Manoa | Page 5 | Images of Old Hawaiʻi

July 14, 2017 by Peter T Young 2 Comments

Dole Street

The beginning of the original Dole Street was just below the Punahou School campus and was part of a small subdivision of lots the school developed to raise money for the school’s endowment.

“In 1880 the ‘lower pasture,’ containing 31.3 acres, was divided into building lots, and streets laid out in it. The sale of these lots has added twenty-one thousand four hundred ($21,400.00) to the endowment.” (Alexander, 1907)

The Punahou Lots development was surveyed in 1880 by SE Bishop (Reg 848) – streets within the subdivision were named for prior leaders of the school.

Dole, Beckwith, Alexander and Bingham Streets, were named for prominent men associated with Punahou School.

Rev. Daniel Dole (1841-1854), Rev. Edward Griffin Beckwith (1854-1859) and William DeWitt Alexander (1864-1871), were initial and early leaders of the school.

Another street within the Punahou Lots development, Bingham, was named for Rev. Hiram Bingham, the initial recipient of the land grant, on behalf of the American Protestant mission, that eventually became Punahou School.

Apparently, some at the University of Hawaiʻi are trying “to restore Dole Street to its Hawaiian name” – suggesting Dole Street was originally named Kapaʻakea Street. (HNN)

“University of Hawaiʻi graduate student Kepoo Keliipaakaua found it on an 1882 survey map of the Mānoa area. Kapaʻakea means coral bedrock or limestone.” (HNN) The students also suggest the street was named for Sanford Dole.

That is not true. The history is clear; Dole Street was formed in 1880 by Punahou School and was named for Rev. Daniel Dole, the first teacher/administrator of Punahou (it was not named for Dole’s son, Sanford).

Regional maps from 1887, 1893, 1912 and 1923 (and others) show Dole Street and its subsequent extensions in the direction of where the University of Hawaiʻi is presently situated.

None of those early maps show any roads around or below where the UH is today (keep in mind the University didn’t make it to Mānoa until 1912); and none of these maps show a Kapaʻakea Street at all.

There is a 1934 map noting a short street as part of the St Louis Heights that Dole Street was proposed to extend to – however, that street in St Louis Heights was not named Kapaʻakea Street.

The ‘1882’ map noted by the UH students shows a notation for a road segment noted as Kapaʻakea Street – suggesting the road was there in 1882 (although all other mapping clearly note otherwise).

In addition, that ‘1882’ map also includes references on it dated in 1927, 1928 and 1930, suggesting edits made to the map over time.

Those edits relate to executive orders and other actions for the University – again, the UH campus wasn’t built until 1912 (well after the ‘date’ of the map).

Even an untrained, casual observer will see that the delineation of the ‘Kapaʻakea Street’, the printing of its name and the surrounding notations are in a different style than most of the other writing on the map.

So that map, over time, was obviously updated, although some suggest it carries only the 1882 time-reference.

And, it’s not clear when that text and portion of the map were put on the map; it is also not clear if Kapaʻakea Street was ever built.

In the broader area, there is a short road segment below King Street, generally running mauka-makai, called Kapaʻakea Lane; it is well removed from the University campus area and is (was) not possibly interconnected with Dole Street.

Some of the old maps note wetland area identified as Kapaʻakea. Kapaʻakea Spring was originally known as Kumulae Spring (later Hausten Spring/Pond). In 1944, the Willows Restaurant opened there.

As noted, starting in 1880, Dole Street in Mānoa was named for Rev. Daniel Dole, the initial teacher/administrator at Punahou School – other nearby streets in the Punahou Lots subdivision (below the existing Punahou campus) are named for other early school leaders.

Suggestions that the ‘original’ name of Dole Street was Kapaʻakea Street are simply wrong and not consistent with the clear history of the road and its subsequent extensions.

