Māhukona is a former settlement on the

island of Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii ) is the largest island in the United States, located in the state of Hawaii. It is the southeasternmost of the Hawaiian Islands, a chain of volcanic islands in the North Pacific Ocean. With an area of , it has 63% of th ...

. The extinct submerged volcano

Māhukona Māhukona is a submerged shield volcano on the northwestern flank of the Island of Hawaii. A drowned coral reef at about 3,770 feet (-1,150 m) below sea level and a major break in slope at about 4,400 feet (-1,340 m) below sea level represent ol ...

, off shore and to the south, is named for this area. The settlement was once the terminus of the Hawaiian Railroad.

History

Māhukona was a traditional ahupuaa (land division) that extended from a bay to the slopes of

Kohala mountain Kohala is the oldest of five volcanoes that make up the island of Hawaii. Kohala is an estimated one million years old—so old that it experienced, and recorded, the reversal of earth's magnetic field 780,000 years ago. It is believed to ha ...

. Much was owned by Princess Ruth Keelikōlani at one time. The name means "leeward steam" in the

Hawaiian language Hawaiian (', ) is a Polynesian language of the Austronesian language family that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language o ...

Lapakahi State Historical Park Lapakahi State Historical Park is a large area of ruins from an Ancient Hawaiian fishing village in the North Kohala District on the Big Island of Hawaii.Hawaii Route 270 Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

. While

Samuel Gardner Wilder Samuel Gardner Wilder (June 20, 1831 – July 28, 1888) was an American shipping magnate and politician who developed a major transportation company in the Kingdom of Hawaii. Life Samuel Gardner Wilder was born June 20, 1831, in Leominster, ...

was minister of the interior, he secured a charter for a railroad company in 1880. The first

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with ...

plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

in the Kohala district was started by

Elias Bond The Bond District is a collection of historic buildings located in the district of North Kohala on the island of Hawaii. The district has three sections: the homestead of missionaries Ellen and Reverend Elias Bond (1813–1896), Kalahikiola Church, ...

in 1863, but transportation proved difficult. Wilder's idea was to transport sugarcane from plantations on the wet

windward Windward () and leeward () are terms used to describe the direction of the wind. Windward is ''upwind'' from the point of reference, i.e. towards the direction from which the wind is coming; leeward is ''downwind'' from the point of reference ...

side of Kohala to Māhukona where ships could land. Wilder already ran a steamship company, so built a pier at the Māhukona harbor. Samuel Parker planned a railroad from the east coast to the port of

Hilo Hilo () is a census-designated place (CDP) and the largest settlement in Hawaii County, Hawaii, Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States, which encompasses the Hawaii (island), Island of Hawaii. The population was 44,186 according to the 2020 United ...

, but was unable to fund the project. Work was begun in 1881, the first track opened in 1882, and by 1883 had reached about to the plantation at Niulii, . There it met the barrier of

Pololū Valley Pololū (Hawaiian spelling: ''Pololū'', stressed on the final 'ū') is the northernmost of a series of erosional valleys forming the east coast of Kohala Mountain on the Island of Hawaii. The word ''pololū'' means "long spear" in the Hawaiian l ...

. Wilder named the first locomotive Kina'u, after his wife. He had plans to extend his railroad to

, but that did not happen until after his death, built by the

Hawaii Consolidated Railway The Hawaii Consolidated Railway (HCR), originally named the Hilo Railroad Company, was a standard gauge common carrier railroad that served much of the east coast of the Hawaii (island), island of Hawaii (The Big Island) from 1899 until 1946, wh ...

. The two never became connected as dreamed by Wilder. In 1897 the railroad reincorporated as the Hawaii Railway Company, Ltd., and was bought by the sugar companies in 1899. A

sugar mill A sugar cane mill is a factory that processes sugar cane to produce raw or white sugar. The term is also used to refer to the equipment that crushes the sticks of sugar cane to extract the juice. Processing There are a number of steps in pro ...

was built on the north side of the bay, and its remains still stand. A larger wharf was built in 1911 by the

Territory of Hawaii The Territory of Hawaii or Hawaii Territory ( Hawaiian: ''Panalāʻau o Hawaiʻi'') was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from April 30, 1900, until August 21, 1959, when most of its territory, excluding ...

that was immediately destroyed by a storm, and rebuilt. In 1913 it was the fourth busiest port in the islands, but only had 13 vessels enter. The first

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mar ...

was built in 1889 just to the south of the bay. In 1915 it was replaced by a concrete pyramid tall. By 1937, the Kohala Sugar Company had consolidated into the mill at Māhukona, and became Mahukona Terminals Ltd. In 1941 the port closed for World War II. On October 29, 1945, the railroad closed. The town, which once consisted of about 40 families, was abandoned in the 1950s. In 1956 the harbor was closed. The bay is now the site of a park of

Hawaii County Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

. Although called Māhukona Beach Park, the shoreline is rocky and lacks a sandy beach. Fishing, snorkeling, picnic areas, and camping are available. In the 1990s a developer obtained permits to build a golf course and resort in the area. The land-holding company was renamed the Kohala Preserve Conservation Trust, LLC, but encountered opposition from area residents. A historic song about Māhukona, translated as "sugar boiler" was recently recorded. includes audio clip of song, track 14

References

External links

* * {{Authority control , additional=Q28376277,Q106394597 Ghost towns in Hawaii Geography of Hawaii (island) Bays of Hawaii (island) Beaches of Hawaii (island)