Cannon Club

Fort Ruger Military Reservation was established at Diamond Head (Lēʻahi) in 1906.  Also at Fort Ruger was the Cannon Club, a social club with a restaurant built in 1945 for the officers and their families.  The conclusion of World War II made the coastal batteries obsolete; in December 1955 the majority of the Fort Ruger land was turned over to the State of Hawai‘i – the Army kept the club.

The club, however, could not keep up with the times; the Army had to close the Cannon Club in 1997 as a result. For a few years, there was hope that the restaurant could reopen under private contractors, but the funding for the project fell through; the state acquired the property.  It is destined to be KCC's Culinary Institute of the Pacific at Diamond Head.”

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Built in About an Hour

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 that range in age from two to four-million years old.

The younger volcanic craters are all less than 500,000 years old. They formed after Oʻahu had moved well off the hot spot and the main shield volcanoes had gone dormant for at least two-million years.

Scientists say Lēʻahi (Diamond Head) (one of these later eruptions) is a tuff cone, formed by hydromagmatic activity.  Tuff is a volcanic rock made up of a mixture of volcanic rock and mineral fragments. Wherever there are explosive volcanic eruptions you can expect to find tuff.  (SOEST)

A hundred years ago, Hawaiʻi missionary Reverend Sereno Bishop noted Diamond Head was made in less than an hour’s time and is “composed not of lava, like the main mountain mass inland, but of this soft brown rock called tuff.” (Bishop, Commercial Advertiser, July 15, 1901)

Others noted, “the duration of eruption of Diamond Head was of the order of five hours. The eruption may have been intermittent with interruptions sufficient to extend the whole period of activity to as much as five days, but probably not more.”    (Wentworth, Bishop Museum, 1926)

“Volcanic eruptions may be distinguished into two classes, the effusive and the explosive. In the former the molten rock is poured out and covers the mountain slopes with great floods.”

“If you look up at the sides of yonder ravines (on the Koʻolau mountains,) which the rainstorms of many hundred thousands of years have worn out of the original dome-shaped mountain, you will see the back edges of the ancient lava streams lying in layers.”

“The tuff cones are entirely different, and are produced by very brief and sudden explosive eruptions.  The tuff was violently shot high aloft into the air in the form of superheated mud. This hot mud cooled and thickened by the expansion of its water and its partial escape as steam before reaching the ground.”

“It hardened and cemented as it fell, though still liquid enough to form in thin layers or laminations as we see it lying around us at the base of the hill. … The tuff-fountain escaping from its confinement, at once expanded and spread out like a vast tree.”

“Here at Diamond Head, which is one mile in diameter, the bulk of the mud spread out half a mile in all directions before ending its fall. Thus a very exact circular ring was piled up of one mile in diameter. There was, however, another influence, that of a violent easterly-wind which deflected the entire fountain westward”.

“The wind also acted with especial force upon the highest part of the fountain, flinging and piling it up on the western side of the crater in a lofty cone. A large part of that cone has been weathered away by the impact of rainstorms upon the soft rock; but it still stands in a peak some 200 feet higher than the main run.”

“The vent or point of issue of the tuff-fountain must have been at the lowest point of the interior, where lies the present pond of water.”  (Bishop, Commercial Advertiser, July 15, 1901)  (The same series of eruptions produced Punchbowl and Koko Head Crater.)

Somewhat more than half of the craters of southeast Oahu are arranged in linear groups, those dominated by the craters Tantalus, Diamond Head, and Koko Crater.  In the Diamond Head group is the main Diamond Head vent, Kaimuki crater and Mauʻumae crater.

(A cinder cone is a volcanic cone built almost entirely of loose volcanic fragments called cinders or pumice that accumulate around and downwind from a vent.)

(Cinders are glassy and contain numerous gas bubbles "frozen" into place as magma exploded into the air and then cooled quickly.)  (USGS)

The image shows a 1928 aerial of Lēʻahi, Diamond Head.   In addition, I have added others similar images in a folder of like name in the Photos section on my Facebook and Google+ pages.

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John M Kaukaliu

The lighthouse has no special friends,
No special foes when night descends,
In all the earth the only place,
Though statesmen talk and kings embrace,
Where man becomes one common race.
(“The Lighthouse;” Douglas Malloch, 1934)

The earliest lighthouse in Hawaiʻi was one built at Keawaiki, Lāhainā, and put into operation on November 4, 1840. It was described as a “tall looking box-like structure, about nine feet high and one foot wide ... facing the landing.”

Other early lighthouses were constructed at Kawaihae in 1859, at Keawaiki in 1866, and on Kaholaloa Reef at the entrance to Honolulu Harbor in 1869.

Then, the Diamond Head Lighthouse was built.

A 40-foot open frame tower was constructed at Honolulu Iron Works (due to concerns about the stability of the structure, the open framework was enclosed with walls constructed of coral.)

Its light was first lit on July 1, 1899.  The light had a red sector to mark dangerous shoals and reefs.

John M Kaukaliu was the first keeper of the Diamond Head Lighthouse.

“(N)o keeper's dwelling was provided, he lived at a private residence about a quarter of a mile from the lighthouse (about where the Lēʻahi Beach Park is now situated.)”  He was paid $75 per month. (US Lighthouse Board)

When the Lighthouse Board took control of all aids to navigation in the Hawaiian Islands in 1904, it reported that the Diamond Head Lighthouse was the only first-class lighthouse in the territory.

In 1904, a floor was added to the tower, 14’ above ground level.  Windows were placed in 2 existing openings in the tower walls and telephone lines were installed in the tower.

Then tragedy struck …

“Lighthouse Keeper is Found Stricken at Top of Tower - John Kaukaliu, the aged and well known lighthouse keeper at the Diamond Head lighthouse, was found Friday morning in a helpless paralyzed condition by his assistant and was removed to his home in Waikiki Friday afternoon in the emergency hospital ambulance.”

“Frank Stevenson, emergency hospital assistant, says that to carry Kaukaliu from the top of the lighthouse where he had probably lain for hours it was necessary to strap him to the stretcher and carry him almost perpendicularly down the circular stairs.”  (Honolulu Star-bulletin, October 7, 1916)

“Kaukaliu was born here 62-years ago and was one of the best known and most popular Hawaiians in Honolulu. He is survived by his wife and a daughter, Mrs William Meyers, by his first wife.”  (Honolulu Star-bulletin, October 16, 1916)

In 1917, funds were allocated for constructing a fifty-five-foot tower of reinforced concrete on the original foundation.  The old tower was replaced with the modern concrete structure, which strongly resembles the original tower.

It wasn’t until 5-years later (1921) that a home for the lighthouse keeper was constructed at the Diamond Head Lighthouse.  A keeper occupied the dwelling for just three years, as the station was automated in 1924.

Subsequently, the dwelling became home to Frederick Edgecomb, superintendent of the Nineteenth Lighthouse District (my great uncle.) He lived at the lighthouse until 1939, when the Coast Guard assumed control of all lighthouses.

