Makapuu Point Light
Encyclopedia
The Makapuu Point Light on the island of Oahu
has the largest lens of any lighthouse
in the United States
. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1977.
commerce, and greatly in need of a navigational aid.
Makapu'u Point is the southeastern most point of Oahu (in the Makapuʻu region and the landfall for all traffic from the American west coast to Honolulu
, and with the 1887 Constitution of the Kingdom of Hawaii
, which began definite steps towards annexation, shipping interests began to clamor for a lighthouse at the point, beginning with an 1888 petition. In 1890 Lorrin A. Thurston
, minister of the interior for the kingdom, directed that inquiries be made with a British
firm for a lens and other equipment. The light remained stuck in the planning stage, however, until after annexation, and indeed until 1906, with the United States House of Representatives
passed a bill with an appropriation for construction.
In the interim the size of the planned optic grew considerably. Thurston's original request was met with a specification for a 3rd-order Fresnel lens
, but as time passed plans were upgraded to use a 2nd-order, and then a 1st-order lens.
At the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, the United States Lighthouse Board
prominently displayed "its 'state of the art' wares and engineering achievements." Prominently featured was "the engineering marvel" of Spectacle Reef Light
and a 111 feet (33.8 m) skeletal cast iron
lighthouse tower (reassembled as Rawley Point Light just north of Two Rivers, Wisconsin
after the exposition).
Also displayed were a number of Fresnel lenses, including a stunning 3rd-Order Fresnel lens which previously was awarded first prize at a Paris glass exhibition. The lens featured alternating red and white panels, and had been ordered for installation in the new lighthouse at Point Loma Light (old) in California. The coincidental conclusion of construction of the new Chicago Harbor Light
and the close of the Exhibition prompted the Lighthouse Board keep the lens in Chicago, and thus the lens was installed in the lantern room of the new tower in Chicago, where it remained for nearly 100 years.
Also displayed at the fair was a hyperradiant Fresnel lens
-- the largest size ever made, 'off the chart' of 6th through 1st Order. This lens was on hand when it was decided to build and outfit the Makapuu Point Light. Rather than order a new lens, the huge optic construction—twelve feet tall and with over a thousand prisms—would be used at the new Makapuu Point Light. Makapuu Point Light thereby became the only U.S. light with such a lens, and ever since its activation in 1909, it has had the distinction of having the largest lens in U.S. service.
In addition to being the largest lens in the United States, at the time of its construction, this was the second highest focal plane, after Cape Mendocino Light
in California which is at 422 feet (128.6 m). It is now the third highest light in the U.S., behind the 462 feet (141 m) - Point Loma Light (old), California
and Cape Mendocino. It is still an active aid to navigation.
Originally the light was provided with a three mantle
oil vapor lamp. To start the lamp, a supplementary alcohol burner was required, and this was the source of a tragedy in 1925. The first and second assistant keepers were changing watches in the wee hours of April 25 when the former suggested to the latter that the alcohol reservoir be filled. This was accomplished, but some of the alcohol spilled. The first assistant lit a match, triggering an explosion. The second assistant was standing in the doorway and escaped serious injury, but the first assistant, Alexander Toomey, was badly burned and died the next day. His pregnant wife gave birth to a daughter shortly thereafter, and three months later she too died.
Two years later the lighthouse was equipped with a radio beacon, the first in Hawaii. As this required a generating station the lamp was changed from oil vapor to a 500W incandescent bulb. The light was automated in 1974, the radiobeacon having been discontinued the previous year. Shortly thereafter the lighthouse keeper
's quarters were used to house witnesses in the federal tax evasion
case of Wilford "Nappy" Pulawa.
The isolated location left the buildings vulnerable to vandalism, including a 1984 incident in which a hole was shot in the lens. In 1987 the Coast Guard declared much of the land around the light surplus, and it was turned over to the State of Hawaii. One of the buildings was then seized by an armed group of native Hawaiians as part of a land ownership protest; after several weeks, however, the squatters were evicted without bloodshed, and buildings were razed. The light remains in control of the Coast Guard, surrounded by state-owned land; the trail leads to the light, and it is a popular destination for hikers.
The light is currently marked as white with red lantern. However, it was previously marked with a black lantern, and some sources erroneously indicate that as the present markings.
The lighthouse sits high on a volcanic point, overlooking "one of the most breathtaking coastal panoramas of any in the United States." This is a good place to whale watch
. The rocky cliffs are popular with hang gliders.
State Park
and Sandy Beach Park. Observe the Hawaii Kai Golf Course, and proceed about 0.5 mile (0.80467 km). To the right a gate blocks the trail entrance.
This is a moderate 2 miles (3.2 km) hike. Although paved it is "quite steep in spots." No shade and no outhouse
or restroom facilities exist. An A.M. start is advised to beat the heat. Bring water and wear sunscreen. Parking is along the street. Unusual cacti
are along the trail.
