Māhukona is a former settlement on the

island of Hawaii Hawaii is the List of islands of the United States by area, largest island in the United States, located in the Hawaii, state of Hawaii, the southernmost state in the union. It is the southeasternmost of the Hawaiian Islands, a chain of volcani ...

. The extinct submerged volcano Māhukona, 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. Much was owned by Princess Ruth Keelikōlani at one time. The name means "leeward steam" in the

Hawaiian language Hawaiian (', ) is a critically endangered Polynesian language of the Austronesian language family, originating in and native to the Hawaiian Islands. It is the native language of the Hawaiian people. Hawaiian, along with English, is an offi ...

. Lapakahi State Historical Park is just to the south. The harbor is located just off of Akoni Pule Highway, Hawaii Route 270. While Samuel Gardner Wilder 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 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 stout, jointed, fib ...

plantation Plantations are farms specializing in cash crops, usually mainly planting a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. Plantations, centered on a plantation house, grow crops including cotton, cannabis, tob ...

in the Kohala district was started by Elias Bond in 1863, but transportation proved difficult. Wilder's idea was to transport sugarcane from plantations on the wet

windward In geography and seamanship, windward () and leeward () are directions relative to 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 ...

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

, 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. 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 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 sugar or plantation white sugar. Some sugar mills are situated next to a back-end refinery, that turns raw sugar into (refined) white sugar. The term is also used to refer ...

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 language, Hawaiian: ''Panalāʻau o Hawaiʻi'') was an organized incorporated territories of the United States, organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from Apri ...

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 lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

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. 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) Sugar industry of Hawaii Company towns in Hawaii