ALOHA

Coming or going, it's never a sure thing when a person was aboard a Matson liner wearing leis. You got them when you arrived in Hawaii and then again when you left.

Click on image to see it larger.

This family appears to have been visiting Hawaii in the 1930s which means that they were doing pretty well back on the mainland and not suffering through the Depression. Arriving in Hawaii aboard a Matson ship meant they stayed at one of two hotels: the Royal Hawaiian or the Moana. This photo was taken by Luke Photo Studio located at 1240 Nuuanu St, Honolulu. I'm guessing that this indicates it was probably taken upon arrival and sold to them during their stay. You can find another photo here from the same studio name.

From the Matson website:

The decade from the mid-20s to mid-30s marked a significant period of Matson expansion. In 1925, the company established Matson Terminals, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary, to perform stevedoring and terminal services for its fleet. With increasing passenger traffic to Hawaii, Matson built a world-class luxury liner, the S.S. Malolo, in 1927. At the time, the Malolo was the fastest ship in the Pacific, cruising at 22 knots. Its success led to the construction of the luxury liners Mariposa, Monterey and Lurline between 1930 and 1932. Matson’s famed “white ships” were instrumental in the development of tourism in Hawaii. In addition, beginning in 1927, with the construction of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, Matson’s Waikiki hotels provided tourists with luxury accommodations both ashore and afloat. In order to generate excitement and allure for Hawaii as a world class tourist destination, Matson developed an ambitious and enduring advertising campaign that involved the creative efforts of famous photographers such as Edward Steichen and Anton Bruehl. In addition, Matson commissioned artists to design memorable keepsake menus for the voyages, as well as during their stay at the Royal Hawaiian. The Matson artwork created by Frank McIntosh, Eugene Savage, John Kelly and Louis Macouillard continues to be popular today. Reproductions of the some of the more famous and memorable ads and art can be purchased through Matson’s ArteHouse website. (Source: Matson)

Our local Costco occasionally sells orchids leis. I'm always tempted to buy one. Living in Hawaii was a world full of flowers. I miss the colors and the scents. Oh to have a white ginger plant growing outside my window with its scent drifting through the window with the trade winds.

Let's visit HAWAII IN THE 1930s: Rice field in Waikiki

I actually have no idea where this photo was taken in Hawaii, but when shown to my father he said he remembers areas of Waikiki looking like this when he visited in 1945. No matter where it was actually shot, it's the Hawaii of long ago.


Click on image to see it larger.

On the far right there appears to possibly be railroad tracks with a car. Could this be part of the old Oahu Railway and Land Company?

This Company is now running trains to Waianae, 33% miles from Honolulu, the new Extension of fifteen miles beyond Ewa Plantation having been completed July 1, 1895. The equipment of the road is first-class in every particular. Excursion rates are maintained from Saturday morning till Monday of each week. A first-class hotel is in course of erection at Waianae, and will afford unequalled bathing facilities. A delightful ride through varied and unsurpassed scenery, a day of rest and pleasure at Waianae, make an excursion on the Oahu Railway one of the most attractive features of the Islands, not only to tourists, but to residents of Honolulu as well.

Pearl City, located on the famous Pearl Harbor, the proposed naval and coaling station of the United States, has been, laid out in streets, provided with a complete system of water works, picnic grounds, dancing pavilion, boat houses, etc. Over $100,000 in lots have been sold to 150 different purchasers, and a number of residences erected; a few very desirable lots may yet be had on very reasonable terms.

With a perfect climate and the pure air from mountain and sea, no other spot on earth can equal this as a health resort. Dr. P. S. Kellogg, of Battle Creek, Mich., says of this locality in a recent letter: "When we had reached a height of 1,000 feet, we could observe a marked difference in the atmosphere; so cool, pure and bracing was it that we were impressed with the thought that here, removed from the con-laminating influences of unsanitary surroundings, was an ideal spot for the invalid to find rest for body and mind." (SOURCE: History of Later Years of the Hawaiian Monarchy)

This is the last image I have from this series. I can only hope to someday find more.

