatsunami was not the culprit, there have been other ‘normal’ tsunami that have impacted Lanai and other Islands.

“It was quite a severe earthquake as I remember. Another scary thing that happened on Lanai was a tidal wave during the building of Kaumalapau Harbor.”

“They were building the breakwater and they had a small locomotive that with the tracks ran out to the end so they could carry boulders out to build up the breakwater.”

“And this tidal wave came and later, we went down to see what damage had been done. And the tracks were twisted in knots and the locomotive was on its side. Ever since then, I’ve been very frightened of tidal waves.”

“No one was injured; it was just this damage because no homes were knocked down where the harbor was. (The homes were built on higher ground, so they were not damaged.)”

No one was working at the time … “I believe that tidal wave came during the middle of the night at a time when there was nobody down there.” (Jean Forbes Adams; UH Oral History, Lanai Ranch)

August 13, 2025 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Youth Developmental Enterprises

“There have been good years and bad years for hiring summer help to work the sprawling pineapple fields on [Lanai].”

“This happens to be a good year. In fact, the past few years have been good, because Castle & Cooke Inc which owns Lanai, finally found some good summer workers. Mormon boys from the Mainland.” (Hnl Adv-Jul 15, 1976)

During the first two years the Pineapple picking program was a joint venture between the LDS Church and the Boy Scouts of America. Then, it was decided to hand off the program to a newly created independent corporation. Ross Olsen was the founder and primary leader of the new corporation. Ross called this new corporation Youth Developmental Enterprises. (Alchetron)

Youth Developmental Enterprises was a program that ran from about 1971 to 1993. During the first two years the program was a joint venture between the LDS Church and the Boy Scouts of America; then Youth Developmental Enterprises (YDE) ran the program. (Alchetron)

The primary activity of YDE was taking men and slightly older supervisors to Hawaii to work in the pineapple fields of Lanai and Maui. YDE took around 18,000 young men to Hawaii to accomplish this work; the stated goal of the organization was not pineapple production, but rather building the character of young men. (Alchetron)

“Offered by Youth Developmental Enterprises of Salt Lake City, the program boasts 800 job openings for young men between the ages of 16 and 18 desiring work such as truck drivers, cafeteria workers and general field workers.” (The Newspaper, Park City, Utah, Dec 15, 1976)

Participants pay $1,300 in advance to cover round-trip air fare to Hawaii, accident insurance, equipment (a backpack and a T-shirt), and project development (maintenance on the buildings where they live, etc).

They work five days a week, eight hours a day and gross $6 an hour; $4.25/day is taken out of their wages for room and board. Transportation to various places on the island for leisure-time activities, where the boys go as a group, is provided. (Deseret News)

“Students can opt to work from March 10 through August 27, April 22 through September 31 or June 3 through August 27. According to Youth Development Enterprises, youths can expect to save between $1,300 and $2,000 during the five month programs and $300 to $700 during the June-August stay.” (The Newspaper, Park City, Utah, Dec 15, 1976)

“While working in Hawaii, the young men from the intermountain area agree to uphold the standards of the LDS Church. Youth Developmental Enterprises, however, is not an LDS program.” (American Fork Citizen, April 1, 1976)

“‘The program is not for every young man,’ said Ross Olsen, founder and president of YDE. ‘It’s very structured. The purpose is an opportunity to work in a structured environment free of alcohol, drugs and tobacco. These young men get a sense of belonging and that they’re of value. It builds self-esteem.’

“The youthful employees start out on equal footing. The youths board in groups of about 18, with a home leader and a team leader (the team leader is in charge at work). They do everything together, including planning leisure activities.”

“The leaders are at least 21 and have proven track records as decent, law-abiding men, Olsen said. Most of them are returned missionaries for the LDS Church. But religion is never an issue, although participants are required to attend a Sunday church service of their choice.” (Deseret News, Lois M Collins)

The program also had a school program that was linked to the local high school. Correspondence courses were also accredited through Salt Lake City’s Granite High School.

One-fourth of participants come back for more than one session. More return for schooling than for the money, according to Olsen. The program participates in an individual, self-paced learning program. Tutors, who are under the direction of certified teachers, work with the students.