The image is a portion of an 1892 map of the area. It notes Dole Street and the Punahou Lots subdivision (on the left); note that there are no roads on the right, and definitely nothing labeled Kapaʻakea, other than the wetland. Check out the full story and multiple maps that show the same – Dole Street, but no Kapaʻakea Street below UH.

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June 20, 2017 by Peter T Young 2 Comments

Kidwell’s Mānoa Pineapples

John Kidwell was born January 17, 1849 in the small north Devonshire village of Marwood. At the age of fifteen (in 1864,) he left home to become an apprentice to a second cousin, who was a nurseryman in London. He emigrated to the US in 1872 and became a nurseryman in San Francisco.

In 1882, with letters of introduction, Kidwell sailed to Honolulu. At the time, there was great demand for fresh Hawaiian pineapples in San Francisco. He acquired shoots of wild pineapple from Hawaii Island and set out to plant them in Mānoa (1885.) (Hawkins)

“‘Diversified industries’ have been one of the gospels rung in the ears or rather paraded before the eyes of the people of this country by the press for many years.”

“That everything in the direction indicated has not been preaching is proved by instances of very gratifying practice. One of these cases is that of Mr J Kidwell’s farm at Wailele Manoa Valley, The Advertiser reporter mounted that gentleman’s wagon on Friday and was driven by him out through Punahou to his estate.”

“Mr Kidwell has thirty six acres at Wailele all cultivable but only a portion of it cleared. The principal crop now growing is of pine apples there being different varieties covering the greater part of four acres. Without irrigation and notwithstanding the prolonged scarcity of rain the plants are flourishing in appearance even to luxuriance.”

“They are also fruiting finely and the owner is not harassed with doubt as to thorough success of the crop. Ground is cleared for more planting of the same fruit besides which there is room where grapevines have been taken out for rows between some of the present ones.”

“Mr Kidwell besides having been a practical farmer all his life is also an energetic one. During the few months he has been in possession of this farm he has with very little hired help eliminated a quantity of lava boulders and stones from the soil which would have appalled a man of less grit.”

“There is the making of a very fine place in this property and Mr Kidwell is bound to have it such. There are natural springs of excellent water centrally situated which occupy a patent windmill in pumping into a tank and system of pipes.”

“Almost anything capable of cultivation in the country can be raised on the farm but at present the owner is making a specialty of pineapples. A grove of young lime trees looks luxuriant in spite of drought and indicates a profitable fruit that may be raised in odd pockets or borders.”

“An excellent style of fowl yard enclosed with an airy but substantial article of wire netting is tenanted by many feathered bipeds of high breeds. This is another diversification of profitable home industry that the proprietor can incidentally carry on with comparatively little trouble.”

“The place is very pleasantly situated amid the finest scenery Diamond Head Round Top other on the highest mountain peaks on this island and the Pacific Ocean being all in the surrounding prospect.” (Hawaiian Gazette, April 2, 1889)

In 1885, Kidwell started a pineapple farm with locally available plants, but their fruit was of poor quality (Hawkins, 1997). That prompted him to search for better cultivars; he later imported 12 ‘Smooth Cayenne’ plants.

An additional 1000 plants were obtained from Jamaica in 1886, and an additional 31 cultivars, including ‘Smooth Cayenne’, were imported from various locations around the world. ‘Smooth Cayenne’ was reported to be the best of the introductions.

Kidwell is credited with starting Hawai‘i’s pineapple industry; after his initial planting, others soon realized the potential of growing pineapples in Hawaii and consequently, started their own pineapple plantations.

The pineapple cultivar that would form the foundation of the future Hawai‘i industry had become well established in the islands, presumably because it was vigorous, productive, tolerant of most pests and diseases, and had fruit of good quality that canned well. (Bartholomeow)

The “development of the (Hawaiian) pineapple industry is founded on his selection of the Smooth Cayenne variety and on his conviction that the future lay in the canned product, rather than in shipping the fruit in the green state.” (Canning Trade; Hawkins)

The commercial Hawaiian pineapple canning industry began in 1889 when Kidwell’s business associate, John Emmeluth, a Honolulu hardware merchant and plumber, produced commercial quantities of canned pineapple.