The experience and view is said to be worth the walk. However, the parking area is a "high theft area" and is posted accordingly; leaving valuables in the car is ill-advised.
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
has the largest lens of any lighthouse
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1977.
History
Before this light was constructed, the location was considered to be of vital importance to maritimeSea
A sea generally refers to a large body of salt water, but the term is used in other contexts as well. Most commonly, it means a large expanse of saline water connected with an ocean, and is commonly used as a synonym for ocean...
commerce, and greatly in need of a navigational aid.
Makapu'u Point is the southeastern most point of Oahu (in the Makapuʻu region and the landfall for all traffic from the American west coast to Honolulu
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
, and with the 1887 Constitution of the Kingdom of Hawaii
1887 Constitution of the Kingdom of Hawaii
The 1887 Constitution of the Kingdom of Hawaii was a legal document by anti-monarchists to strip the Hawaiian monarchy of much of its authority, initiating a transfer of power to American, European and native Hawaiian elites...
, which began definite steps towards annexation, shipping interests began to clamor for a lighthouse at the point, beginning with an 1888 petition. In 1890 Lorrin A. Thurston
Lorrin A. Thurston
Lorrin Andrews Thurston was a lawyer, politician, and businessman born and raised in the Kingdom of Hawaii. The grandson of two of the first Christian missionaries to Hawaii, Thurston played a prominent role in the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom that replaced Queen Liliuokalani with the...
, minister of the interior for the kingdom, directed that inquiries be made with a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
firm for a lens and other equipment. The light remained stuck in the planning stage, however, until after annexation, and indeed until 1906, with the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
passed a bill with an appropriation for construction.
In the interim the size of the planned optic grew considerably. Thurston's original request was met with a specification for a 3rd-order Fresnel lens
Fresnel lens
A Fresnel lens is a type of lens originally developed by French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel for lighthouses.The design allows the construction of lenses of large aperture and short focal length without the mass and volume of material that would be required by a lens of conventional design...
, but as time passed plans were upgraded to use a 2nd-order, and then a 1st-order lens.
At the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, the United States Lighthouse Board
United States Lighthouse Board
The United States Lighthouse Board was the agency of the US Federal Government that was responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of all lighthouses in the United States...
prominently displayed "its 'state of the art' wares and engineering achievements." Prominently featured was "the engineering marvel" of Spectacle Reef Light
Spectacle Reef Light
Spectacle Reef Light is a lighthouse eleven miles east of the Straits of Mackinac and is located at the northern end of Lake Huron, Michigan. It was designed and built by Colonel Orlando Metcalfe Poe and Major Godfrey Weitzel, and was the most expensive lighthouse ever built on the Great Lakes...
and a 111 feet (33.8 m) skeletal cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
lighthouse tower (reassembled as Rawley Point Light just north of Two Rivers, Wisconsin
Two Rivers, Wisconsin
Two Rivers is a city in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 11,712 at the 2010 census. It is the birthplace of the ice cream sundae...
after the exposition).
Also displayed were a number of Fresnel lenses, including a stunning 3rd-Order Fresnel lens which previously was awarded first prize at a Paris glass exhibition. The lens featured alternating red and white panels, and had been ordered for installation in the new lighthouse at Point Loma Light (old) in California. The coincidental conclusion of construction of the new Chicago Harbor Light
Chicago Harbor Light
The Chicago Harbor Lighthouse is an automated active lighthouse, and stands at the end of the northern breakwater protecting the Chicago Harbor, to the east of Navy Pier and the mouth of the Chicago River.-History:...
and the close of the Exhibition prompted the Lighthouse Board keep the lens in Chicago, and thus the lens was installed in the lantern room of the new tower in Chicago, where it remained for nearly 100 years.
Also displayed at the fair was a hyperradiant Fresnel lens
Hyperradiant Fresnel lens
Hyper-radial or hyperradiant Fresnel lenses are Fresnel lenses larger than "first order" lenses. They have a focal length of 1330 mm. The idea was mentioned by Thomas Stevenson in 1869 and first proposed by John Richardson Wigham in 1872, and again proposed by Thomas Stevenson in 1885.The...
-- the largest size ever made, 'off the chart' of 6th through 1st Order. This lens was on hand when it was decided to build and outfit the Makapuu Point Light. Rather than order a new lens, the huge optic construction—twelve feet tall and with over a thousand prisms—would be used at the new Makapuu Point Light. Makapuu Point Light thereby became the only U.S. light with such a lens, and ever since its activation in 1909, it has had the distinction of having the largest lens in U.S. service.
