Hamakua
Encyclopedia
Hawaii (island)
The Island of Hawaii, also called the Big Island or Hawaii Island , is a volcanic island in the North Pacific Ocean...
("Big Island"), administered by the County of Hawaii
Hawaii County, Hawaii
Hawaii County is a county located in the U.S. state of Hawaii in the Hawaiian Islands. It is coterminous with the Island of Hawaii, often called the "Big Island" to distinguish it from the state as a whole. As of the 2010 Census the population was 185,079. The county seat is Hilo. There are no...
in the state of Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
.
Description
Hāmākua's coast is approximately 50 miles (80.5 km) long, along the Pacific OceanPacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
around 19°59′36"N 155°14′25"W, ending at Waipio Valley
Waipio valley
Waipio Valley is a valley located in the Hamakua District of the Big Island of Hawaii. "Waipio" means "curved water" in the Hawaiian language.It was the capital and permanent residence of many early Hawaiian alii up until the time of King Umi...
and the uninhabited Waimanu Valley
Waimanu Valley
Waimanu Valley is a remote valley on the northeast coast of Hawaii island. Besides the main Waimanu Stream, it includes Waihīlau Falls on a tributary.-Description:...
. The term Hāmākua Coast is used loosely to describe the region between Hilo and Waipio, although the modern Hāmākua zoning district begins north of Laupāhoehoe
Laupahoehoe, Hawai'i
Laupāhoehoe is a census-designated place in Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States located in the District of North Hilo. The population was 581 at the 2010 census.-History:...
and west of Ōōkala
'O'okala, Hawaii
Ōōkala is an unincorporated community on the island of Hawaii in Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States. It lies along Hawaii Route 19 north of Hilo, the county seat of Hawaii County. Its elevation is 371 feet , and it is located at...
. The rainfall due to the prevailing northeasterly tropical trade wind
Trade wind
The trade winds are the prevailing pattern of easterly surface winds found in the tropics, within the lower portion of the Earth's atmosphere, in the lower section of the troposphere near the Earth's equator...
s produces steep erosional valleys and cliffs, showing evidence of frequent landslides.
The lush vegetation and lack of sandy beaches contrasts sharply with other regions of the island.
The dominating geographic feature in Hāmākua is the volcanic mountain Mauna Kea
Mauna Kea
Mauna Kea is a volcano on the island of Hawaii. Standing above sea level, its peak is the highest point in the state of Hawaii. However, much of the mountain is under water; when measured from its oceanic base, Mauna Kea is over tall—significantly taller than Mount Everest...
. The district stretches south through the central plateau to the summit of Mauna Loa
Mauna Loa
Mauna Loa is one of five volcanoes that form the Island of Hawaii in the U.S. state of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean, and the largest on Earth in terms of volume and area covered. It is an active shield volcano, with a volume estimated at approximately , although its peak is about lower than that...
. Hāmākua was one of the six traditional districts of the island in ancient Hawaii
Ancient Hawaii
Ancient Hawaii refers to the period of Hawaiian human history preceding the unification of the Kingdom of Hawaii by Kamehameha the Great in 1810. After being first settled by Polynesian long-distance navigators sometime between AD 300–800, a unique culture developed. Diversified agroforestry and...
(known as moku).
To the north beyond Waipio Valley is the Kohala district
Kohala, Hawaii
thumb|right|300px|The districts of the [[Hawaii |Big Island]]. From Northernmost, clockwise; Kohala , [[Hamakua|Hāmākua]], [[Hilo, Hawaii|Hilo]], [[Puna, Hawaii|Puna]], [[Kau, Hawaii|Kaū]], [[Kona District, Hawaii|Kona]]...
, with the older volcano Kohala mountain
Kohala (mountain)
Kohala is the oldest of five volcanoes that make up the island of Hawaii. Kohala is an estimated one million years old—so old that it experienced, and recorded, a reversal of magnetic field 780,000 years ago. It is believed to have breached sea level more than 500,000 years ago and to...
.
History
In Hawaiian mythologyHawaiian mythology
Hawaiian mythology refers to the legends, historical tales and sayings of the ancient Hawaiian people. It is considered a variant of a more general Polynesian mythology, developing its own unique character for several centuries before about 1800. It is associated with the Hawaiian religion...
, Mauna Kea was the home of snow goddess Poliʻahu, and the place of several other legends.
John Palmer Parker
John Palmer Parker
John Palmer Parker was the founder of the Parker Ranch on the island of Hawaii in Hawaii.-Life:John Palmer Parker was born May 1, 1790 in Newton, Massachusetts. His father was Samuel Parker and mother was Ann Palmer Parker ....
established the Parker Ranch
Parker Ranch
Parker Ranch is a working cattle ranch on the Island of Hawaii in the state of Hawaii, now run by a charitable trust.-History:The ranch was founded in 1847 and is one of the oldest ranches in the United States, pre-dating many mainland ranches in Texas and other southwestern states by more than 30...
on the high grasslands of Mauna Kea in 1847. Over the years (especially under manager Alfred Wellington Carter
Alfred Wellington Carter
Alfred Wellington Carter was a lawyer and judge in the Republic of Hawaii and the Territory of Hawaii who managed the Parker Ranch.-Life:...