During World War II, a Coast Guard radio station was housed in the keeper's dwelling, and a small structure was built on the seaward side of the tower. Following the war, the dwelling was remodeled and has since been home to the Commanders of the Fourteenth Coast Guard District.

The image shows the route John Kaukaliu walked from his home to the Diamond Head Lighthouse.

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Diamond Head Charlie

“Ste-e-e-mer off Koko Head!”  (PCA, 1906)

“Before the telephone was invented, and long before the system was in use in Honolulu, we had the lookout station on Telegraph Hill, which by means of a semaphore arrangement communicated with a station on the building (downtown.)”

“Every merchant was supplied with the code, and whenever a schooner, a steamer, a mail packet, or a man of war, was sighted, the heart of the town knew it immediately.”  (Hawaiian Star, February 10, 1899)

Pu‘u O Kaimukī (aka “Kaimukī Hill”) was used as a sighting and signal station (using semaphore technology,) giving it the name “telegraph hill.”   It had broad view over the Pacific and line-of-sight to downtown Honolulu.  Back then, they used this vantage point to spot ships coming in, and then conveyed the news to Honolulu.

This is where John Charles Pedersen was first stationed.  Petersen was appointed lookout … by the then Minister of the Interior, Samuel G Wilder. The station was located at the top of Kaimuki Hill. (Evening Bulletin, September 27, 1907)

Semaphore towers used arms and blades/paddles to convey messages; messages were conveyed/decoded based on the fixed positions of these arms.  Reportedly, in 1857, a semaphore mechanism on Puʻu O Kaimukī, with large moveable arms, was attached to the top of a sixty-foot pole and used to signal to Honolulu.

The official receiving station from Kaimukī was on Merchant Street, but some have suggested other receiving stations at Kaʻahumanu Street and the foot of Nuʻuanu.

“When the telephone system got into working order the lookout station was moved to a position on Diamond Head which gave a view further along the channel, because it was no longer necessary for the station to be in full view of the city.” (Hawaiian Star, February 10, 1899)

Diamond Head was connected by telephone with the book store of Whitney & Robertson conducted in Honolulu Hale.  (Evening Bulletin, September 27, 1907)

Petersen’s regular weather reports (telephoned every evening promptly at 10 o’clock,) “Diamond Head – 10 pm – weather, hazy; wind, fresh, NE,” or calls with a ship sighting, “Ste-e-e-mer off Koko Head!” “gladdens the hearts of thousands of people every week.”  (Pacific Commercial Advertiser, January 29, 1906)

Following the call, HECO’s whistle would scream three long blasts, loud enough for all Honolulu to hear. This meant the ship would arrive in two hours, and people rushed to the harbor.

“All hands, including government officials of many grades and various departments, agents' representatives, post office clerks, hotel and newspaper men, waterfronters, hackmen, messengers, shipping men, storekeepers, the large army of people "expecting friends," and frequently Captain Berger and the Hawaiian Band, make haste to get down to the dock to ‘see the steamer come in.’” (Pacific Commercial Advertiser, January 29, 1906)

“For many years all Honolulu has depended on one man to announce the sighting of mail and freight steamers as well as the fleet of ‘windjammers.’  … ‘John Chas. Peterson, Keeper Diamond Head Signal Station,’ as he is designated in the directory.”  (Pacific Commercial Advertiser, January 29, 1906)

He was better known as Diamond Head Charlie.

Petersen was born in Gothenburg, Sweden. He came to the Islands eighteen years ago from San Francisco in the old schooner Lizzie Wight.   He left for a short while, returned and married a Hawaiian who died four months after her child was born. “The pledge of their union still lives to cheer the father's heart.”

“His house is built on a rough slope of Diamond Head, facing the sea and from its position the faithful lookout commands an almost unlimited view of the broad Pacific. His business is to watch for incoming vessels and report them. … He watches with unfailing zeal, and it is very seldom that a vessel ever escapes his sharp eyes.”  (Pacific Commercial Advertiser, December 19, 1894)

“The great landmark on which he passes his time is well known to tourists and others, and it is eagerly watched for from the decks of incoming steamers. With the aid of glasses passengers can detect a small cottage, painted white, which is built on the side of the bleak extinct volcano.”

“Their home consists of bedrooms, a tiny bit of a pantry, and an observation room, from which Peterson scans the sea. On one side a large water tank stands, encased in wood; they must store the rain water or else go as far as James Campbell's for the fluid.”

“In front of the cottage stands a flagpole eighty feet high, which is used for signaling. In a locker "Charlie" has a full complement of flags, and is proud of his belonging.”

“A large telescope stands in the observation room, which aids the eye to see a distance of at least thirty miles.  It is a powerful glass and when a vessel is eight miles away she does not appear to be more than 1000 yards distant. This telescope was presented to the lookout by Wm. G. Irwin and other merchants about town.”

“Peterson is on duty about seventeen hours every day, and divides his time between watching for vessels and cooking his meals. He has no servants, and of course must prepare his own food, which is done under great difficulties at times, as he has no kitchen.”

“He comes to town but once a month for his pay. While he is absent from his post, which is taken for the time being by a native, he usually purchases enough supplies to last him a month. His salary at present is $75 a month. He started in sixteen years ago at $50, and after a year's time the sum was increased to $60.  He worked for twelve years for the last mentioned sum.”  (Pacific Commercial Advertiser, December 19, 1894)

“His glory began to grow dim when the lighthouse was erected at the Head and a keeper came to divide honors with him. Though he has constantly been an important factor to the business community and reported the ships appearing off the port, he became less a household word after the installation of the trans-Pacific cable.”    (Evening Bulletin, September 27, 1907)

“Each year since 1895 General Soper has made a Christmas collection for Charlie among the business men of the town. The largest sum was $440 collected in 1902. Charlie was a faithful man and the news of his death (September 27, 1907) caused widespread expressions of regret throughout the town.  (Evening Bulletin, September 27, 1907)

“For several weeks past Peterson was in the hospital and little hope was held for his recovery.  Close on the allotted three score years and ten, he now sighted that mysterious bark whose captain is called Death.”  (Pacific Commercial Advertiser, September 28, 1907)

The image shows Diamond Head Charlie and his telescope outside his house. (Pacific Commercial Advertiser, January 29, 1906)  In addition, I have added others similar images in a folder of like name in the Photos section on my Facebook and Google+ pages.

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Kaʻalāwai

Along the coastal area between Lēʻahi (Diamond Head) and Kūpikipikiʻō (Black Point) several small neighborhoods are sometimes identified by the names of the main roads in the area Kaikoo, Papu Circle and Kulamanu. However, the historic name for this area of Oʻahu’s is Kaʻalāwai.

Kaʻalāwai literally means ‘the water (basalt) rock’ and is probably named for the springs on the beach and among the rocks at the east end of the beach.

