Picture a place where Hawaiian kings once walked, where whaling ships crowded the harbor, and where one of the world's largest banyan trees spread its branches across an entire city block. This was Lahaina — a town that has witnessed the sweep of Hawaiian history from royal capital to tourist haven and now stands at the threshold of its greatest challenge. Lahaina is a beautiful town on the western end of the island of Maui, one of the eight islands of Hawaii.
The island of Maui is approximately 2,132.00 Nautical Miles (2453.462 miles or 3948.464 kilometers), from mainland America, specifically California. Lahaina has a fascinating history, which can still be seen in the town today. Lahaina was up until recently a popular resort town, as its front street was popular for its beautiful jewelry & coastal clothing lines. They were also famous for their elaborate Wharf, which was abundant with shopping centers & eateries, & sat very close to the water. Devastatingly, due to the catastrophic wildfires of 2023, the wharf, front street, & many of the beautiful historic buildings were reduced to nothing but ash & smoke.
The town is also a prime location for fishing, as they are extremely biodiverse. Many fishing charters depart from their port each day, to Lanai, & other areas around Maui. Lahaina’s waters have beautiful coral reefs that creep up onto the shore. Along every beach, dead coral lines the sand, & sprawling reefs can be seen very clearly in the water. Lahaina’s current town website is https://lahainatown.com, where information about the town can be accessed with ease. Lahaina was once briefly the capital of Hawaii, which caused many buildings to be added, thus making the historical district very large.
The entire town of Lahaina is built right on the water so the average elevation is only about 3 feet (0.9144 meters). In the 2020 Population Census, Lahaina had a population of 13,216, but that unfortunately declined massively due to the catastrophic Maui Wild Fires of 2023. The next population census is in 2030, so hopefully by that point, the population will have recovered.
In this article, we will discuss the Documented History Of Lahaina, the Aboriginals of Lahaina, the Most Destructive Man-made & Natural Disasters of Lahaina, & finally the Economic state of Lahaina. With that being said, let us delve into the tropical archives of Lahaina.
The Documented History Of Lahaina, Maui
Before The Unification Of The Kingdom Of Hawaii
Polynesian Settlers from the Marquesas first arrived on the island sometime between 400 A.D & 450 A.D. The last large wave of settlers arrived from Tahiti in about 700 A.D.
After The Unification Of The Kingdom Of Hawaii
Events From The 19th Century
Lahaina was only formally built after the Kingdom Unified, & was made the kingdom's shining capital in 1802, by King Kamehameha the First. He built a large brick palace there, government buildings, & many residential buildings to help industrialize the town.
In 1810, King Kamehameha United all of the Kingdom Of Hawaii, & kept the sun-drenched coastal town of Lahaina as its capital. By this point Lahaina had become a major city for whaling & fishing, so it saw about 400 ships in the harbor at once almost every day. King Kamehameha decided that Lahaina should become a larger port, so he allowed missionaries to come into Lahaina.
In 1820, the first protestant missionaries arrived on the island. These missionaries opened the first high school, made the first printing press on the island, introduced new fashion styles, & introduced the writing system.
Unfortunately, while traveling to London with his wife, King Kamehameha The II died of measles. His younger brother, despite being only 11 years of age, was made king. In 1831, Maui’s Lahainaluna secondary school was opened, making it the oldest school in Hawaii, & the oldest school in the western USA. It was opened by Protestant Missionaries. It is still open to this day, as it managed to survive the Maui Wild Fires. The land on which it was built was given by the Chiefess Kalakua Hoapiliwahine. The school was originally built as a boarding school for young men to be taught promising talents as well as trades. Today, it remains one of the few public boarding schools in the U.S.A.
In 1834, the Baldwin house was built, which is the oldest house built in Lahaina.
Now, by 1840, Lahaina’s Whaling industry was booming, & their general fishing industry was growing rapidly. Without afety precuations such as a lighthouse, a disaster would have have been imminent. For this reason, the Lahaina lighthouse was built in 1840, making it the oldest lighthouse in the Pacific. When it was unveiled it was 9 feet tall, with a lamp lit with whale oil.
In 1853, the Old Lahaina Prison Was built, also called Hale Pa’ahao. It was used to jail peace-violating soldiers, & was built partially of coral. In 1854, King Kamehameha III passed away, & his nephew, Alexander Liholiho, assumed the throne, & became King Kamehameha IV. In 1858, the beautiful Lahaina Courthouse was constructed. It, unfortunately, no longer stands, as its roof collapsed during the cataclysmic Maui Wildfires. Though, a few walls still stand, reminders of the monument that once was.