The tutors don’t grade assignments; that’s done by an individual who will “probably never even meet the students but will grade him on his own merits.” Students earn credits through the Hawaii Department of Education. (Deseret News, Lois M Collins)

“The boys from the U.S. were flown to Hawaii on a chartered aircraft and will work for 11 weeks. During the last eight days of their stay they will be taken on a tour of three of the islands and then flown back to the mainland.” (Greeley Daily Tribune, July 28, 1976)

The teens arrived with who knows what on their mind about an experience in far away Hawaii, and found themselves on a remote island, living in dorms, and out in the fields doing hoe hana (weeding with a hoe), picking and all manner of work.

Team leaders with the Mormon youth crew kept the teens organized, rising for work in the early a.m., getting to the cafeteria for meals, to the labor yard for transportation to the work sites, and made sure that the youth got down to the island beaches and swimming spots. (Lanai Culture & Heritage)

“For several years, Dole had depended mainly on Mainland boys for most of its summer labor on Lanai and the Mainlanders had performed well, compared with ‘not so good’ experience with local youths in the 1960s”. (Hnl Adv, Sep 17, 1981)

“The Isle teenagers accounted for 21 of the 28 non-Lanai ‘gangs,’ the rest coming from the Mainland. A gang has 17 pickers who move through the field behind a truck-mounted boom, picking the fruit, breaking off the crowns and placing both on a conveyor belt.” (Hnl Adv, Sep 17, 1981)

“For the first time ever, Dole hired non-Lanai girls – 50 in all. The girls ‘added something we never had – a sense of stability,’ says Sakamoto, a Big Island native. ‘During off hours, it was like a big high school, with boys and girls sitting under coconut trees talking story’ he says. A bonus for the boys: ‘The girls would teach them how to w ash their clothes.” (Hnl Adv, Sep 17, 1981)

Maui Land & Pineapple also hired through YDE. … “Until five years ago Maui Pine recruited 100 per cent of its labor from the island. With the rapid increase in hotels and the resulting decrease in local agricultural labor the company was forced into recruiting from the off islands and finally from the Mainland.” (Hnl Adv-Jun 14, 1973)

“At 5 a.m. dawn just begins to break over the peaks on West Maui. The tourists slumber soundly in their cozy nests from Lahaina to Napili. Only the birds and crowing roosters stir in the dim light.”

“Off the coast and up a narrow, red dirt road lined by tall Norfolk pines, the pastoral scene is shattered by the crash of heavy boots and the sleepy cries of, ‘I’m hungry.’ The season has started for the summer pickers at Maui Land & Pineapple’s Honolua Plantation just outside of Napili.”

“Tumbling out of dormitories wearing clothes of all descriptions, the seasonal workers come to breakfast before heading out to the fields for a long day of picking. Hours later the scene is repeated when the night shift comes to life.”

“Several of this year’s gang are returnees from Hawaii and the Mainland. But 60 of the 110 ‘imported’ workers are 16 to 18 year olds from Utah, the home state of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints.” (Deseret News, Lois M Collins)

When Hawai‘i programs eventually ended, various negotiations were begun to work for the LDS Church Farms in Bradenton, Florida, picking tomatoes and oranges, some independent tomato and squash growers in Beaufort, South Carolina and a tree-planting effort in Mississippi. None of these programs really got off the ground and the entire YDE program ended. (Alchetron)

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.”

July 17, 2025 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Pre- and Early-teen Pineapple Workers

Child employment is regulated by both federal and Hawaii state laws. When the laws overlap, employers are required to follow the one that provides more protection. It’s also essential to know that the regulations vary significantly depending on the youth’s age.

Children under 14 are generally prohibited from working in non-agriculture operations, with some exceptions. Fourteen- and 15-year-olds are subject to limited types of work and limited working hours.

Teens ages 16 and 17 can generally work any number of hours in any job unless it’s considered hazardous, which we’ll touch on later. Once someone turns 18, they’re no longer subject to child labor laws.