It is a narrow, white-sand beach with a shallow reef offshore, which generally has poor swimming conditions. There are only a few scattered pockets of sand on the nearshore ocean bottom.  Lots go surfing outside.

At the east end of the beach near Black Point is a mansion turned museum, built by Doris Duke, the daughter of James Duke, the founder of the American Tobacco Company, and her husband, James Cromwell.  (It’s their name that is attributed to the “Cromwell’s” Cove and Beach references.)

In the late-1930s, Doris Duke built her Honolulu home, Shangri La, on five acres overlooking the Pacific Ocean and Diamond Head.  Shangri La incorporates architectural features from the Islamic world and houses Duke’s extensive collection of Islamic art, which she assembled for nearly 60 years.

Through an Exchange Deed dated December 8, 1938 between the Territorial Land Board of Hawai‘i and Ms Duke, two underwater parcels (totaling approximately 0.6-acres) were added to the Duke property.

At water’s edge below the estate, Duke then dynamited a small-boat harbor and a seventy-five-foot salt-water swimming pool into the rock.  The harbor was built to protect Duke’s fleet of yachts, including Kailani Lahilahi, an ocean-going, 58-foot motor yacht and Kimo, the 26-foot mahogany runabout that Duke sometimes used to commute into Honolulu.

Part of the deal was that the transfer gave the Territory (now State) a perpetual easement of a four-foot right-of-way for a pedestrian causeway along the coastline.  It’s a popular swimming area (ongoing media reports note the hazards here, so be careful.)

Today, Shangri La is open for guided, small group tours and educational programs. In partnership with the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art - which owns and supports Shangri La - the Honolulu Museum of Art serves as the orientation center for Shangri La tours.

Another stretch of beach here had some other interesting ownership/use issues.

In the old days, a Beach Road ran right next to the water at Kaʻalāwai. When some of the private property mauka of the road was subdivided into seven lots and conveyed in 1885, the makai boundaries of these seven lots were specified “along the road”.

However, in 1959, folks adjoining the then-abandoned road soon made claims to it – most extended their landscaping (and even put in improvements (patio, walls, etc)) out over the old beach road.

Some of the abutting owners succeeded in their title claims and subsequent legal battles, obtaining declaratory judgments in their favor and they gained title to the road remnant real estate.  Subsequently, the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court ruled that the State owns the road.

The last property made application to the State to acquire the road remnant, however, after following discussions, they ended up seeking a long-term easement over the old roadway.

Oh, one more Kaʻalāwai story … following the overthrow of Queen Liliʻuokalani in 1893, the Committee of Safety established the Provisional Government of Hawaiʻi as a temporary government until an assumed annexation by the United States.

The Provisional Government convened a constitutional convention and established the Republic of Hawaiʻi on July 4, 1894. The Republic continued to govern the Islands.

From January 6 to January 9, 1895, in a “Counter-Revolution,” patriots of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi and the forces that had overthrown the constitutional Hawaiian monarchy were engaged in a war that consisted of battles on the island of Oʻahu.

It has been called the Second Wilcox Rebellion of 1895 (named after Robert William Wilcox.)  In their attempt to return Queen Liliʻuokalani to the throne, it was the last major military operation by royalists who opposed the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi.

Wilcox’s headquarters was at Kaʻalāwai. (Daily Bulletin, January 19, 1895)  Shortly after the fighting began, losing the element of surprise and seeing no tactical importance in remaining at Diamond Head, Wilcox ordered his men to retreat to Waiʻalae.

Wilcox and his men then escaped to the Koʻolau up a trail on the precipice to the ridge separating Mānoa from Nuʻuanu. On that ridge his men dispersed into the mountain above; Wilcox and a few others crossed Nuʻuanu that night, eluding the guards.  They were later captured.

Queen Liliʻuokalani was put under arrest on the 16th, and confined in a chamber of ʻIolani Palace.  A tribunal was formed and evidence began to be taken on the 18th.  Nowlein, Wilcox, Bertelmann and TB Walker all pleaded guilty, and subsequently gave evidence for the prosecution.

Wilcox was court-martialed and sentenced to death, but the sentence was commuted to thirty-five years.    In January, 1896, he was given a conditional pardon and became a free man; in 1898, President Dole gave him a full pardon.  (Wilcox later served as the first delegate and representative of Hawaiʻi in the US Congress.)

Convicted of having knowledge of a royalist plot, Liliʻuokalani was fined $5,000 and sentenced to five-years in prison at hard labor. The sentence was commuted to imprisonment in an upstairs bedroom of ʻIolani Palace.

She spent 8 months in this room.  After her release from ʻIolani Palace, the Queen remained under house arrest for five months at her private home, Washington Place. For another eight months she was forbidden to leave Oʻahu before all restrictions were lifted.  Liliʻuokalani died of a stroke on November 11, 1917 in Honolulu at the age of 79.

The image shows Kaʻalāwai and Black Point area prior to development.  In addition, I have added others similar images in a folder of like name in the Photos section on my Facebook and Google+ pages.

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Portlock

Nathaniel Portlock was born in Norfolk, Virginia in about 1748.  At about the age of 24, he entered the Royal Navy as an able seaman on the St Albans.

On March 30, 1776, he served as master’s mate on Captain James Cook's third Pacific voyage aboard the Discovery (Cook’s last voyage, Cook was killed in Kealakekua Bay on February 14, 1779.) Portlock was transferred to the Resolution, also on the expedition, in August 1779.

In 1785, a group of London merchants formed the "King George's Sound Co" (also known as Richard Cadman Etches and Company,) for the purpose of carrying on the fur trade from the western coast of America to China, bringing home cargoes of tea from Canton for the East India Company.  They bought two boats; Portlock and George Dixon were selected to sail them.

That year, the two traveled to the North Pacific. Portlock commanded the 1785-1788 expedition from the ship King George, while Dixon captained the Queen Charlotte. The purpose of the expedition was to investigate the potential of the Alaskan fur trade and to resume Cook’s search for a Northwest Passage through the continent.

The pair left England on August 29, 1785, and took nearly a year to reach Alaska, rounding Cape Horn and touching at Hawaiʻi on the way.  During the course of their 3-year expedition, they made three trips to Hawaiʻi, first arriving off the coast of Kaʻū, May 24, 1786.

(At about the same time, La Perouse, with the two frigates, La Boussole and L'Astrolabe, touched at Honuaʻula, East Maui, May 28, 1786.)

While in the Islands, Portlock named Oʻahu’s prominent landmark "Point Rose" (Lēʻahi (Diamond Head)) in honor of the secretary of the British treasury.

A favorite anchorage on Oʻahu for Portlock was at Maunalua Bay, between Koko Point and Diamond Head (which Portlock named King George's Bay.)