Emmeluth refined his pineapple canning process between 1889 and 1891, and around 1891 packed and shipped 50 dozen cans of pineapple to Boston, 80 dozen to New York, and 250 dozen to San Francisco.

One of the last laws passed by the Legislative Assembly before the overthrow had been an act to encourage the cultivation, canning, and preserving of pineapples in an attempt to diversify the economy away from sugar.

For a period of ten years after 1892, all tools, machinery, appliances, buildings, and all other personal property used in the cultivation, canning, or preserving of pineapples and held for export had been exempted from all taxes.

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February 2, 2017 by Peter T Young 6 Comments

Mānoa War Homes

“Housing was a critical problem at the beginning of the war.”

“On December 7, 1941, the only project operated by the Hawaii Housing Authority was Kamehameha homes consisting of 221 units for families in the low-income bracket.”

“Prior to the declaration of war, plans had been prepared for the construction of a low income family project of 368 units to be known as the Mayor Wright homes. The war prevented this development from going ahead since the buildings in the slum area on the site could not be demolished. Tenants living there were permitted to remain.” (DOI Annual Report, 1946)

Then, “Since the close of the war, one of the most important activities of the land department has consisted of arranging for the return of numerous tracts of territorial lands which had been transferred to the Army and Navy for military purposes.”

“Whenever it has been to the advantage of Federal agencies to give up the buildings and other improvements on territorial lands, and when the Territory or a county government needed the improvements, the office of the commissioner of public lands assisted in negotiating for the acquisition of title to the buildings in lieu of restoration performance of the premises involved.”

“As a result of this procedure of acquisition, the Territory and counties realized considerable savings in money, material, and labor, and gained title to a great deal of construction equipment, including buildings of various sizes …”

“… warehouses, quonset huts, water and sewer pipes, refrigeration plants, stoves of all descriptions, furniture, cable and electric wiring, reservoirs, gas storage facilities, septic tanks, water heaters, and generators.”

“The termination of hostilities with Japan caused an unprecedented demand for house lots. For a number of years prior to the beginning of the war, home building was curtailed, and such materials as might normally be needed to meet the housing requirements of a growing population were diverted to national defense.”

“With the beginning of war, these materials were actually frozen. In addition to this, a large number of existing home sites were taken over for military purposes.”

“The sale of public lands for home sites is the most beneficial purpose to which these lands can be dedicated. Every effort was made to subdivide and place on the market as house lots all public lands that were not under lease. Unfortunately, the area of unencumbered public land on Oahu, where the need is greatest, is decidedly limited.” (DOI Annual Report, 1946)

“During the past year (1946) the problem has become even more serious. The Governor’s housing committee and a committee of the chamber of commerce of Honolulu, after a careful study, reported that 11,000 additional houses were needed in the Honolulu-Pearl Harbor area.”

“A number of factors have militated against an adequate home-building program. The most important of these arc: (a) Scarcity of land even at an extremely high price, (b) unavailability of building materials, and (c) shortage and high cost of labor.”

“During the year over 3,900 families applied to the housing authority for homes. This number does not reflect the extent of the need since the public was aware of long waiting lists.”

“Of those who applied the authority could provide houses for only 1,265, 1,000 of whom were placed in Manoa war homes. This situation indicates the need for drastic action immediately to relieve the existing shortage of housing for all income groups.” (DOI Annual Report, 1946)

“The idea was to offer veterans a decent, affordable place to live while they found jobs, re-entered civilian life and saved up for a down payment on a permanent home. One-bedroom units went for $35 a month, 2-bedroom units were $42.50.” (Cataluna)

It worked for a while; then, “The Commissioners of the Authority froze vacancies as of January 1, 1956, at Manoa War Homes, a 982-unit temporary war housing project, as the site must be vacated, buildings demolished, and the land restored to its owners by June 30, 1958.”