In addition to being the largest lens in the United States, at the time of its construction, this was the second highest focal plane, after Cape Mendocino Light
Cape Mendocino Light
Cape Mendocino Lighthouse is a lighthouse in California,United States, off Shelter Cove near Point Delgado, California. The tower had the highest focal plane at in the U.S....
in California which is at 422 feet (128.6 m). It is now the third highest light in the U.S., behind the 462 feet (141 m) - Point Loma Light (old), California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and Cape Mendocino. It is still an active aid to navigation.
Originally the light was provided with a three mantle
Gas mantle
An incandescent gas mantle, gas mantle, or Welsbach mantle is a device for generating bright white light when heated by a flame. The name refers to its original heat source, existing gas lights, which filled the streets of Europe and North America in the late 19th century, mantle referring to the...
oil vapor lamp. To start the lamp, a supplementary alcohol burner was required, and this was the source of a tragedy in 1925. The first and second assistant keepers were changing watches in the wee hours of April 25 when the former suggested to the latter that the alcohol reservoir be filled. This was accomplished, but some of the alcohol spilled. The first assistant lit a match, triggering an explosion. The second assistant was standing in the doorway and escaped serious injury, but the first assistant, Alexander Toomey, was badly burned and died the next day. His pregnant wife gave birth to a daughter shortly thereafter, and three months later she too died.
Two years later the lighthouse was equipped with a radio beacon, the first in Hawaii. As this required a generating station the lamp was changed from oil vapor to a 500W incandescent bulb. The light was automated in 1974, the radiobeacon having been discontinued the previous year. Shortly thereafter the lighthouse keeper
Lighthouse keeper
A lighthouse keeper is the person responsible for tending and caring for a lighthouse, particularly the light and lens in the days when oil lamps and clockwork mechanisms were used. Keepers were needed to trim the wicks, replenish fuel, wind clockworks and perform maintenance tasks such as cleaning...
's quarters were used to house witnesses in the federal tax evasion
Tax evasion
Tax evasion is the general term for efforts by individuals, corporations, trusts and other entities to evade taxes by illegal means. Tax evasion usually entails taxpayers deliberately misrepresenting or concealing the true state of their affairs to the tax authorities to reduce their tax liability,...
case of Wilford "Nappy" Pulawa.
The isolated location left the buildings vulnerable to vandalism, including a 1984 incident in which a hole was shot in the lens. In 1987 the Coast Guard declared much of the land around the light surplus, and it was turned over to the State of Hawaii. One of the buildings was then seized by an armed group of native Hawaiians as part of a land ownership protest; after several weeks, however, the squatters were evicted without bloodshed, and buildings were razed. The light remains in control of the Coast Guard, surrounded by state-owned land; the trail leads to the light, and it is a popular destination for hikers.
The light is currently marked as white with red lantern. However, it was previously marked with a black lantern, and some sources erroneously indicate that as the present markings.
The lighthouse sits high on a volcanic point, overlooking "one of the most breathtaking coastal panoramas of any in the United States." This is a good place to whale watch
Whale watching
Whale watching is the practice of observing whales and other cetaceans in their natural habitat. Whales are watched most commonly for recreation but the activity can also serve scientific or educational purposes. A 2009 study, prepared for IFAW, estimated that 13 million people went whale watching...
. The rocky cliffs are popular with hang gliders.
Getting there
From south bound Interstate H1, follow Kalanianaole Highway (SR72) east past Hanauma BayHanauma Bay
Hanauma is a marine embayment formed within a volcanic cone and located along the southeast coast of the Island of Oahu in the Hawaiian Islands....
State Park
State park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...
and Sandy Beach Park. Observe the Hawaii Kai Golf Course, and proceed about 0.5 mile (0.80467 km). To the right a gate blocks the trail entrance.
This is a moderate 2 miles (3.2 km) hike. Although paved it is "quite steep in spots." No shade and no outhouse
Outhouse
An outhouse is a small structure separate from a main building which often contained a simple toilet and may possibly also be used for housing animals and storage.- Terminology :...
or restroom facilities exist. An A.M. start is advised to beat the heat. Bring water and wear sunscreen. Parking is along the street. Unusual cacti
Cacti
-See also:* RRDtool The underlying software upon which Cacti is built* MRTG The original Multi Router Traffic Grapher from which RRDtool was "extracted".* Munin -External links:******...
are along the trail.
The experience and view is said to be worth the walk. However, the parking area is a "high theft area" and is posted accordingly; leaving valuables in the car is ill-advised.
External links
- Aerial photograph kapuu point light at Marinas.com.
- Photograph of Makapuu Point hyperradiant lens, U.S.C.G. at lighthouse friends.
- Panoramic 360 degree view of Makapuu Point Light from Makapuu Point at Panoramic earth.
- Satellite view at Google mapsGoogle MapsGoogle Maps is a web mapping service application and technology provided by Google, free , that powers many map-based services, including the Google Maps website, Google Ride Finder, Google Transit, and maps embedded on third-party websites via the Google Maps API...
.