Maunalua was thought to be well-populated in ancient times. Maunalua was known for its offshore fishing resources, a large fishpond, and sweet potato cultivation. Taro was farmed in wet areas, sweet potato was grown in the drier regions and a series of fishing villages lined the coast.  (McElroy)

In June 1786, Portlock remained four days, buying fresh water by the calabash full, at the rate of a sixpenny nail for a two-gallon calabash full, and in this way obtained over thirty tons of water. Kahekili, the King, who was then residing at Waikiki, sent Portlock and Dixon presents, but did not come on board.  (Thrum)


While anchored in Maunalua Bay, Portlock reported:
"Soon after our arrival, several canoes came off and brought a few cocoa-nuts and plantains, some sugar cane and sweet root; in return for which we gave them small pieces of iron and a few trinkets."

"The old man (a kahuna) informed me, that his (Kahekili's) residence was in a bay around the West point (Black Point), and importuned me very much to carry ships there, as that place, he said, afforded many fine hogs and vegetables.”

“Indeed, I had some reason to think that the inhabitants on that part of the island were more numerous than in King George's Bay (Maunalua Bay), as I observed most of the double canoes came round the West Point ..."

"I determined to keep my present situation, it being in many respects an eligible one; for we hitherto had been favored with a most refreshing sea breeze, which blows over the low land and vallies being in a high state of cultivation, and crowded with plantations of taro, sweet potatoes, sugar cane, &c., interspersed with a great number of cocoa-nut trees, which renders the prospect truly delightful."

Finally, Portlock and Dixon headed separately for Macao (near Canton, People’s Republic of China,) traded their furs and both ships sailed for England with cargoes of tea belonging to the East India Company.

About this time, September 17, 1788, the first American ships made their appearance in Nootka Sound (Columbia.) Fitted out in Boston in August 1787, for several years they were engaged in the fur trade between the Northwest Coast and China, touching at the Hawaiian Islands to replenish their stocks and water.

Returning to service in the navy, Portlock was appointed to command the brig Assistant, in which he accompanied Captain William Bligh in 1791 on his second attempt to transport bread-fruit plants from Tahiti to the West Indies.  (Bligh’s first attempt to gather breadfruit trees from Tahiti and take them to Jamaica ended in mutiny (April 28, 1789) on the Bounty.)

When they returned, Portlock was promoted commander.  On September 28, 1799, he was advanced to captain, but does not appear to have had further employment at sea, perhaps owing to ill health. He died on September 12, 1817 in Greenwich Hospital.

In 1936, when landowner Bishop Estate planned a subdivision on its property at Maunalua Bay, estate Trustee Alfred Francis Judd named the subdivision after Portlock (who 150-years before, had anchored just off-shore.) (Clark)

The image shows surfing at Portlock, Maunalua Bay (in the early days.)  In addition, I have added others similar images in a folder of like name in the Photos section on my Facebook and Google+ pages.

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Kūpikipikiʻō

An eruption from a vent southeast of Lēʻahi (Diamond Head) poured dense lava into the sea to build a headland. The Hawaiians called it Kūpikipikiʻō (rough (sea) or agitated (wind or storm)) because of its turbulent waters.

The waves attack the headland directly, but the shore on either side of it is protected by a reef. (MacDonald)  The black lava that formed there prompted its modern name, Black Point.

When Kamehameha and his warriors made their attack in Oʻahu in 1795, they landed from Waikīkī to Maunalua – right in this area.  More than 100-years later, around 1901, one of Black Point's first houses was built by developer Fred Harrison.  (Star-Bulletin)

In January 1905, President Teddy Roosevelt instructed Secretary of War William H. Taft to convene the National Coast Defense Board (Taft Board) "to consider and report upon the coast defenses of the United States and the insular possessions (including Hawai‘i.)”

Based on recommendation of the Secretary of War, on January 18, 1906, President Teddy Roosevelt signed Executive Order 395-A, setting aside public lands at Kūpikipikiʻo Point for military purposes.

“From Kūpikipikiʻo Point to Waipiʻo Peninsula the line of defense is to be strengthened with field fortifications, batteries and searchlights, and as soon as the money becomes available the dirt will begin to fly and the concrete to take form, under the supervision of the army engineers.”  (Star-Bulletin, February 4, 1914)

Fort Ruger Military Reservation was established at Lēʻahi in 1906.  The Reservation was named in honor of Major General Thomas H Ruger, who served from 1871 to 1876 as the superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point.

The fort included Battery Harlow (1910-1943); Battery Birkhimer (1916-1943); Battery Granger Adams (1935-1946); Battery Dodge (1915-1925); Battery Mills (1916-1925); Battery 407 (1944); Battery Hulings (1915-1925) and Battery Ruger (1937-1943.)

Battery Mills was built on a 3-acre tract in the Kūpikipikiʻo Point Reservation.   Battery Mills was not technically part of Fort Ruger, but was administered by it.  The battery was armed with two 5-inch Seacoast guns.

There was a reinforced magazine for munitions, a plotting room/command bunker and an underground power room which had a generator. Those guns were later eliminated from the Army's inventory, so the Battery was decommissioned.

Battery Granger Adams (1933 and 1935) replaced Battery Mills and consisted of two 8-inch railway guns on either side of a protected powder and shell magazine, along with a Commander's Station and power room (it was felt that there was still a need for a gun battery at that location - it was later decommissioned in 1946.)

The conclusion of World War II and the advent of nuclear and missile warfare made the coastal batteries obsolete. Thus, in December 1955 the majority of the land was turned over to the State of Hawai‘i.

Nearby Kaʻalāwai Beach lies at the base of Diamond Head’s eastern slope, between Kuilei Cliff Beach Park (“lei stringing”) to the west and Black Point to the east.

Kaʻalāwai (“the watery rock”) is a narrow, white-sand beach with a shallow reef offshore, which makes for generally poor swimming conditions. There are only a few scattered pockets of sand on the nearshore ocean bottom.

Freshwater bubbles up between the rocks of the reef. The beach is mainly used by surfers, who paddle out to the surf spot called Brown's, which is located just behind the reef.

An old Beach Road fronted the Kaʻalāwai oceanfront properties.  In 1959, owners of the abutting properties claimed the ownership of the old beach road; after a series of lawsuits, many of them obtained declaratory judgments which allowed them to buy the road right-of-way.

At the east end of the beach near Black Point is Shangri-La, a mansion turned museum, built by Doris Duke, the daughter of James Buchanan Duke, the founder of the American Tobacco Company, and her husband, James Cromwell, in 1937.

Upon her father's death, Doris Duke received large bequests from her father's will when she turned 21, 25, and 30; she was sometimes referred to as the “world's richest girl.”

In the late 1930s, Doris Duke built her Honolulu home, Shangri La, on 5-acres overlooking the Pacific Ocean and Diamond Head.  Shangri La incorporates architectural features from the Islamic world and houses Duke’s extensive collection of Islamic art, which she assembled for nearly 60 years.

Today, Shangri La is open for guided, small group tours and educational programs. In partnership with the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art - which owns and supports Shangri La - the Honolulu Museum of Art serves as the orientation center for Shangri La tours.

