Roads, Gulches, Mud and Peril Along the Hamakua Coast

Did you ever wonder what it was like to travel along the Hamakua Coast before roads were built, or how the highways and other roads along the Hamakua Coast were developed?
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Photo courtesy of the Lyman Museum.
The experience of traveling “overland” on the Hamakua coast in the period 1835-1899 is described primarily using quotes from the newspapers of the time, accessed via Newspapers.com and Isabella Bird's account of her 1873 visit, published as Six Months in the Sandwich Islands (1875).

The phases of “road” development between 1835-1899 fit roughly into three periods.
  • In the period 1835-1864, there were mostly foot paths, bridges did not exist and some of the paths into the gulches could not accommodate horses.
  • During the period 1865-1889, horse paths were cut into these gulches, opening the area to travel by horse or mule, though not without difficulty. A few bridges were also built in the later part of this period.
  • In the period 1890-1899, carriage roads and bridges were built (and rebuilt), though not throughout the Hakalau-Laupahoehoe region. The roads were much affected by big rain events throughout this whole era and it wasn’t unusual for areas to become impassable for periods of time.

Updates as of August 3, 2020

Upcoming Events:
  • Updated listing of classes at the Hakalau Jodo Mission to include the new karate class for kids, ages 4-12, starting August 5. There are COVID-19 restrictions in place and participation in all classes is by advance reservation only. ​​

​Yesterday:
  • Added the first installment of research on the need for and the building of roads along the Hamakua Coast, based on newspaper articles and firsthand accounts covering the period 1835-1899.
  • Added pictures from the Lyman Museum on building the railroad to Hakalau and the railroad bridge over Hakalau Gulch. These pictures, courtesy of the Lyman Museum, come primarily from the Beers Collection. At the time the railroad bridge was constructed, Wil Beers was the bridge painting superintendent.
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Building the railroad bridge over the Hakalau Gulch, circa 1911. Photo courtesy of the Lyman Museum.
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Engine 15 on the bridge across Hakalau Gulch, circa 1911-12. Photo courtesy of the Lyman Museum.
Today: ​​
  • Redeveloped Today to better explain our vibrant community and how plantation values are maintained.
  • Updated Hakalau Jodo Mission to include the July-August 2020 Bulletin.