) it was expanded to encompass much of the mountain's slopes.
Many small communities sprang up around Hawaiian sugar plantations
Sugar plantations in Hawaii
Sugarcane was introduced to Hawaii by its first inhabitants in approximately 600 AD and was observed by Captain Cook upon arrival in the islands in 1778. Sugar quickly turned into a big business and generated rapid population growth in the islands with 337,000 people immigrating over the span of a...
which were operating along the Hāmākua Coast through most of the 20th century.
The demand for sugar cane rose after the Reciprocity Treaty of 1875
Reciprocity Treaty of 1875
The Treaty of reciprocity between the United States of America and the Hawaiian Kingdom was a free trade agreement signed and ratified in 1875 that is generally known as the Reciprocity Treaty of 1875....
reduced tariff
Tariff
A tariff may be either tax on imports or exports , or a list or schedule of prices for such things as rail service, bus routes, and electrical usage ....
s to the United States.
The first mill processed the crop planted in 1876. Early investors included Claus Spreckles, Samuel Parker
Samuel Parker (Hawaii)
Samuel Parker, known as Kamuela Parker was a major landowner and businessman on the island of Hawaii, heir to the Parker Ranch estate...
, and Theophilus Harris Davies
Theophilus Harris Davies
-Life:Davies was born January 4, 1833, the son of a minister.He was recruited in England to join the firm of Janion, Green & Co. in Hawaii, a successor to Starkey, Janion & Co., formed in 1845.Partners were Robert Cheshire Janion and William Lowthian Green....
.
The Hāmākua Mill Company, Honokaa Sugar, Kaiwiki Sugar, Kukaiau Plantation Company, Laupāhoehoe Sugar, Paauhau Sugar Plantation and Pacific Sugar Mill were eventually consolidated into the Hāmākua Sugar Company.
The Hāmākua district was an endemic region of bubonic plague
Bubonic plague
Plague is a deadly infectious disease that is caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis, named after the French-Swiss bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin. Primarily carried by rodents and spread to humans via fleas, the disease is notorious throughout history, due to the unrivaled scale of death...
in the early part of the 20th century. From 1910 to 1949, there were 112 confirmed cases of the disease, of which 109 were fatal. The Board of Health of the Territory of Hawaii
Territory of Hawaii
The Territory of Hawaii or Hawaii Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 7, 1898, until August 21, 1959, when its territory, with the exception of Johnston Atoll, was admitted to the Union as the fiftieth U.S. state, the State of Hawaii.The U.S...
, in combined efforts with the local sugar plantations, engaged in a vast rat
Rat
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus...
extermination campaign. Despite these efforts, plague remained an enzootic
Enzootic
Enzootic is the non-human equivalent of endemic and means, in a broad sense, "belonging to" or "native to", "characteristic of", or "prevalent in" a particular geography, race, field, area, or environment; native to an area or scope....
disease in the region up until 1957. It is unclear why plague eventually left the area.
Sugar plantations declined and were consolidated in the latter half of the 20th century. About 10% of the population was lost each decade following 1970. The company was sold by Theo H. Davies & Co.
Theo H. Davies & Co.
Theo H. Davies & Co. is a company that was one of the Big Five trading and agricultural companies in the Territory of Hawaii.-History:Starkey, Janion, & Co. was a trading company founded in Liverpool in April 1845 by Englishmen James and John Starkey and Robert Cheshire Janion. Janion arrived in...
to Francis S. Morgan in 1984 who operated the property for ten years. The Hamakua Sugar Company had its final harvest in 1994. After years of high unemployment, the economy shifted to small diversified farms. Crops include macadamia nuts, papaya
Papaya
The papaya , papaw, or pawpaw is the fruit of the plant Carica papaya, the sole species in the genus Carica of the plant family Caricaceae...
, mango
Mango
The mango is a fleshy stone fruit belonging to the genus Mangifera, consisting of numerous tropical fruiting trees in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae. The mango is native to India from where it spread all over the world. It is also the most cultivated fruit of the tropical world. While...
, coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
, and other tropical fruits.
Irrigation canals known as the Upper Hamakua Ditch and Lower Hamakua Ditch (not to confused with the project of a similar name on Maui
Maui
The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...
by Henry Perrine Baldwin
Henry Perrine Baldwin
Henry Perrine Baldwin was a businessman and politician on Maui in the Hawaiian islands. He supervised the construction of the East Maui Irrigation System and co-founded Alexander & Baldwin, one of the "Big Five" corporations that dominated the economy of the Territory of Hawaii.-Life:Henry Perrine...