To get to Kaʻalāwai Beach and Cromwell’s Cove take Diamond Head Road east and turn right on Kulamanu Street and park curbside.  The beach access is at the end of Kulamanu Place.

A later building boom by the wealthy turned Black Point into one of the world's most exclusive and expensive community.

The image shows a 1921 military encampment for a balloon squadron, overlooking Kūpikipikiʻo. In addition, I have included other images in a folder of like name in the Photos section on my Facebook and Google+ pages.

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Papaʻenaʻena Heiau - Waikīkī, Oʻahu

Hawaiʻi’s iconic landmark, Lēʻahi (Diamond Head) overlooks Waikīkī.  Papaʻenaʻena heiau once stood on its western slope, overlooking the Waikīkī coastline.  It was referred to by some early writers as "Lēʻahi heiau."

“It consisted of a mana (supernatural or divine power) house approximately 50 feet long; an oven house (hale umu); a drum house; a waiea or spiritual house; an anuʻu or tower; a lele (altar) and twelve large images. The heiau was bordered by a rectangular wooden fence approximately six to eight feet tall with an eight-foot wide base, which narrowed to three feet at its apex.”  (Ireland)

It is likely that the heiau was built in 1783 by Kahekili, the mōʻī (ruler) of Maui, as part of a victory celebration following Kahekili conquest of Oʻahu.

Surfing was one of the principal attractions for Waikīkī to both the chiefs and commoners who resided there.  “Here at the ‘surfing heiau’ of Papaʻenaʻena, a terraced structure … is where surfers came to offer their sacrifices in order to obtain mana and knowledge of the surf.” (Kanahele)

When surf was ‘up,’ Kahuna at Papaʻenaʻena heiau reportedly flew a kite at the heiau as a signal to the people of the wave conditions.  (Kanahele)

An ancient chant tells of Papaʻenaʻena and surfing:
There at Kalahuewehe is the big surf created by Papaʻenaʻena.
Arise, of ye surf of Kalahuewehe, arise! ...
The kahuna of Papaʻenaʻena flies his moon kite
To proclaim the suitability of the sea for surfing.
The eager lookout on yonder highland
Anxiously scans the skies for this signal,
And relays the good news by runners;
Farmers, woodsmen, bird catchers all,
Leave their tasks and fetching their surf boards
Hurry to the beach at Waikiki.
Soon the sea is filled with natives
Sporting in the billowy surf;
Trick riding, zigging and zagging, amidst the foam,
Shouting words of defiance against the angry surf
To topple the rider if it can .... (Kanahele)

Papaʻenaʻena heiau was also a luakini heiau; human sacrifices were made at the terraced stone structure.  The heiau was probably used for sacrificial or sacred purposes for 35 years.

Some historians believe that when Kamehameha I conquered ‘Oahu in 1795 at the Battle of Nuʻuanu, Kamehameha I used Papaʻenaʻena heiau to offer a sacrifice of his slain rival, Kalanikūpule, to his war god Kūkaʻilimoku.

After Kamehameha’s troops were overcome with dysentery in 1804, that stopped his attempt to conquer Kauaʻi, Kamehameha repaired Papaʻenaʻena heiau and offered in sacrifice 400 pigs, numerous coconuts and bananas and three kapu violators.

The heiau was also used for one (possibly its last) sacrifice.  Kanihonui was killed and placed on the Papaʻenaʻena alter.

Kamehameha learned that Queen Kaʻahumanu had an affair with Kanihonui.  He was a handsome 19-year old.  Reportedly, Kaʻahumanu had seduced the boy while she was intoxicated; in addition, the boy was the son of Kamehameha’s half-sister – and, Kamehameha and Kaʻahumanu raised him.

George W. Bates, in 1854, describes a heiau at the foot of Lēʻahi (believed to be Papaʻenaʻena) as: “Just beyond Waikiki stand the remains of an ancient heiau, or pagan temple. It is a huge structure, nearly quadrangular, and is composed merely of a heavy wall of loose lava stones, resembling the sort of inclosure commonly called a ‘cattlepen.’”

“This heiau was placed at the very foot of Diamond crater, and can be seen at some distance from the sea. Its dimensions externally are 130 by 70 feet. The walls I found to be from six to eight feet high, eight feet thick at the base, and four at the top."

“On climbing the broken wall near the ocean, and by carefully looking over the interior, I discovered the remains of three altars located at the western extremity, and closely resembling parallelograms. I searched for the remains of human victims once immolated on these altars, but found none; for they had returned to their primitive dust, or been carried away by curious visitors.”

Later (at about 1856,) Queen Emma ordered her workers to take rocks from Papaʻenaʻena heiau to build a stone wall around her property at Waikīkī.

During the Māhele the site was transferred to the future King Lunalilo.  After the king's death, this site was sold to James Campbell, in 1883.  Later, Walter F. Dillingham bought the land from Campbell.

With the help of famed Chicago architect, David Adler, the Dillinghams built a home similar to the Villa La Pietra they admired in Tuscany while on their honeymoon – they named their new home La Pietra – meaning The Gem or The Rock.

After Walter’s death, La Pietra was sold to Hawaii School for Girls, who relocated their school there (1969.)  The former Papaʻenaʻena heiau site is now the home for La Pietra - Hawaii School for Girls, an independent, college preparatory school for girls, grades 6 through 12.

When Papaʻenaʻena heiau stood on Diamond Head, it overlooked what is today First Break, the beginning of Kalahuewehe, a surfing spot famous for hundreds of years.

The image notes a representation of Papaʻenaʻena heiau (NPS.)  I have added a couple similar maps and images in a folder of like name in the Photos section on my Facebook page.

http://www.facebook.com/peter.t.young.hawaii

© 2012 Hoʻokuleana LLC

Lēʻahi – Diamond Head

Lēʻahi, also known as Diamond Head, is a nearly circular crater of approximately two-thirds of a mile in diameter.

Diamond Head is different things to different people: Homes of Hawai‘i’s Kings, Queens and Royal Families were in its shadow; It’s an internationally-recognized visitor industry icon; It’s the backdrop to the famous Waikīkī Beach; It served an integral role in the island military defenses; It is present home and command center for State Civil Defense; It’s an easy walk to the summit for spectacular views of the ocean and coastline and It is a backdrop to a transformation of social, political and religious events.

Lēʻahi, also known as Diamond Head, is a nearly circular crater of approximately two-thirds of a mile in diameter.  Diamond Head was given its name by British sailors who found natural calcite crystals on the slopes of the mountain and mistook them for diamonds.  Hawaiians called the volcanic cone Lēʻahi, Laeʻahi or Lae-ahi.  Translations include: “brow of the ʻahi” and “cape of fire.”

In the legend of Pele and Hi‘iaka, Hi‘iaka is said to have compared Diamond Head to the brow of the ‘ahi: Me he i‘a la ka Lae o Ahi; E kalali au ae nei i ke kai - Like a fish is the Brow-of-the-ahi Resting high above the sea.

