“The wonderful volcano of Kīlauea, on the island of Hawaii, is the great attractive of visitors. It is the only crater in the world that is constantly in action, and that can be safely approached at all times to the very edge of the precipice which encloses the boiling lava.”
“To reach Kīlauea necessitates a passage of thirty hours from Honolulu in a fine steamer to Hilo or Punalu‘u, then a ride of thirty miles in coaches takes visitors to a fine hotel, which overlooks the molten lava lake. It is a sight that will repay the effort and expense incurred ten times over, and one that will never be forgotten.” (Whitney)
“The Interisland steamer W G Hall, 380 tons burthen, leaves Honolulu alternate Tuesdays and Fridays, at 10 A. M. She is one of the best sea boats plying in our waters, and tourists will find her accomodations and table equal to any, while her officers and stewards are ever on the alert to supply all their wants.”
“(T)he steamer at once proceeds to Punalu‘u, the terminus of the sea route. This is usually reached about 6 P. M. The passengers are landed in boats and will proceed to the Punalu‘u hotel, where they will find themselves comfortably taken care of.” (Whitney)
Lee set upon this venture with the idea of popularizing the Punalu‘u-Pahala route to Kilauea. In 1891, Peter Lee, an enterprising pioneer with an eye to the future, built a 24-mile wagon road from Pahala to Kilauea, following by seven years the construction of a hotel at Punalu‘u, which then became a third takeoff point. (NPS)
“The hotel is clean, the table good, and the proprietor will be found very obliging and ready to afford any information required.” (Whitney)
“Early in the morning the start for the Volcano is made. The first five miles are done by rail to Pahala, where the Hawaiian Agricultural Company have a large plantation and a fine mill. The fields extend far up the hillside and the constant moving of wagons, riders and gangs of men makes a busy scene.” (Whitney)
“At Pahala a coach will be found ready to convey the tourists to the Volcano. The road passes through a pleasant grassy country with the tree-clad slopes of Mauna Loa lying to the left, while to the right glimpses of the sea and the lower land are occasionally caught.” Whitney)
“The Half-way House is reached in about three hours. Here a lunch is prepared for the travelers, and a short rest is given to the animals. The air becomes cooler as the coach advances, and a pleasant ride of seven hours through a country abounding in pretty scenery brings the party to the vicinity of the Volcano House.”
“The smoke which forever overhangs this wonder of nature will have been pointed out by the guide, long before the crater is reached. About a mile from the Volcano House, a first view into the crater is obtained. By daylight the sight is by no means so striking as at night, but enough can be seen to excite wonder in the beholder.” (Whitney)
“For a number of years the Government road from Pahala in Kā‘u, to the Volcano has been practically abandoned, and a private road built and owned by Mr. Lee has been generally traveled.” (Minister of the Interior Report, 1894)
The best estimate for the date of completion of Peter Lee’s Road comes from a Volcano House register entry dated October 1888 by a guest who claimed to be the first visitor to travel by means of a wheeled conveyance the entire way from an ocean port to the volcano.
It is possible that the road was finished earlier, or that the segment that finally connected the two roads was completed before the entire road was fit for travel. (NPS)
In correspondence from Lee to Thurston, Lee notes, “I am just now making a carriage road to the Volcano on the Kā‘u side, which road will be completed in a few weeks, Several competent people have overlooked this road and are highly recommending it.”
“As I have been employed for several years in road building in Peru and California, I am thoroughly familiar with this kind of work, and am confident that I can make this road as good and cheap, and in as short a time as anybody in the country.” (Lee to Thurston, September 22, 1888; Maly)
However, the construction of the Volcano Road from Hilo had begun. With the completion of the Hilo to Volcano Road in 1894, four-horse stagecoaches came into the picture, reducing the travel time from Hilo from two days to six and one-half hours, and Hilo became the principal departure point for Kilauea. (NPS)
Back to Peter Lee’s road … “The Legislature of 1892 passed an appropriation for the purchase of this road, and practically it was turned over to the Government in December, 1892; but the formal transfer was only completed in January, 1894. The purchase price being $4,500.” (Minister of the Interior Report, 1894)
“This is the main road for travel between the districts of Hilo and Kau, and until last October was the only road by which carriages could go to the Volcano.”
“Nothing has been done on the road by way of repairs for a long time, and it is now a very uncomfortable carriage road. The Kau Road Board should be instructed to put it in order, and in addition, certain portions crossing the lava flows should be regraded and reconstructed, and finished with the traction engine now in use on the Volcano road.” (Minister of the Interior Report, 1894)
Peter Lee sold the Punalu‘u Hotel to the new buyers of the Volcano House; he managed both hotels for them.
From the early 1900s, prisoners at Namakanipaio worked on rebuilding the “Peter Lee Road” into Kaʻū, and on roads and trails around the Kilauea, and towards Puna. The prison site was closed shortly after 1915. (Maly)
Follow Peter T Young on Facebook
Follow Peter T Young on Google+
Follow Peter T Young on LinkedIn
Follow Peter T Young on Blogger