Hawaiʻi law requires anyone under 18 to have a child labor certificate, or work permit, before their first day on the job. This is a way for the state to ensure the work isn’t hazardous and won’t interfere with a teenager’s schooling. (ALTRES)

It used to be different … “I worked when I was eleven …. Of course, I was already cleaning haole houses, so this work was steady income. You work, you carry your canvas bag, and your lunch, and your bottle of water. Gloves, everything you need.”

“When we had to go picking, you would climb through all the plants to get to the center of the field. You pick the pineapple, you throw it to the next line.”

“[I]f you caught a field with a lot of ripe pineapples, boy, you work fast, you can earn a lot of money because you get a bonus for the number of crates you crate up.”

“I was only eleven, and the other people were twelve. But then, I’m in the same grade they are; we’re in the sixth grade. I remember I was paid ten cents less, because I wasn’t twelve years old yet”. (Jane Lee Gabriel, UH Oral History, Lānai: Reflecting on the Past)

Another pre-teen worked in the fields, “I remember working in the pineapple fields when I was eleven years old. So, at eleven I would be a sixth-grader [in 1944].”

“The war is still going on, yes. We had to wear canvas pants, a long-sleeved denim jacket because we would get pierced by those long, pointed pineapple leaves. We also had to wear wire goggles to protect our eyes. Then a hat, because we would be out in the sun.”

“We had to do weeding and putting fertilizer into the pineapple plant, and picking the ripe pineapples from the plant. … My classmates, because they were already twelve, were getting sixty-seven cents.”

“I remember grumbling about it. I went to the luna, and said, ‘You know, my pay is not fair. How come they’re getting more money than me?’”

“‘We’re in the same grade at school, and I’m going to be twelve in November. But then, this is the summer, so I’m only eleven.’” (Jane Nakamura, UH Oral History, Lānai: Reflecting on the Past)

Another preteen worked in the fields … [I was] ”Twelve years old. My pay I believe was something like thirty-five cents an hour. The war was still going on and I went to get my physical. I was so proud. I’m going to work and they gave me a number, aluminum tag with my work number [bango].”

“[We did] Everything from picking pineapples to cutting grass. Especially in the summertime, it was never cutting grass, it was always picking pineapple.”

“When you’re twelve years old, you don’t weigh even one hundred pounds. I didn’t. We had these big bags we put the pineapples in. The weight of it would weigh—if I wasn’t set and leaning a certain way, I couldn’t put any pineapples in there without [Tipping over].” (Takeo Yamato, UH Oral History, Lānai: Reflecting on the Past)

Another Lanai youth noted, “When I was twelve, pineapple field were picking up kids up to – well when I was eleven, they picked up kids up to twelve years old to work in the pineapple field.”

“So I said next year, I can work in the pineapple field cause all the kids look forward to going to work into pineapple field cause that’s about all you had on the island besides playing sports or whatever.”

“So I said, well, next year, I’ll be able to work in the pineapple field. That year, they picked (kids) up till thirteen and they stopped. And I said, well, I will have to wait the following – following year, they stopped at fourteen.”

“When I got to be fourteen, they had this law, something about you had to go to the labor board and everything, so it stopped at fifteen.”

“When I was fifteen, they said up to sixteen, and that’s it. So by the time I worked in the pineapple field, I was sixteen years old. I worked about two years (in the pineapple fields). I graduated from school when I was eighteen and I left (Lānai) and (joined) the army (in summer of 1956) and that’s it.”

“But my sister, I think she started (working in the pineapple fields) when she was twelve or eleven. Every time I wanted to be the age so I can go and work (in the) pineapple field, they stopped at the age before me.” (Charlotte Richardson Holsomback; UH Oral History, Lānai Ranch)

Maui Land & Pineapple used to have similar success in recruited youthful workers …“In years past, we had to turn kids away. There wasn’t anything else to do. Now going to work for a plantation is the last thing they want to do.” (Hnl Adv-Jun 14, 1973)

”We put on a big campaign on Kauai and Hawaii for local boys. From the Big Island we wanted 30 boys and got six. We anticipated 20 boys from Kauai and got four.” (Shuji Seki, recruiting and personnel supervisor for Maui Pine)

Hawai‘i youth were not filling the needs … “Until five years ago Maui Pine recruited 100 per cent of its labor from the island. With the rapid increase in hotels and the resulting decrease in local agricultural labor the company was forced into recruiting from the off islands and finally from the Mainland.” (Hnl Adv-Jun 14, 1973)

June 20, 2025 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Concrete No. 5

“Ship traps” describes a phenomenon where northern and southern swells, strong channel currents, strong consistent trade winds and fringing reefs force unsuspecting vessels into areas of harm – resulting in concentrated shipwrecks.