) had been built in 1910, and were repaired in 2001.
While virtually all of the pre-existing native forest below altitudes of several thousand feet was removed by sugarcane cultivation, several remnants of native forest can be found. Where the terrain of gulches such as Laupāhoehoe, Ka'awali'i, and Maulua was too steep for cultivation, for example, the original forest remains largely intact. There are also protected areas such as Kalōpā State Recreation Area
Kalopa State Recreation Area
The Kalōpā Native Forest State Park and Recreation Area is a state park with an arboretum of native trees located approximately northwest of Hilo, near the village of Honokaa, a few miles inland from the Mamalahoa Highway section of the Hawaii Belt Road, Island of Hawaii, Hawaii.This park...
, which has preserved a small stand of native trees and their understory compatriots.
Other protected areas include the Hamakua, Hauola, Manowaialee, and Mauna Kea State Forest Reserves,
Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge
Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge
Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge is a protected area on the Big Island of Hawaii. It is one of two units, along with the Kona Forest National Wildlife Refuge that is managed as part of the Big Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex...
, and Mauna Kea Ice Age Reserve
Mauna Kea Ice Age Reserve
-Quarry:The quarry was used by prehistoric Hawaiians to obtain basalt for stone tools including blades for adzes.Located near the summit of Mauna Kea at an elevation above at along the Mauna Kea Trail, this is the largest primitive quarry in the world. The archaeological complex also includes...
, all on Mauna Kea, and the Mauna Loa Forest Preserve on Mauna Loa.
In 2009 the Mauna Kea Observatory
Mauna Kea Observatory
The Observatories at Mauna Kea, , are an independent collection of astronomical research facilities located on the summit of Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawai'i, USA. The facilities are located in a special land use zone known as the "Astronomy Precinct," which is located in the Mauna Kea...
was selected as the site of a new Thirty Meter Telescope
Thirty meter telescope
The Thirty Metre Telescope is a proposed ground-based large segmented mirror reflecting telescope to be built on Mauna Kea in Hawaii. The telescope is designed for observations from the near-ultraviolet to the mid-infrared . An adaptive optics system would correct for image blur caused by the...
. Although the project encountered some local opposition, other members of the community welcomed the diversification of the economy. A comprehensive management plan was produced with local input.
Transportation
Hawaii Consolidated Railway
The Hawaii Consolidated Railway , originally named the Hilo Railway, was a standard gauge common carrier railroad that served much of the east coast of the island of Hawaii until an important section of the line was destroyed by a tsunami on April 1, 1946.- Origin :Like the Oahu Railway and Land...
was extended to connect the Hāmākua sugar plantations to the harbor at Hilo Bay
Hilo Bay
Hilo Bay is a large bay located on the eastern coast of the island of Hawaii.-Description:The modern town of Hilo, Hawaii overlooks Hilo Bay, located at ....
. On April 1, 1946 a tsunami
Tsunami
A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake...
caused by an Aleutian Islands earthquake damaged the railroad so much it abandoned its tracks. Several years later the state of Hawaii acquired the right-of-way, and by 1960 realigned the Hawaii Belt Road (Route 19, known as the Māmalahoa Highway) to shorten the driving time.
In many places the older highway (Old Māmalahoa Highway) follows a more scenic, but twisted route that resembles the more well-known Road to Hana on Maui
Maui
The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...
.
Popular recreation sites along the Māmalahoa Highway include Akaka Falls, Umauma Falls
Umauma Falls
The Umauma Falls are located on the Umauma River on the Big Island of Hawaii, approximately 16 miles north of Hilo.They are unique in Hawaii as being a series of three waterfalls in close proximity. They are easily viewed from an overlook located on private botanical garden property accessible for...
, Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden
Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden
The Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden is a nonprofit botanical garden and nature preserve located off Route 19 at 27-717 Old Māmalahoa Highway , Pāpa'ikou, Hawaii , Hawaii. It is open daily; an admission fee is charged....
, World Botanical Gardens
World Botanical Gardens
World Botanical Gardens and Waterfalls is a commercial botanical gardens with a large waterfall, located between Umauma and Hakalau, at the corner of Leopolino Road and Hawaii Belt Road, State Highway 19, 16 miles north of Hilo, Island of Hawaii, Hawaii. The gardens are open daily with an...
and Kolekole Beach Park
Kolekole Beach Park
Kolekole Beach Park is a Hawaii county park on the island of Hawaii.The park is about downstream from Akaka Falls, with an additional waterfall on the Kaahakini stream that drops directly from a small cliff into the main Kolekole Stream as it forms an estuary at the ocean...
.
