Hamakua Roads in the 19th Century
Introduction
The experience of traveling “overland” on the Hamakua coast in the period 1835-1899 is described using primarily 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).
Additional background accounts are provided describing the travel experience as the mode of transport progressed from footpaths to carriage roads.
Here’s a background summary to help understand the quotes to come:
The phases of “road” development between 1835-1899 fit roughly into three periods.
There were 3 distinctive geographic regions regarding road development:
Several factors drove the demand for Government road building and maintenance on this coast. In the 1860s, river fatalities gained wide attention and, in 1865, the Wailuku bridge was finally built, marking the start of bridge-building on the coast. An appreciation of the value of the agricultural land was always present and grew as plantations grew. In the last decade, with the overthrow of the Kingdom, a more serious effort was undertaken by the new Government quite focused on the sugar industry.
Other factors worked against progress. Difficult terrain was the most obvious impediment. Competition for road funds to serve Hamakua was thought to be unfair, particularly regarding the funds devoted to the Volcano road. The road tax system, in which the tax was commonly paid with personal labor, was unproductive and tended to produce a low quality product. Roads and bridges were continually damaged or washed out due to big rain events.
Key points: 1835-1864
The experience of traveling “overland” on the Hamakua coast in the period 1835-1899 is described using primarily 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).
Additional background accounts are provided describing the travel experience as the mode of transport progressed from footpaths to carriage roads.
Here’s a background summary to help understand the quotes to come:
The phases of “road” development between 1835-1899 fit roughly into three periods.
- In the period 1835-1864, there were mostly footpaths, 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 greatly impacted by big rain events throughout this whole era and it wasn’t unusual for areas to become impassable for periods of time.
There were 3 distinctive geographic regions regarding road development:
- Hilo to Hakalau was where most of the attention was paid due to its proximity to Hilo and its cluster of long-standing plantations.
- Hakalau to Laupahoehoe posed the most difficulties, mainly due to a number of large gulches.
- Laupahoehoe to Waipio was relatively easy going, though less well-traveled.
Several factors drove the demand for Government road building and maintenance on this coast. In the 1860s, river fatalities gained wide attention and, in 1865, the Wailuku bridge was finally built, marking the start of bridge-building on the coast. An appreciation of the value of the agricultural land was always present and grew as plantations grew. In the last decade, with the overthrow of the Kingdom, a more serious effort was undertaken by the new Government quite focused on the sugar industry.
Other factors worked against progress. Difficult terrain was the most obvious impediment. Competition for road funds to serve Hamakua was thought to be unfair, particularly regarding the funds devoted to the Volcano road. The road tax system, in which the tax was commonly paid with personal labor, was unproductive and tended to produce a low quality product. Roads and bridges were continually damaged or washed out due to big rain events.
Key points: 1835-1864
- Paths into several of the gulches could not accommodate horses or mules so travel by foot was usual.
- For much of this coast, a carriage road was considered unwarranted due to the limited traffic and the “vast” expense in building one. The exception was Hilo to Honomu, due to “the least obstacles to its construction” and the sugar plantations already present in that area.
- It appears that bridges did not exist during this time. Even Wailuku river did not have one until 1865.
- The system of road taxes paid by personal labor was an impediment to road building. And in this period, there was the additional problem of the Road Supervisor's selection by the area’s people. This resulted in a lack of expertise and an incentive to choose a person with an incentive to “go easy” on those working off their annual road tax.
- In general, traveling “overland” on the Hamakua coast was considered fatiguing and dangerous, and bad weather could make paths impassable for periods of time.
Key Points: 1865-1889
- During this period cuts were made along gulch pali to enable travel by horse or mule. These paths were made as steep as a horse could possibly handle and only as wide as to allow two horses to get past each other. Also, while the foot paths into these gulches had tracked in a “serpentine line”, these horse paths headed in a straight line.
- The reports of dangerous conditions were frequent in this period as well as the last. The main differences--travelers were usually on horses and there were more travelers as the area became more accessible and more populated.
- With some new bridges, culverts and the like, more road structures were subject to damage due to bad weather. Complaints about them were considerable.
- The road tax system of paying in personal labor was discontinued in 1882. This improved productivity and quality.
Key Points: 1890-1899
- The political changes in Hawaii during this decade are relevant to the road improvements made in Hamakua: Kingdom overthrow in 1892; Provisional Government in 1893; Republic of Hawaii 1894; Annexation 1898. Those now holding the Government’s purse strings had a clear business orientation with a particular focus on the sugar industry.
- From about 1890 to 1896, newspaper reports show: a) a continuation of the largely negative newspaper reports on the condition of these “roads”; b) that the Road Boards on this coast and the Government are more engaged and committed to improving these roads; and c) increasing complaints about the inadequate and unfair allocation of road funds to Hamakua.
- 1897 was the big year in this century for actual work on these roads and the newspapers are full of accounts about these improvements, as well as the progress indicated by the increased use, particularly for the new sections of carriage roads. However, the inevitable big rain events soon started to show that the lifespan of these new roads and bridges would depend on considerable and continual maintenance. Gravel carriage roads are subject to considerable damage, large cuts in gulch pali to accommodate carts and carriages are subject to big landslides and erosion, and the new and better-constructed bridges are not immune to damage by flash floods.