The north shore of the Island of Lānaʻi, locally referred to as “Shipwreck Beach,” is the best example of this phenomenon. Here, the channel acts as a funnel, depositing material directly onto Shipwreck Beach.

Any vessel that broke its moorings at Lāhainā would end up there; sometimes ship owners intentionally abandoned worn-out vessels there by simply casting them adrift upwind from the treacherous shore. (Naval Historical Center)

The first reported wreck occurred in 1824 when a British vessel named the Alderman Wood ran into the reef there. Two years later, an American ship, the London, sunk there with its cargo of gold and silver bullion. No one knows how much – if any – of the gold and silver was recovered. (Brost)

Known wrecks include: British ship Alderman Wood (lost 1824); American ship London (lost 1826;) Hawaiian schooner Onward (lost 1875;) Hawaiian schooner Mary Alice (lost 1884;) Hawaiian schooner Malolo (lost 1887;) Hawaiian schooner Golden Gate (lost 1901;) Hawaiian steamship Hornet (disposed 1927.)

In addition, other victims include, Hawaiian schooner Helene (disposed 1929;) Hawaiian vessel Manukiiwai (abandoned 1929;) private yawl Charlotte C (lost 1931;) private auxiliary Tradewind (lost 1934;) three US Navy steel LCM landing craft (lost 1940s;) Hawaiian barge Oregon Reefer (disposed 1954; US Navy oiler YO-21 (disposed 1957?) and US Navy barge YOGN-42 (disposed 1950s?.) (NOAA)

A constant reminder of Shipwreck Beach is the last one – from the US Navy, YOGN-42 – a number, not otherwise named. It is 375-feet long, with a beam of 56-feet and draft of 26-and-a-half feet.

Contrary to some of the reports on this vessel, it is neither a WWII Liberty ship nor was it even a motorized vessel. The ship sitting on the reef at Shipwreck Beach is actually a non-self-propelled Navy gasoline barge.

On September 28, 1942, Commander Service Force, Pacific Fleet requested that fuel carrying barges be acquired without delay to meet the serious fuel storage problem of the naval forces in the South Pacific.

The construction of these barges was such that they could be towed to the required locations and used for fuel storage, thus providing the needed fuel storage and expediting the turnaround of tankers serving those areas. (Roberts)

On October 24, 1942, the Auxiliary Vessels Board estimated that a minimum of six barges were needed and recommended that the Navy acquire the first six to be completed.

“Concrete No. 5” was put into service in June 1943 as “YOGN-42.”

On November 11, 1942 they asked for six more of these barges to meet the expanding fuel storage requirements in the South Pacific.

Most the vessels built by the Concrete Ship Constructors at National City, California eventually ended up as floating oil barges; two were sunk as blockships during the Allied invasion of Normandy (scuttled to create sheltered water at the landing beaches.) (Naval Historical Center)

Some saw life following the war; one became a restaurant and later a fishing pier. One became a ten-room hotel. Nine were sunk as breakwaters for a ferry landing at Kiptopeke, Virginia. Two more are made into wharves in Yaquina Bay, Newport Oregon. Seven are part of a giant floating breakwater on the Powell River, Canada.

During the war, YOGN-42 was sent to Espiritu Santo, as part of a forward staging area for US forces in Vanuatu in Oceania. While there, its tug, Tug USS Navajo (AT-64,) was sunk by Japanese submarine I-39, 150-miles east of Espiritu Santo.

YOGN-42 survived the war, but was stricken from the active register in 1949 and abandoned on Shipwreck Beach sometime after that. (Maly)