Other names for Diamond Head include Point Rose (given to the geologic feature in 1786 by Captain Nathaniel Portlock in honor of the secretary of the British treasury), Diamond Hill and Conical Mountain.

Geologically speaking, Diamond Head is a dormant volcanic tuff cone, with a variable-height rim surrounding the recessed interior area; the eruption of Diamond Head took place well over 150,000-years ago.

The highest point (at 761-feet) on the southwest rim of Diamond Head is known as Lēʻahi Summit (most of the rim is between 400-500-feet.)  The crater is on the southern coastline of Oʻahu, approximately one-and-a-half miles south of the Koʻolau range.

From at least the 15th century, chiefly residences lined the shore of Waikīkī, and cultivated fields spread across the Waikīkī plain to the foot of the crater and inland to the Ko‘olau valleys.  There were several heiau in Waikīkī, of which several were located around Diamond Head.

One of Kamehameha’s main heiau (also suggested as a surfing heiau,) Papaʻenaʻena (also called Lēʻahi Heiau,) was situated at the base of the southern slopes.

Other heiau in the vicinity include Kupalaha Heiau, which may have been connected with Papaʻenaʻena, Pahu-a-Maui Heiau on the crater’s eastern cliffs overlooking the ocean (the site of the present Diamond Head lighthouse), Kapua Heiau near the present Kapi¬ʻolani Park, and Ahi Heiau on the peak of Diamond Head.

In the early years of the 19th century, people tended gardens in the crater and one visitor described finding “an abundance of melons and watermelons growing wild, upon which we feasted”.

In 1831, the botanist, Dr. FJF Meyen, noted the crater contained a small pool of water “which was completely covered with plants”.  (The crater pond was filled-in by military bulldozing; now, there is a seasonally-moist wetland where standing water can occasionally be seen.)

Some have suggested there is little likelihood for archaeological sites of pre-contact Hawaiian or early post-contact origin in the crater.  The archival research suggests that the only Hawaiian activity that might have taken place in the crater was dryland farming (dating to 1822.)

In the Great Māhele division of lands between the king and his high chiefs, Diamond Head, which lies within the ʻili of Kapahulu in the ahupuaʻa of Waikīkī, was awarded to William C. Lunalilo, the future king of Hawaiʻi (1873-1874).

In the early 1860s, Mark Twain commented, “On the seventh day out we saw a dim vast bulk standing up out of the wastes of the Pacific and knew that that spectral promontory was Diamond Head, a piece of this world which I had not seen before for twenty-nine years.  So we were nearing Honolulu, the capital city of the Sandwich Islands - those islands which to me were Paradise; a Paradise which I had been longing all those years to see again.  Not any other thing in the world could have stirred me as the sight of that great rock did.”

In 1884, the Kapahulu portion of Lunalilo’s Māhele award was subdivided by the Lunalilo Estate.  Diamond Head was transferred from the estate to the Hawaiian Government.

The summit of Lēʻahi affords an excellent and unobstructed view of the ocean from Koko Head in the east, to beyond the -ʻEwa Plain to Wai‘anae in the west.  The utility of Diamond Head did not go unnoticed by the U.S. Army.

In 1906, the US government acquired the 729-acres of Lunalilo’s property from the Hawaiian Government, as well as other adjacent lands (including Black Point), to create Fort Ruger Military Reservation, the easternmost of the coastal defense forts.

From 1963 to 2001, the FAA had its air traffic control facilities in Diamond Head crater, which guided Hawai‘i-bound aircraft from 250 miles outside the Islands to within 20 miles of their intended airport.

Diamond Head State Monument was first officially established under an Executive Order by Hawaiʻi’s Governor Quinn in 1962; nearly 500-acres of land now make up the Monument.

This early designation covered about 145-acres in a horseshoe configuration preserving the famous profile and the south and west exterior slopes from the crater rim down to Diamond Head Road.  Subsequently, Executive Orders have added additional lands to the Monument.

The interior of the crater had been closed to the public from 1906 until 1968.  (Remember the Sunshine Festivals In 1976, DLNR’s Division of State Parks became the agency responsible for the planning and management of the Monument – it is now open every day.

Two major tunnels (Kāhala Tunnel and Kapahulu Tunnel) provide pedestrian and vehicular access into the crater.

Two separate trail systems (interior and exterior) address different needs and purposes.  The exterior trail system has a dual function as a jogging and bicycle path traversing the mauka end of the Monument and along the existing trail on the lower -ʻEwa-makai slopes.  The interior trail system leads to the summit of Lēʻahi (1.6-mile round trip.)

Diamond Head is open daily 6 am to 6 pm, every day of the year including holidays, with entrance Fees of $5.00 per car or $1 per person for pedestrians (the money goes to State Parks.)  Mountain Biking is not allowed on this trail.  No dogs allowed in Diamond Head State Monument.

The image shows Lē‘ahi, Diamonds Head, in a 1928 aerial image.  I have also added other Diamond Head maps and images in a folder of like name in the Photos section on my Facebook page.

http://www.facebook.com/peter.t.young.hawaii

© 2012 Hoʻokuleana LLC

La Pietra

Papaʻenaʻena heiau was situated on the side of Lēʻahi, Diamond Head.  It was referred to by early writers as "Lēʻahi heiau."

Papaʻenaʻena was reportedly built by Maui King Kahekili to commemorate his conquest of Oʻahu.   This heiau was destroyed in about 1856 and its stones were carted off to Waikīkī for use as rock walls and driveways.

During the Mahele this site was given by the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi to the future King Lunalilo.  After the king's death this site was sold to James Campbell, in 1883.  Later, Walter F. Dillingham bought the land from Campbell.

In 1910, Walter Dillingham married Louise Gaylord.  Bucking the current trend of wealthy families living in Mānoa, Mr. Dillingham chose to build his new bride a home on a dry and - at the time - remote area on the slopes of Diamond Head.

With the help of famed Chicago architect, David Adler, they built a home similar to the Villa La Pietra they admired in Tuscany while on their honeymoon.

Three elements compose the central structure.  One is facing the northward toward the Koʻolau range, one westward to the Waianae range, and one southward to the sea.

All three face inward on a flagged courtyard surrounded by a pillared arcade.  In the center of the courtyard is an Italianate fountain, which was used to cool the building when the breeze swept through the structure.

The building is a composite of villa, as noted by Grace Tower Warren, Island Hostess: An Italian Villa in Hawaii, Paradise of the Pacific, Vol. 63:
"Many people have had the idea that La Pietra is a copy of my aunt's villa in Florence of the same name, the one In which Mr. Dillingham and I were married, but such is not the case", said Mrs. Dillingham.

"It is a composite of several of the beautiful villas in Florence to which my aunt, Mrs. Acton, took me, The facade facing the Waianae Mountains and the town is copied from the Villa Cambreia, The facade facing the Koolau Mountains is a replica of the de Medici villa in Florence. Our architect was David Adler, and he beautifully combined and coordinated the designs and ideas we loved..."