Let's visit HAWAII IN THE 1930s: Nuʻuanu Pali

One of my fondest memories of going over the Nu'uanu Pali was stopping at the banana stand at the bottom. It was thick with banana groves and the best tasting bananas I've ever had. Sweet small apple bananas. We'd buy several bunches and they'd never make it home.


Click on image to see it larger.

On the other hand, my father has memories of riding in a bus over the Pali in the 1940s. He said it was a hair raising experience.

The Nuʻuanu Pali has been a vital pass from ancient times to the present because it is a low, traversable section of the Koʻolau mountain range that connects the leeward side of the mountains, Honolulu to the windward side, Kailua and Kāneʻohe. The route drew settlers who formed villages in the area and populated Nuʻuanu Valley for a thousand years.

The Nuʻuanu Pali was the site of the Battle of Nuʻuanu, one of the bloodiest battles in Hawaiian history, in which Kamehameha I conquered the island of Oʻahu, bringing it under his rule. In 1795 Kamehameha I sailed from his home island of Hawaiʻi with an army of 10,000 warriors, including a handful of non-Hawaiian foreigners. After conquering the islands of Maui and Molokaʻi, he moved on to Oʻahu. The pivotal battle for the island occurred in Nuʻuanu Valley, where the defenders of Oʻahu, led by Kalanikūpule, were driven back up into the valley where they were trapped above the cliff. More than 400 of Kalanikūpule's soldiers were driven off the edge of the cliff to their deaths 1,000 feet below.

In 1845 the first road was built over the Nuʻuanu Pali to connect Windward Oʻahu with Honolulu. In 1898 this road was developed into a highway which during construction 800 skulls were found believed to be the remains of the warriors that fell to their deaths from the cliff above.[5] This road was later replaced by the Pali Highway and the Nuʻuanu Pali Tunnels in 1959 which is the route used today.

The now extinct bird, the Oʻahu nukupuʻu, was last collected in this valley. (SOURCE: Wikipedia)

Let's visit HAWAII IN THE 1930S: The Kodak Hula Show

Anyone who visited Oahu, Hawaii, between 1937 and 2002 had the chance each day to visit a free and wonderful hula show in Kapiolani Park. Between 1937 and 1999 it was sponsored by Kodak, and for good reason. It was a beautifully colorful show with the palm trees and the Pacific Ocean as it's backdrop. I have slides and an old 8mm film my dad shot.

Kodak pulled out their sponsorship in 1999. The Hogan Family Foundation took over and kept it going until 2002. I haven't been able to find anything definitive to say if the show has been resumed. It's a shame to think it's gone.

Below is a shot taken in the 1930s. I wish I could identify the performers. Perhaps, someday, someone will spot this and step forward to say, "That's my tutu (grandmother) dancing!" That would be nice.


Click on image to see it larger.

You can see other vintage Hawaiian snapshots from this series by clicking on "Hawaii" in the labels below.

Let's visit HAWAII IN THE 1930s: The Moana Hotel

The third image from the vintage snapshots of Hawaii I recently found, the Moana Hotel. I find it fascinating how empty it appears. One lone person standing in front of it. No cars. No tourists. No life. A grand building with nothing particularly grand going on.


Click on image to see it larger.

Today the large park like lawn is gone, replaced by busy Kalakaua Avenue. Try to imagine a hotel like this being built today. Instead of spreading out they all go up and up and...look down on the hotels from long ago. Click here to see an old image of the beach side.

The Moana Hotel, also known as the First Lady of Waikīkī, is a famous historic hotel on the island of Oʻahu, located at 2365 Kalākaua Avenue in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. It is today one of three buildings that make up the Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort & Spa. Built in the late 19th century as the first hotel in Waikiki, the Moana opened its doors to guests in 1901, becoming the first large hotel in Waikīkī. The Moana Hotel is regarded as the flagship in Hawaiʻi tourism, and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In Hawaiian, moana means "open sea" or "ocean."