The Saddle Road (Route 200) travels from Hilo through the inland part of the district, providing access to the high plateau between Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea, and roads to the astronomical observatories on the summit of Mauna Kea and the NOAA observatory
Mauna Loa Observatory
The Mauna Loa Observatory is an atmospheric baseline station on Mauna Loa volcano, on the big island of Hawaii.-The observatory:Since 1956 Mauna Loa Observatory has been monitoring and collecting data relating to atmospheric change, and is known especially for the continuous monitoring of...
high on Mauna Loa. The US military conducts live-fire training at the Pohakuloa Training Area
Pohakuloa Training Area
Pōhakuloa Training Area is located on the island of Hawaii in the high plateau between Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea and the Hualālai volcanic mountains...
along this road.
Communities
Although there are no separately incorporated cities in the state of Hawaii, communities in the district (plus those in the nearby North Hilo district) include:- ĀhualoaAhualoa, HawaiiĀhualoa is an unincorporated rural area along the Hamakua Coast on the Island of Hawaii, Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States.The name is believed to mean either "long mound" or "long cloud", in the Hawaiian language...
- HakalauHakalau, HawaiiHakalau is a small unincorporated community located along the Hamakua coast about north of Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii in the U.S. state of Hawaii at ....
- Honokaa
- Honomū
- Kukuihaele
- Laupāhoehoe
- ʻŌʻōkala'O'okala, HawaiiŌōkala is an unincorporated community on the island of Hawaii in Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States. It lies along Hawaii Route 19 north of Hilo, the county seat of Hawaii County. Its elevation is 371 feet , and it is located at...
- Paauilo
- PāpaaloaPapa'aloa, HawaiiPapaaloa is an unincorporated community on the island of Hawaii in Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States. It lies along Hawaii Route 19 north of Hilo, the county seat of Hawaii County...
- Pepeekeo
Notable residents
- David McHattie ForbesDavid McHattie ForbesDavid McHattie Forbes was a Scottish botanist, ethnologist, explorer on the island of Hawai'i. He practiced forestry, agronomy, and horticulture and served as the first district forester of South Kohala in 1905, and twenty years later was appointed a judge in Waimea...
(1863–1937), Scottish sugar planter - Edward Griffin HitchcockEdward Griffin HitchcockEdward Griffin "Holy Terror" Hitchcock was a law enforcement officer in the Kingdom of Hawaii, who rose to the position of Marshal of the Republic of Hawaii.-Life:...
(1837–1898), sugar planter, sheriff, and marshal - Rufus Anderson LymanRufus Anderson LymanRufus Anderson Lyman was a son of a missionary who became a lawyer and politician in the Kingdom of Hawaii, founded the Paauhau Sugar Plantation Company, and had many notable descendants.-Life:...
(1842–1910), founded Paʻauhau Sugar Plantation - Pablo ManlapitPablo ManlapitPablo Manlapit was a migrant laborer, lawyer, labor organizer and activist in Hawaii and the Philippines.-Life:...
(1891–1969), labor organizer - William Herbert Purvis (1858–1950), English planter introduced MacadamiaMacadamiaMacadamia is a genus of nine species of flowering plants in the family Proteaceae, with a disjunct distribution native to eastern Australia , New Caledonia and Sulawesi in Indonesia ....
- Erik Hazelhoff RoelfzemaErik Hazelhoff RoelfzemaSiebren Erik Hazelhoff Roelfzema DFC RMWO , was a Dutch wartime RAF-pilot, Dutch spy and writer. He was a Knight 4th class of the Military William Order....
(1917–2007), Dutch spy and author - Dwight TakamineDwight TakamineDwight Y. Takamine is an Okinawan-American Hawaii state senator and state representative . A Democrat, he represents the first district on the island of Hawai'i.-Early life and education:...
(born January 29, 1953), state senator - Georges Phillipe TrousseauGeorges Phillipe TrousseauGeorges Phillipe Trousseau was a French physician who became the royal doctor of the Kingdom of Hawaii, and engaged in a variety of agricultural ventures.-Biography:Georges Phillipe Trousseau was born in Paris on May 1, 1833...
(1833–1894) French royal physician - John D. Waihee IIIJohn D. Waihee IIIJohn David Waihee III served as the fourth Governor of Hawaii from 1986 to 1994. He was the first American of Native Hawaiian descent to be elected to the office from any state of the United States. After his tenure in the governor's office, Waihee became a nationally prominent attorney and...
(born May 19, 1946), first native Hawaiian governor - Roseanne BarrRoseanne BarrRoseanne Cherrie Barr is an American actress, comedian, writer, television producer and director. Barr began her career in stand-up comedy at clubs before gaining fame for her role in the sitcom Roseanne. The show was a hit and lasted nine seasons, from 1988 to 1997...
(born November 3, 1952), is an American actress, comedian, writer, television producer and director.