“The project was relinquished by the Public Housing Administration to the Authority on June 30, 1953 at which time the Authority was able to obtain leases with the property owners for 3 years, with options to renew for two successive terms of 1 year each only.” (Annual Report of Governor to Secretary of Interior, 1956)

“During the year (1958) the Authority has continued the deprogramming of a relinquished 1,000-unit war housing project, Manoa War Homes.”

“On June 30, 1957, there were 519 families still living in the project. By June 30, 1958, the number had been reduced to 284. On June 30, 1958, the Authority returned approximately 44 acres of the 94-acre site to its owners. The area returned comprised 14 parcels of land and a portion of another parcel.” (Annual Report of Governor to Secretary of Interior, 1956)

Familiar Mānoa landmarks that were once the site of the Mānoa War Homes are the Mānoa Marketplace, Noelani School and Mānoa Innovation Center.

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December 23, 2016 by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Kūka‘ō‘ō Heiau

According to legends, the Menehune built a fort and a temple at the top of the hill ‘Ulumalu. They were driven away from their fort by the high chief Kuali‘i during his reign (sometime in the 1700s). Kuali‘i rebuilt it after his seizure of the fort. (Cultural Surveys)

This heiau was the center piece of a string of heiaus that strung across the Kona district. The existence of such an important heiau at the mouth of the valley could be taken as an indication of the early importance of Mānoa.

Because the plain that Honolulu proper is situated on tends to be a hot, dry environment, the Alii or Hawaiian Royalty of the early 1800s were known to use Mānoa as a retreat to get away from the hustle and bustle of the town’s dusty streets. (DeLeon)

Another legend says that the menehune were driven from their fort and temple by the owls, who became their bitter enemies.
The legends say that the fairy people, the Menehunes, built a temple and a fort a little farther up the valley above Pu‘u-pueo, at a place called Kukaoo.

Some people say that the owl-god and the fairies became enemies and waged bitter war against each other. At last the owl-god beat the drum of the owl clan and called the owl-gods from Kauai to give him aid.

With the aid of the Kaua‘i owls, there was a great battle and the “fort and temple” were captured; the menehune were driven out of the valley. (Cultural Surveys)

“(O)n a vast rock pile, still stands a walled enclosure known as the heiau of Kūka‘ō‘ō, now overgrown with lantana and night blooming cereus. This … temple dates back many hundred years. Its erection is credited to the Menehune’s … but was rebuilt during the reign of Kuali‘i, who wrested it from them after a hard fought battle.”

“The Menehune’s fort was on the rocky hill, Ulumalu, on the opposite side of the road, just above Kukaoo. Previous to the battle, they had control of all upper Manoa.”

“After Kūali‘i obtained possession, he made it the principal temple fort of a system of heiaus, extending from Mauoki, Puahia luna and lalo, Kumuohia, Kaualaa, Wailele, and one or two other points between Kaualaa and Kukaoo.”

“There were also several Muas in the system they controlled — sacred picketed trench enclosures, and altogether, the scene must have been one of priest-ridden despotism.”

“Kūka‘ō‘ō heiau and hill is connected also, in legend, with that of Punahou Spring, as the place where the twin brother and sister Kauawaahila and Kauakuahine obtained temporary shelter from the persecutions of a cruel step-mother, as shown in the following extract.”

“The children went to the head of Mānoa valley, but were driven away and told to return to Ka‘ala, but they ran and hid themselves in a small cave on the side of the hill of Kūka‘ō‘ō, whose top is crowned by the temple of the Menehunes.”

“Here they lived some time and cultivated a patch of potatoes, their food meanwhile being grass-hoppers and greens. The latter were the tender shoots of the popolo, aheahea, pakai, laulele and potato vines, cooked by rolling hot stones around among them in a covered gourd.”