Mr. Dillingham and Adler did not work together in person.  At the time Adler was designing another residence in New York.  So Mr. Dillingham sent Mr. Adler detailed measurements and contour maps of the site, and photographs showing the setting in which the villa would stand.

With that, La Pietra – meaning The Gem or The Rock – was born.

The Dillingham home was completed in 1922 and included 5 bedrooms, a swimming pool, a formal dining room, horse stables, servants' quarters, tennis courts, and a game/pool table room.

Architecturally, the home is described as "An extensive two-story "Italian villa" in an imposing terraced setting overlooking Kapiʻolani Park, Waikiki Bay and Honolulu; an example of the "Mediterranean Revival" period which had some popularity in Honolulu, as on the mainland."

For the next 40 years, La Pietra was a social center for Honolulu’s wealthy and famous, with visitors to the estate including Franklin D. Roosevelt and Walt Disney.

Upon Mr. Dillingham's death in 1963, Punahou School gained ownership of La Pietra and used it for faculty housing; the property was eventually sold to the newly formed Hawaii School for Girls in 1969.

With its start at Central Union Church, Hawaii School for Girls then renamed and relocated to La Pietra - Hawaii School for Girls, which consisted of nine founding teachers, 210 girls and Head of School, Joseph Pynchon.

Over the years, various enhancements were made to the campus. A six classroom building named in honor of Mrs. Cooke was dedicated in January 1977. The athletic complex, completed in 1987, was named in honor of Mrs. Anthony in 2008. Bachman Science Center was built in 1997. Most recently, the school renovated its library to create Hawaii’s first all-digital school library.

La Pietra - Hawaii School for Girls is an independent, college preparatory school for girls.  In addition to this image, I had added others of La Pietra in a folder of like name in the Photos section on my Facebook page.

http://www.facebook.com/peter.t.young.hawaii

© 2012 Hoʻokuleana LLC

Fort Ruger, Lēʻahi (Diamond Head,) O‘ahu

In January 1905, President Teddy Roosevelt instructed Secretary of War William H. Taft to convene the National Coast Defense Board (Taft Board) "to consider and report upon the coast defenses of the United States and the insular possessions (including Hawai‘i.)”

In 1906 the Taft Board recommended a system of Coast Artillery batteries to protect Pearl Harbor and Honolulu.

Between 1909-1921, the Hawaiian Coast Artillery Command had its headquarters at Fort Ruger and defenses included artillery regiments stationed at Fort Armstrong, Fort Barrette, Fort DeRussy, Diamond Head, Fort Kamehameha, Kuwa‘aohe Military Reservation (Fort Hase – later known as Marine Corps Base Hawaiʻi) and Fort Weaver.

The forts and battery emplacements batteries were dispersed for concealment and to insure that a projectile striking one would not thereby endanger a neighbor.

Fort Ruger Military Reservation was established at Diamond Head (Lēʻahi) in 1906.  The Reservation was named in honor of Major General Thomas H. Ruger, who served from 1871 to 1876 as the superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point.

The fort included Battery Harlow (1910-1943); Battery Birkhimer (1916-1943); Battery Granger Adams (1935-1946); Battery Dodge (1915-1925); Battery Mills (1916-1925); Battery 407 (1944); Battery Hulings (1915-1925); and Battery Ruger (1937-1943).

According to the specifications called for by the Taft Board and subsequent updates, various guns and mortars were included at the various Batteries.  These included 12" Mortars, 8" on railway barbette carriages and other gun emplacements.

A network of tunnels was carved into the mountain and cannon emplacements were placed atop the crater rim along with observation posts and bunkers.

The fortifications within the Fort are all made of reinforced concrete and vary in size from the massive Battery Harlow and the four-story fire control station at the top of Leahi, to a dozen more modest six pound gun emplacements along the rim of the crater.

Battery Harlow is a massive reinforced concrete structure imbedded into the rear of Diamond Head. Built in 1910, it has three large bunkers which are separated by "courtyards" that served as platforms from which eight 12-inch mortars were fired.

Batteries Hulings and Dodge were completed in October 1915. These reinforced concrete structures tunnel through the wall of the crater and each contains one small room. The gun platforms with 4.7 inch guns are on the exterior wall of the crater.

Also dating from 1915 are a dozen 6 pound gun emplacements which are located along the rim of the crater. These are simple concrete slabs with eye rings which helped keep the weapons in place. These were installed to protect the batteries against ground attack.

Battery Birkhimer is located on the floor of the crater, near the rear.  It also is made of reinforced concrete and primarily lies beneath the ground. Only its concrete portals are visible from the surface. Completed in 1916, this battery originally was armed with four 12-inch mortars.

Battery 407 was started in 1943 and completed near the end of World War II. Located on the front of Diamond Head, it has tunnels which go through the walls of the crater; it was armed with two 8-inch guns.

Battery Mills existed from 1916 to 1925 on the Kupikipikio Point Reservation on the lava point now known as Black Point and has long since been removed.  Battery Granger Adams (which replaced Battery Mills) was built there between 1933 and 1935, then decommissioned in 1946.  Roads and houses now cover this area.

The four-story fire control tower located at the top of Leahi was built between 1908-1910. It is reached by a trail which terminates at the 560 foot elevation, then up a concrete stairway to a 225 foot long tunnel, finally a long concrete staircase of 99 steps leads to another tunnel which opens out on the south face of Diamond Head (with four levels of fire control stations.)

From this elaborate fire control station all the guns along the leeward coast could be commanded. The lowest level was for Battery Randolph at Fort DeRussy. The next station above served both Randolph and Dudley at DeRussy. The third level commanded Battery Harlow at Fort Ruger and the top level was the battle commander's station.

From this vantage point, 761 feet above sea level, the battle commander could view the coast from Koko Head to Waianae.

The conclusion of World War II and the advent of nuclear and missile warfare made the coastal batteries obsolete. Thus in December 1955 the majority of the land was turned over to the State of Hawai‘i.

Currently, Fort Ruger is down-scaled and part of the Diamond Head State Monument Park and is utilized for training and various administrative purposes by the Hawaii Army National Guard.  Additionally, the installation is the presently home of the Joint Force Headquarters-Hawai‛i.

Battery Birkhimer has been recycled and presently serves as office space for the State Department of Defense.  The other Batteries are generally used for storage.

The image shows Lēʻahi with the various Batteries and Fire Control Station of Fort Ruger on a Google Earth image.  In addition, I have added other Fort Ruger images in a folder of like name in the Photos section on my Facebook page.

http://www.facebook.com/peter.t.young.hawaii

© 2012 Hoʻokuleana LLC

Camp McKinley

The Spanish-American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence.

William McKinley was president of the United States, and the causal event was the explosion of the battleship USS Maine in Havana Harbor, Cuba on February 15, 1898.

So, what does that have to do with Hawai‘i?

