Things to do / Travel Guide
The Hawaiian Islands have a history that goes back more than 1,000 years. Originally settled by Polynesians from the islands of Tahiti and Marquesas, not much is known, in terms of specifics at least, about Hawaii's early history.
What is known, however, is that Maui was conquered by Piilani, the chief of Hana, in the 14th century. With the arrival of Piilani, temples were built and a system of roads, which exists until today relatively unchanged, was established. After a series of territorial conflicts between the Maui rulers and the armies flowing in from the other islands, Maui was finally absorbed into the kingdom of Hawaii in 1800 with the establishment of a Hawaiian royal court in Lahaina. Maui was brought into modern history when European explorer Captain James Cook discovered the island in 1778.
Molokai's history is reflective of Hawaii's history and, unlike the island of Maui, Captain Cook actually set foot on Molokai. Cook's arrival on Molokai was followed by the arrival of missionaries who opened schools and churches on the island. The main attraction on Molokai, in terms of history, is Kalaupapa, a five-mile peninsula where Father Damien De Veuster, a Christian missionary from Belgium, established a ministry in 1873. “Father Damien's,” as it is now known to locals, was once a leper colony, separated from the rest of Molokai by gigantic rocky cliffs.
The modern era of the history of Lanai began in 1922, when James Dole, a wealthy businessman, started growing pineapples on the island. He went on to found the famous Dole Pineapple Company which, at one point, provided 75% of the world's pineapples. Eventually the Great Depression hit, however, and many years later the Dole family sold its pineapple holdings in Lanai. Pineapples are still grown on the island but not in the same numbers and not with same level of profits as the 1920s. Lanai became a tourist destination with the arrival of businessman David Murdoch, who opened two luxury hotels in an endeavor to turn Lanai into a premier resort destination.
The Hawaiian monarchy was eventually overturned and, in 1894, the Republic of Hawaii was founded, with Sanford Dole assuming the role as president. Hawaii as a whole was made into an American territory, called Hawaii Territory, in 1900, and Hawaii became the 50th American state in 1959.
Maui has been considerably more developed over the decades in comparison to Molokai and Lanai, which still retain some of the “ancient Hawaiian” charm and legend. Molokai and Lanai remain quiet, remote destinations favored by travelers who truly want “to get away from it all.”
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