“When the potatoes were fit to be eaten, the brother made a double imu, or oven, having a kapu, or sacred, side for his food and a noa, or free, side for his sister.”

“The little cave was also divided in two, a sacred and a free part for brother and sister. The cave, with its wall of stone dividing it in two was still intact a few years ago, and the double imu was also to be seen.” (Thrum)

The heiau is mentioned in Land Commission records as “LCA 3906 to K. Neki, Heiau of Kūkaō‘ō, fence; house in”. “I, Neki hereby state my claims /at/ the land fence, mauka in Manoa, at the heiau of Kukaoo on the side below the heiau.”

“These two fences of which I tell you were from my makuas – they expended a great deal of revenue in making these fences, and I also did, and they are mine at this time – no one else has a right to them. That is my explanation to you. I am, with thanks. Neki” (Cultural Surveys)

The heiau has been restored and is part of the Mānoa Heritage Center, a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote stewardship of the natural and cultural heritage of Hawai‘i. The site consists of Kūka‘ō‘ō Heiau, a Native Hawaiian garden and Kūali‘i, a Tudor-style house, built in 1911.

Currently, Kūka‘ō‘ō Heiau and garden tours are available, guided by volunteer docents ($7 per adult.) Reservations are needed with two-week advance notice preferred. It was created through the efforts of Sam and Mary Cooke.

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July 23, 2016 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Kōnāhuanui

The Hawaiian Islands were formed as the Pacific Plate moved westward over a geologic hot spot. Oʻahu is dominated by two large shield volcanoes, Waiʻanae and Koʻolau. Koʻolau volcano started as a seamount above the Hawaiian hotspot around 4-million years ago. It broke sea level some time prior to 2.9-million years ago.

About 2-million years ago, much of the northeast flank of Koʻolau volcano was sheared off and material was swept more than 140-miles north of O‘ahu and Molokai onto the ocean floor (named the Nuʻuanu Avalanche) – one of the largest landslides on Earth. Ko‘olau’s eroded remnants make up the Koʻolau Mountain Range.

Mountains are one of ‘āina’s most enduring bodies, not as easily leveled as hills or forests; Kōnāhuanui (among others on the Koʻolau capture rain clouds coming in on the trade winds, and silvery shimmering steams of water tumbling down their pali have come to symbolize the sky father Wākea bringing new life to the earth mother Papa. (Kawaharada)

Ku luna ‘o Kōnāhuanui i ka luku wale e, “Mountainous Kōnāhuanui reveals the onslaught” is the tallest on Koʻolau; Kōnāhuanui is actually two peaks (3,150 feet and 3,105 feet.) It forms the northwest corner of the Mānoa Ahupua‘a boundary.

Kōnāhuanui plays a part in the ‘Punahou’ story told by Emma M. Nakuina, a tradition of the creation of Punahou Spring by a moʻo god named Kakea.

The main characters in ‘Punahou’ are twin rain spirits: a boy named Kauawa‘ahila (a rain of Nuʻuanu and Mānoa) and his sister Kauaki‘owao (a rain and fog carried on a cool mountain breeze.)

The twins were abused and neglected by an evil stepmother named Hawea while their father Kaha‘akea was away on Hawai‘i Island. The siblings fled from their home near Mount Kaʻala, the highest peak on O’ahu (4,020 ft) to Kōnāhuanui above Manoa.

The affinity of the twins for mountain peaks suggests their rain cloud forms and also their moʻo ancestry; their flight from Kaʻala to Kōnāhuanui depicts the movement of rain clouds associated with cold fronts which sweep over the islands from west to east during the rainy season of Ho‘oilo (October to April).