As Lahaina grew, the economy was diversifying away from just whaling. One big example of this is the Pioneer Mill Company. The Pioneer Mill Company was established in 1860, as the first commercial sugar plantation in Lahaina. Soon after, in 1863, King Kamehameha passed away at age 29, & his older brother, Lot Kapuaiwa, assumed the throne.
1863 saw a massive surge in leprosy cases for Maui, a disease known to cause nerve damage, disfiguration, & death. To combat this horrible epidemic, King Kamehameha V enacted an isolation law, forcing people to arrested, hospitalized, & shipped to a small isolated island known as Kalaupapa. The first batch of patients sent to this island stayed there for 7 whole years. This law remained in effect until 1969, over 106 years later.
In 1872, King Kapuaiwa passed away, & was the last king to be a direct descendant of the great King Kamehameha. He died without having any remaining family or producing an heir. The famous Banyan Tree of Lahaina was planted soon after he died in 1873. When it was planted, it was a mere 8 feet (2.4384 meters) tall, but now it is over 60 feet (18.288 feet) tall & covered an entire city block. Since King Kapuaiwa didn’t leave an heir, it was up to the election to choose the next king. William Charles Lunalilo was elected as the King Of Hawaii, & did not stay long in office.
After amending the constitution, disbanding the army, & making it so that you didn’t need property to vote, he promptly passed away in 1874 of Tuberculosis. Although he had lost to King Lunalilo just a year before, King Kalakaua assumed the throne. Due to his passion for luxury, parties, music, & festivities in general, he had a massive palace built as his primary residence. This palace, the Lolani Palace, cost approximately 350,000 U.S.D. In 1891, King Kalakaua passed away after sailing to San Francisco for Treatment.
His famous & extremely compelling last words were “Tell my people I tried”. After his death, his sister Queen Liluokalani assumed the throne. She was the last monarch of Hawaii. She was extremely opposed to U.S. annexation, & fought vigorously against it. She ultimately could not resist U.S. annexation, & in 1900, Hawaii became a U.S. territory.
After Unification With The United States Of America
Events From The 1900’s
Hawaii officially became a U.S. territory in 1900, & would remain that way until 1959, when it officially became a U.S. state. In 1998, the historical Lahaina Courthouse was finally restored. Before the Maui Wildfires of 2023, it was home to the Lahaina Historical Museum. The majority of the documents were saved, as they were saved in online copies. However, the majority of the artifacts were destroyed in the fire.
The Aboriginals Of Lahaina, Hawaii
Unfortunately, we could not find information on the Aboriginals of Lahaina specifically.
The Most Destructive Man-Caused & Natural Disasters To Affect Maui
No. 1: The Maui Wildfires Of 2023
The Maui Wildfires were a catastrophic “fire hurricane”, that occurred in 2023. The fire first broke out on August 8th, & was not contained until September 3rd. The cause of the fire is unclear, but it is believed to be a downed power line. These wildfires caused approximately 102 deaths, 20 recorded injuries, 388 disappearances, & 5.52 Billion USD in damage at the time of publishing. Approximately 2,200 buildings were destroyed, with 86% of them being residential. Lahaina itself is 9.92 square miles, & 3.4 square miles were burned in the fire. That means that 34.27% of Lahaina was burnt. The fire displaced at least 11,000 people, & left many with nothing to return to.
The numbers tell only part of the story, as numbers can't capture the depth of what was lost — generations of history, family homes, & pieces of Hawaiian culture that can never be replaced. Lahaina’s historical Front Street, Heritage Museum, Wharf, & Harbour were reduced to nothing but ash, & coral. It has been, without a doubt, the most destructive wildfire in the last century, & undoubtedly the worst disaster Lahaina has been faced with.
No. 2: Hurricane Dora
Hurricane Dora was a Category 4 hurricane that lasted from July 29th to August 21st. It brought winds of 145 miles per hour near Hawaii, which exacerbated the firestorm. Due to the high winds, the fire spread much quicker, & much further than it normally would have. It did not pass by Maui directly, so no casualties were caused by it directly.
The Economic State Of Lahaina, Maui
The economic state of Lahaina is currently terrible. Before the wildfires, Lahaina had a sprawling tourism, & fashion industry. Lahaina was close to the popular resort area of Kaanapali, giving it a massive influx of traffic. Since the majority of real estate, & markets have been destroyed in Lahaina, we cannot accurately calculate the cost of living or the average cost of real estate.
Directories / Credits
Citation No. 1: “Lahaina Timeline”, Written By Unknown, & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by the Government Of Lahaina. Retrieval Date: September 14th, 2023.
Citation No. 2: “Here are the names of those missing on Maui. Officials want you to read everyone.”, Written by Alisha Ebrahimji, & Published at 2:15 PM EDT, on August 25th, 2023. Published by CNN. Retrieval: September 14th, 2023.
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