The wealthy Honolulu landowner, Walter Chamberlain Peacock, in an effort to establish a fine resort in the previously neglected Waikiki area of Honolulu, incorporated the Moana Hotel Company in 1896. Working with a design by architect Oliver G. Traphagen and $150,000 in capital, The Lucas Brothers contractors completed the structure in 1901. Construction of The Moana marked the beginning of tourism in Waikiki, becoming the first hotel amidst the bungalows and beach houses.

The Moana's architecture was influenced by European styles popular at the time, with Ionic columns and intricate woodwork and plaster detailing throughout the building. The Moana was designed with a grand porte cochere on the street side and wide lānais on the ocean side. Some of the 75 guest rooms had telephones and bathrooms (unusual at the time), and the hotel featured a billiard room, saloon, main parlor, reception area, and library. Peacock installed the first electric-powered elevator in the islands at the Moana, which is still in use today.

Design features of the original structure that survive to this day include extra-wide hallways (to accommodate steamer trunks), high ceilings, and cross-ventilation windows (to cool the rooms prior to air conditioning).

The Moana officially opened on March 11, 1901. Its first guests were a group of Shriners, who paid $1.50 per night for their rooms. Peacock did not find success with his endeavor, and sold the hotel to Alexander Young, a prominent businessman with other hotel holdings. The Young estate operated the hotel until the Matson Navigation Company bought the property in 1932 for $1.6 million.

Over the course of Matson's ownership of the Moana, it grew along with the popularity of Hawaiian tourism. Two floors were added in 1928 along with Italian Renaissance-styled concrete wings on each side of the hotel, creating its H shape seen today.

The hotel's outward appearance was altered slightly over the years, including "updates" to such designs as Art Deco in the 30's and Bauhaus in the 50's.

From 1935 to 1975, the Moana's courtyard hosted the Hawaii Calls live radio broadcast. Legend has it that listeners mistook the hiss of the radio transmission as the waves breaking on the beach. When learning of this, the host instructed the soundman to run down to the waterfront to actually record the sound, which became a staple of the show. (SOURCE: Wikipedia)

Let's visit HAWAII IN THE 1930s: Royal Hawaiian Hotel and Waikiki Beach

Another image from 1930s Hawaii.


Click on image to see it larger.

All of the image is wonderful, but the Mainlanders on the beach at Waikiki in their street clothes are priceless. It would still be years before male tourists would be spotted in Aloha shirts, saggy butt shorts, black socks, and wing tips.

It's 1959...DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR ALOHA SPIRIT IS?

Happy Birthday my friend from a couple of fellow Aloha travelers.

Click on image to see it larger.

A CRUISE TO HAWAII a long time ago

With this week's Sepia Saturday subject being ships I couldn't resist posting some images about what it once meant to take a cruise to an exotic location in the 1930s. Several of these images were posted in 2009.

The Matson Navigation Company is credited with introducing mass tourism to Hawaii with the opening of the historic Moana Hotel (now known as the Moana Surfrider Hotel) and the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Waikiki on the island of Oahu.

William Matson (1849–1917) was the founder of the Matson Navigation Company. He was born in Lysekil in Västra Götaland County, Sweden, and orphaned during childhood. He arrived in San Francisco after a trip around Cape Horn in 1867. Working aboard the Spreckels family yacht, he struck up a friendship with tycoon Claus Spreckels, who financed many of Matson's new ships. In 1882 the three masted schooner Emma Claudina ran to the Hawaiian Islands. The enterprise began in the carrying of merchandise, especially of plantation stores, to the islands and returning with cargoes of sugar. This led to gradually expanding interests at both ends of the line. Increased commerce brought a corresponding interest in Hawaii as a tourist attraction. This interest in Hawaiʻi as a tourist destination soon prompted the construction of the Moana Hotel in 1901. More steamships continued to join the fleet. When Captain Matson died in 1917, the Matson fleet comprised 14 of the largest, fastest and most modern ships in the Pacific passenger-freight service.