Pursued by their mean-spirited stepmother, the twins fled from Kōnāhuanui to the head of Mānoa Valley. Like a cold north wind behind a passing front, Hawea followed her stepchildren to the head of the valley, so the twins went down the valley to Kukao‘o Hill; then to the rocky hill behind Punahou School.

The movement of the twins down the valley represents the path of the rains called Kauawa‘ahila and Kauaki‘owao sweeping from the wet uplands toward the dry plains. Each stop is drier than the last, with less food.

At Kukao‘o hill, the twins planted and ate sweet potatoes, a dry-land crop, not as prized as the wetland taro of the upper valley. At the rocky hill near the mouth of the valley, they lived on leaves, flowers, and fruits and on ‘grasshoppers and sometimes wild fowl.’ The rocky hill marks a rain boundary: it may be pouring rain in the upper valley, while it is sunny and dry below the hill. (Kawaharada)

Translated “his large seeds (testicles,)” the name Kōnāhuanui is said to come from a story summarized by T Kelsey: “when a man, probably a giant, chased a woman who escaped into a cave, he tore off his testes and threw them at her”. (Kawaharada)

Kōnāhuanui is the highest peak in the Koʻolau Mountains and is the northwest corner of the Mānoa Ahupua‘a boundary. It was the home of the gods Kāne and Kanaloa.

It was where their parents came on their way to and from the east from above and from the right (mai kahiki a mai ka hiwamai), meaning it was the starting and resting point of the gods since the formation of the islands. (Cultural Surveys)

It is home to a moʻo goddess, a large mythic lizard that lives in freshwater pools and streams. Rain clouds gather around its peak, and its Kona side, often ribboned with waterfalls, is the wettest area of Honolulu: here is the source of the waters of Manoa and Nuʻuanu valleys.

On the Ko‘olaupoko side, below Konahuanui, is a stream called Kahuaiki (the small seed,) one of three streams said to be wives of the god Kāne (the other two are Hi‘ilaniwai and Māmalahoa).

The three join together as one, Kamo‘oali‘i (the royal mo‘o), which brings life-giving water to the fields and plains of Kāne’ohe before entering the bay near Waikalua fishpond. Huanui, big seed, and huaiki, small seed, both speak to the fertility of the land.

To the northwest of Konahuanui is Lanihuli (swirling heavens,) a name suggesting rain clouds moving in the wind around the peak; northwest of Lanihuli is Kahuauli, the dark seed. Uli may refer to the dark rain clouds, their shadows on the land below, and the dark green vegetation along the summit and below it. (Kawaharada)

“There is only one famous hiding cave, ana huna on Oʻahu. It is Pohukaina… This is a burial cave for chiefs, and much wealth was hidden away there with the chiefs of old … Within this cave are pools of water, streams, creeks, and decorations by the hand of man (hana kinohinohiʻia), and in some places there is level land.” (Kamakau)

Pohukaina involves an underground burial cave system that connects with various places around O‘ahu and is most notable as the royal burial cave at Kualoa. The opening in the Honolulu area is in the vicinity of the Kauikeaouli (Kamehameha III) residence (the grounds of ʻIolani Palace,) where also many of the notable chiefs resided. (Kamakau; Kumu Pono)

The opening on the windward side on Kalaeoka‘o‘io faces toward Ka‘a‘awa is believed to be in the pali of Kanehoalani, between Kualoa and Ka‘a‘awa, and the second opening is at the spring Ka‘ahu‘ula-punawai.

On the Kona side of the island the cave had three other openings, one at Hailikulamanu – near the lower side of the cave of Koleana in Moanalua—another in Kalihi, and another in Pu‘iwa. There was an opening at Waipahu, in Ewa, and another at Kahuku in Ko‘olauloa.

The mountain peak of Kōnāhuanui was the highest point of the ridgepole of this burial cave “house,” which sloped down toward Kahuku. Many stories tell of people going into it with kukui-nut torches in Kona and coming out at Kahuku. (Kamakau; Kumu Pono)

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