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1957 Map of Honokaa

Name: 1957 Topographic Map of Honokaa
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1959
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1959

About this map

The Hamakua District coastline of Hawaii comes into focus in this mid-century survey, dominated by the plantation-era settlements and agricultural homesteads that defined the island's northern shore. The principal town of Honokaa serves as a hub, containing a High School, Hospital, and a dedicated Rodeo Arena. The landscape is deeply carved by numerous drainage features, such as Kukui Gulch and Nienie Gulch, which drop from the upland forest reserves toward the Pacific Ocean.

A complex network of flumes and irrigation ditches visible near Paauhau and Haina highlights the infrastructure of the sugar industry, which relied on these gravity-fed systems to move cane and water. Traces of early maritime commerce remain at Honokaa Landing and Paauhau Landing, while the interior is partitioned into various land grants including the Ahualoa Homesteads and Kaapahu Homesteads. The Malamahoa Highway provides the primary transit artery, winding through the Hamakua Forest Reserve as the terrain ascends toward the volcanic interior.