HistoricHawaii

Branches over the lane. Photo Courtesy: Dillingham Ranch. Dillingham Ranch is located on the beautiful North Shore of O‘ahu. It holds a deep and captivating history; let us take a look back in celebration of its 125th Anniversary! Hawai‘i Life’s Director of Conservation and Legacy Lands, Beth Thoma Robinson writes, "The traditional name for this ‘āina is Mokulē‘ia – which means ‘district of abundance.’ The North Shore is still referred to as The Country by O‘ahu residents who intend to keep it that way. This property (Dillingham Ranch) is embedded in a community with a strong sense of place.”1  Dillingham Ranch was established in 1897 by Benjamin Franklin Dillingham, who became Hawai‘i’s first railroad tycoon. In 1917, Dillingham’s son, Walter Dillingham, built Dillingham Lodge with the help of his siblings, Harold and Marion. Known as “Hawai‘i’s greatest builder,” Walter Dillingham is credited with shaping Dillingham Ranch into what it is today as well as changing the entire O‘ahu landscape.2 “From my father, I inherited the moving vision that saw these islands prosperous.” Walter Dillingham Dillingham Ranch is a rare property, offering all of the charms and essence of Hawai‘i, from white sandy beaches to mountain terrain and acres of open green space scattered with coconut trees, monkey pods and rare plant species indigenous to Hawai‘i. Peacocks and ducks flutter around the grounds while horses and cows graze in the fields. Visitors can enjoy horseback riding, surfing, hiking and parasailing while experiencing local culture and history, all in one truly special place.3 Dillingham Lodge of the "Big House." Photo Courtesy: Dillingham Ranch. Through the generations, Dillingham Ranch has welcomed notable guests and sportsmen and has been home to many cattlemen and ranchers. [...]

Footpath to First Road before the 20th Century by Ann Yoklavich From at least as far back as the late 1700s, in some of the first written histories in Hawai‘i there have been accounts of the footpath that traversed the precipice of the windward side’s Pali up to the narrow pass at the eastern end of Nu‘uanu Valley. There is no known date of the first trail building here, but it pre-dated western contact, since this vicinity for the cross-Ko‘olau trail provided “the most direct route between Windward Oahu and Honolulu.”[1]  Foot traffic increased between the windward and leeward sides of this range, as the needs to communicate and trade grew after Western contact, since most foreign trading ships gathered in Honolulu Harbor. The Pali trail, date unknown. Source: Hawai‘i State Archives: PP-60-2-29. Foreigners found the trail fearfully steep at the top of the windward side, with a sheer drop of several hundred feet. Many first-time visitors to the Pali view point, at the top of the trail, noted that Hawaiians negotiated the path with assurance and ease. The Pali horse trail, date unknown. Source: Hawai‘i State Archives: PP-60-2-19. Demands for improvements to the footpath “began by the 1830s and were primarily driven by foreigners.”[2] Many wanted to plant on the fertile and well-watered windward lands, but needed better access across the Ko‘olau range for exporting, or for selling in Honolulu’s larger market, their agricultural products, including sugarcane. In 1845, during the reign of King Kamehameha III, improvements to the footpath transformed it into a horse trail. The king and his minister of the Interior, Gerrit Judd, were the first to ride the trail on horseback.[3] A rainstorm in 1848 washed [...]

Washington Place. Photo Courtesy of Washington Place Foundation. Washington Place is one of O‘ahu's most treasured landmarks as the home of Hawai‘i’s last ruling monarch and subsequent state governors and their families. The treasured stories of this place are never to be forgotten. This year, Washington Place turns 175 years! Let us take a look back at its history. The construction of Washington Place began in 1842 as the residence of Captain John Dominis, an American ship captain and merchant, and his wife Mary and their son John Owen. Unfortunately, the captain was lost at sea and was never able to live in the house upon its completion in 1847. In order to retain ownership of the home, his wife, Mary Dominis, chose to take in boarders, including Anthony Ten Eyck, the United States Commissioner, who suggested to Mrs. Dominis in 1848 that she name the house after America’s first president, George Washington. Permission was granted by King Kamehameha lll with the provision that the house keep the name "in all time coming.”1 The architecture of Washington Place is a distinctive combination of Greek revival elements and indigenous materials, including coral and rare woods. According to "175 Years at Washington Place,"2 a booklet researched and written by architect Katie Stephens and historian Don J. Hibbard for the Hawai‘i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, Captain Dominis wrote to friends in Boston asking for their help with procuring items, such as door and window sashes, blinds, locks, glass and lumber, for the new house. When ordering the items, Dominis seems to have "specified the materials according to his own ideas for the building," in some cases adding his own drawings to illustrate them. [...]