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1915 Map of Hamakua

Name: 1915 Topographic Map of Hamakua
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1943
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1943

About this map

Sugar cane cultivation and coastal commerce dominate this topographical survey of Hawaii's northern coast. The landscape is defined by its industrial infrastructure, from the Honokaa Mill and Paauhau Mill to the specialized Louisson Coffee Mill further inland. These processing centers are linked to the sea by a series of critical maritime nodes, including Honokaa Landing and Ookala Landing, where goods were moved along the precipitous shoreline.

Inland, the complex water management system required for plantation agriculture is visible through the Lower Hamakua Ditch and Upper Hamakua Ditch, which trace the contours of the mountain slopes above the Hamakua Forest Reserve. The map also captures the social fabric of the era through the Ahualoa Homesteads and Kalopa Homesteads, along with local institutions like the Kalopa Church and Kaapahu School, reflecting a community built around the agrarian economy of the early twentieth century.