The decade from thee mid-'20s to mid-'30s marked a significant period of Matson expansion. In 1925, the company established Matson Terminals, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary, to perform stevedoring and terminal services for its fleet. With increasing passenger traffic to Hawaiʻi, Matson built a world-class luxury liner, the S.S. Malolo, in 1927. At the time, the Malolo was the fastest ship in the Pacific, cruising at 22 knots. Its success led to the construction of the luxury liners Mariposa, Monterey and Lurline between 1930 and 1932. Matson's famed "white ships" were instrumental in the development of tourism in Hawaii. In addition, beginning in 1927, with the construction of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, Matson's Waikiki hotels provided tourists with luxury accommodations both ashore and afloat. To generate excitement and allure for Hawaii as a world-class tourist destination, Matson developed an ambitious and enduring advertising campaign that involved the creative efforts of famous photographers such as Edward Steichen and Anton Bruehl. In addition, Matson commissioned artists to design memorable keepsake menus for the voyages, as well as during their stay at the Royal Hawaiian.[1] For a brief period following WW II, Matson operated a luxurious airline using DC-4 aircraft between the Pacific Coast and Hawaii. The airline ultimately ceased operations because of political pressure from Pan American World Airways, which resulted in inability to obtain federal government scheduled operating authority. (SOURCE: Wikipedia)

As a child my family sailed to Hawaii, our second time, on the Matsonia. It was on that ship that I met the little girl who was to become my life long friend. We have wonderful memories of running around the ship together getting into all sorts of trouble. It was a grand adventure for a child. Imagine what it was like for adult women in the 1930s.



I don't know when this photo was taken of the Royal Hawaiian and Moana hotels. When I moved to Hawaii the Royal Hawaiian and the Moana, the hotel on the right, were still standouts in Waikiki. Now you can barely see them. I'm saddened for what Waikiki became, but glad I got to see it before the palm trees gave way to cement. Once upon a time the grounds of the Royal stretched to Kalakaua Ave. and were a magical place to visit. Not much left of it anymore.

Click on image to see it larger.

I have an album of photos that belonged to a woman named Jean who took a trip from San Francisco to Hawaii aboard the S. S. Manoa back in the late 20s or early 30s. She probably stayed at one of the Matson hotels. What an adventure she had far from her everyday life.

Go Jean, go! Shake it baby, shake it! Kick up your heels and let your hair down. Go native and feel the lahala mat beneath your bare feet. Catch the scent of a plumeria as the tradewinds blow by. What happens in Hawaii stays in Hawaii...except for the gossip the whole way home aboard ship. 

Here we have another snapshot of Jean on her Hawaiian adventure. Ukulele's were very popular at the beginning of the last century so maybe she already knew how to play before her exotic vacation. I sure wish she'd taken the opportunity to go a bit more native in her clothing. She should have kicked off her shoes and gone a little wild and left the pearls at home. But casual Hawaiian clothing for tourists was still a few decades away. Think Aloha shirts and brightly printed muu muus. Let her hair down, put a flower behind her ear, a brightly colored dress, and bare feet, and the folks back home would have thought she'd gone absolutely pagan.

Click on image to see it larger.

I don't know who these fellows are, but I'm suspicious they were drivers for either the Royal Hawaiian or the Moana. Tourists could get a package deal by going on the Matson ship to Hawaii and then staying at one of Matson's hotels. I'm imagining it was the job of these fellows to drive the visitors to various spots on the island and bring them back happy and exhausted each evening to a nice meal at the hotel and the setting sun.

Click on image to see it larger.