Well, back then, Spain had interests in the Pacific, particularly in the Guam and Philippines.  Although the main issue was Cuban independence, the ten-week war was fought in both the Caribbean and the Pacific.

Likewise, US foreign policy advocated the taking of the Caribbean Islands and the Philippine Islands for bases to protect US commerce.

Meanwhile, Hawai'i, had gained strategic importance because of its geographical position in the Pacific.  Honolulu served as a stopover point for the forces heading to the Philippines.

In July 1898, the joint 'Newlands Resolution' for annexation was adopted by Congress and signed by President McKinley.   At the time, there was no assigned garrison here until August 15, 1898, when the 1st New York Volunteer Infantry regiment and the 3rd Battalion, 2nd US Volunteer Engineers landed in Honolulu for garrison duty.

The two commands were initially camped alongside each other as though they were one regiment in the large infield of the one-mile race track at Kapi‘olani Park.  The initial camp in the infield at the race track was unnamed.

As more members of the regiment arrived, the camp was moved about three or four hundred yards from the race track to an area called ‘Irwin Tract.’  The Irwin Tract camp was named "Camp McKinley," in honor of the president.

The site “was near the only ocean-bathing beach on the Island and the reported site of a proposed Sanitarium selected by the resident physicians in the immediate vicinity of the best residential quarter of the Island.  In addition it had shade in the park, a drill and parade ground on the racecourse, city water, and was accessible.”

The troops used the bathing facilities at the Sans Souci Resort which was located on the beach at the southeast corner of the park.

Camp Otis was a short-lived camp of Philippine expeditionary troops who arrived on the troop ship ‘Arizona’ on August 27, 1898 and were left in Honolulu when the ship went on to Manila.

The soldiers camped inside the racetrack at Kapi‘olani Park.  The camp was later moved east within the racetrack to a point “nearly opposite Camp McKinley.”  The camp was named after Major General Elwell S. Otis, US Volunteers, the commanding officer in the Philippines in 1898-99.

Camp Otis was abandoned about November 7, 1898 when the ‘Arizona’ returned and the troops departed for Manila.

Owing to the prevalence of malarial and typhoid fever, they moved the regiment to a camp to Wai‘alae, on the north side of Diamond Head, about three miles from “Camp McKinley.”

They temporarily occupied the Paul Isenberg estate which stretched from Kapahulu Avenue to Kāhala Beach.  A letter from one soldier camped there noted, “The tents are pitched on the sandy beach at Waialie (sic)…”

The 2nd Engineers ultimately built barracks and other buildings for the new Camp McKinley just north of Kapi‘olani Park, between Leahi and Kana‘ina avenues (it is now covered by businesses along Kapahulu Avenue and residences in the area.)

Local hospitals were used for the sick soldiers until Independence Park Hospital was established on August 15, 1898.  The Red Cross also established a hospital for soldiers in the Child Garden Building on Beretania Street in June, 1898.

The Independence Park Hospital was located in a dance pavilion at Independence Park, southeast of the corner of Sheridan and King Streets.

In October, 1898, concern over conditions at Independence Park Hospital and the large number of sick soldiers required that additional hospital space be obtained.  The Independence Park Hospital was closed in January, 1899.

The Nu‘uanu Valley Military Hospital (also known as "Buena Vista Hospital") was located at the former John Paty home (known as Buena Vista) on the east side of Nu‘uanu Avenue at Wyllie Street.  (That site is now covered by the Nu‘uanu-Pali
Highway interchange, just north of the Community Church of Honolulu.)

Camp McKinley remained in existence until Fort Shafter was opened in late June, 1907.  The garrison was either artillery or coast artillery troops during this period.

The image shows the initial encampment in Kapi‘olani Park.  In addition, I have included other images relates to Camp McKinley in a Folder of like name in the Photos section on my Facebook page.

http://www.facebook.com/peter.t.young.hawaii

Diamond Head Lighthouse

Diamond Head serves as a landmark as ships approach Honolulu Harbor from the west side of Oʻahu.

With the increase of commerce calling at the port of Honolulu, a lookout was established in 1878 on the seaward slopes of Diamond Head for spotting and reporting incoming vessels.

The first attendant, John Peterson from Sweden and known as “Lighthouse Charlie,” spotted incoming vessels through a telescope.

In 1893, ‘SS Miowera’ ran aground at Diamond Head prompting the Hawaiian legislature to recommend a lighthouse be established at Diamond Head.  Then, ‘China’ ran aground, finally causing construction of an iron tower to begin.

A 40’ open frame tower was constructed at Honolulu Iron Works.  In 1898, the Hawaiian legislature deemed the lighthouse tower should be masonry, not skeletal iron.

Its light was first lit on July 1, 1899.  The light had a red sector to mark dangerous shoals and reefs.  (As an aside, the first lighthouse in the Pacific was built on Maui in 1840; the first in Honolulu in 1869.)

In 1904, a floor was added to the tower, 14’ above ground level.  Windows were placed in 2 existing openings in the tower walls and telephone lines were installed in the tower.

However, over a decade later, cracks were noted in the structure, compromising the tower's integrity.  In 1917, funds were allocated for constructing a fifty-five-foot tower of reinforced concrete on the original foundation.

The old tower was replaced with the modern concrete structure, which strongly resembles the original tower.

One notable difference is that the old tower had an external staircase that wrapped partway around the tower, whereas the new tower houses an internal, cast-iron, spiral stairway.

In 1921, a light keeper’s home was built nearby.  A keeper occupied the dwelling for just three years, as the station was automated in 1924.

In 1939, the light station was turned over to the Coast Guard.

During World War II, a small structure was built on the seaward side of the tower and a Coast Guard radio station was housed in the keeper's dwelling.

Following the war, in 1946, the radio station was moved to its present site in Wahiawa.  The dwelling was remodeled and has since been home to the Commanders of the Fourteenth Coast Guard District.

The Diamond Head light was built 147 feet above sea level and can be seen as far away as 18 miles.  It has the intensity of 60,000 candlepower.  To warn vessels of the reefs off of Waikiki Beach, a red sector shows.

Fully automatic, its 1,000-watt electric lamp continues to guide ships to O‘ahu and is among the best-known lighthouses in the world.

In 1980, the Diamond Head Lighthouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

Besides continuing its nightly vigil noting the land and reefs off Diamond Head, the lighthouse also serves as one end of the finish line for the biennial Transpac Yacht Race, which starts 2,225 nautical miles away from Point Fermin, at the southern edge of Los Angeles, California.

While at DLNR, I had the opportunity to attend a reception hosted by Admiral Sally Brice-O'Hara, then-Commander of the 14th Coast Guard District at the Diamond Head Lighthouse.  Yes, the location and view from this site is one of the best in Hawaiʻi.

In addition to the image here, I have posted additional images of Diamond Head Lighthouse in a folder of like name in the Photos section of my Facebook page.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Peter-T-Young/1332665638