And nothing said Hawaii to a Mainlander more back in the 1930s than Bing Crosby with his faux Hawaiian songs. These old songs and old clips for me are as much ephemera as the printed piece. I know technically they're not, but they're all part of times long ago now all but forgotten. They put the people in the photos in some sort of context and it gives me a moment to step-back-in-time and experience that world.

Jean must bid adieu to her Hawaiian adventure and head back to San Francisco to her real life. Did she throw her lei overboard hoping it would reach the shores guaranteeing her return to the islands? We'll never know. She had at least four and a half days of seaside pleasure before sailing back into the Golden Gate. There's a very good possibility that she did not sale beneath the Golden Gate Bridge because it might not yet have been built.

Click on image to see it larger.

And here are two ladies that are not from Jean's album. I'm guessing this was taken as they left Honolulu aboard a Matson liner, most likely in the 1930s. Festooned with leis, you can see the remnants of the streamers that had been handed out to everyone to throw from the ship to those left behind on the dock next to the Aloha Tower. I can tell you it was a grand sight to see and even more fun to do. Many times during the years I lived on Oahu we went to the dock to welcome new military families or to say goodbye to those that were leaving. My best friend and I would gather up streamers into a big pile and cover ourselves with them. Wonderful memories.

Click on image to see it larger.

And a final glimpse of Waikiki and Diamond Head long before the developers had a chance to destroy it. True, much of Waikiki was a swamp, but it seems these days it's just a swamp of another kind.


Click on image to see it larger.

WAIKIKI in 1954

Christine, of the Daily Postcard, inspired me to post these two old slides from 1954. I believe the one of the Royal Hawaiian was one my dad purchased, but I can't be sure. I know he took the one of Diamond Head.

This is the Hawaii I remember. Few crowds, few hotels, and incredibly beautiful skies not blocked out by egotistical monster hotels. And one thing many of you might not be aware of is that down below Diamond Head, at the point, was the Henry J. Kaiser estate. They were very very fond of pink. The house was pink. She dyed her poodles pink. And the fleet of Willy jeeps that roamed the island with their pink and white striped roofs were pink. Pink was very big in Hawaii.

In 1954 my family was passing back through Hawaii from our year long stay on Midway Island. We would return to Hawaii in 1959. Still the most magical time of my life. I can close my eyes and be back there in an instant.

You can't see the ROYAL HAWAIIAN anymore

I can remember exactly where I was 50 years ago tonight. I was sitting outside my best friends house on Oahu watching the bonfire at the dump way off in the distance. Our two families sat in beach chairs celebrating the day Hawaii became the 50th state. For awhile it seemed the bonfire was about all we were going to see until it was decided we should go down to Waikiki and see what was going on. Surely Statehood should be celebrated by something other than a distant bonfire. And indeed Waikiki was a wild party. I remember sitting in the '56 Chevy Bel Air convertible riding down Kalakaua Ave. seeing people dancing in the street. It was bumper to bumper traffic and lots of noise and colors. It was great, better than any New Year's party. I'm happy to have experienced something few people in this country will have ever experienced. 

I don't know when this photo was taken. Most likely in the 1940s. When I moved to Hawaii the Royal Hawaiian and the Moana, the hotel on the right, were still standouts in Waikiki. Now you can barely see them. I'm saddened for what Waikiki became, but glad I got to see it before the palm trees gave way to cement. Once upon a time the grounds of the Royal stretched to Kalakaua Ave. and were a magical place to visit. Not much left of it anymore. I'm glad I have the memories.

Happy Statehood Hawaii. Aloha 'Oe.

Click on image to see it larger.

With chagrin: Well, apparently I didn't know where I was this night 50 years ago. All these years I've had things mixed up in my mind. What I'm actually remembering is when Statehood had passed. It took the Honolulu Star Bulletin to set me straight. That plus my friend reminding me she was Japan in August of 1959. So what I remember is Statehood being declared and the party that ensued afterwards including the bonfire on Sand Island. Here's how the Star Bulletin explained it on March 12, 1959.