Hawaii has undergone monumental changes in the last century, including the development of Hawaii as a tourist destination, and in 1959, the islands’ admittance as the youngest state in America. These 13 photographs, taken in the early 1900s, give us a glimpse into life before Hawaii became an American state when the monarchy thrived and life was much simpler. The images that follow depict an era of old Hawaii you’ve only imagined in your wildest dreams. Let’s take a step back in time, shall we?
- A panoramic view of the historic Haleiwa Hotel just four years after it was opened, circa 1902.
Melvin Vaniman/Wikimedia Commons
- Plantation workers fill bags of sugar in the 1910s.
National Photo Company, Library of Congress/Wikimedia Commons
- The famous Duke Kahanamoku surfs the waves of Waikiki in 1910.
A. R. Gurrey Jr./Wikimedia Commons
- Native Hawaiians sell leis in 1901.
Historic Photographs Of Old Hawaii/Wikimedia Commons
- The Queen’s Hospital as photographed in 1905.
Hawaii State Archives/Wikimedia Commons
- A fire was set in Honolulu’s Chinatown in 1900 in order to destroy houses suspected of being infected with the bubonic plague.
Hawaii State Archives/Wikimedia Commons
- The Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce poses in front of a pineapple grove on a 1907 trip to Hawaii.
Wikimedia Commons
- A photograph depicting the historic congregational church in Kaluaʻaha on the Hawaiian island of Molokaʻi before its first restoration in 1912.
B. Snow
- The Honolulu Harbor as photographed in the year 1900.
Hawaii State Archives/Wikimedia Commons
- Mokuhinia Fishpond as photographed in 1910 before it was drained and converted into a baseball field.
R. J. Baker/Wikimedia Commons
- A woman sews wooden lauhala strips into a hat in front of a grass house, circa 1915.
Hawaii State Archives/Wikimedia Commons
- Jack and Charmian London photographed on Waikiki Beach in 1915. Notice Diamond Head in the background.
Charmian London/Wikimedia Commons
- Fort Ruger, near present day Kaimuki, was the first military installation in the territory of Hawaii. This particular image was taken in 1910.
Severin & Bolster/Wikimedia Commons
Wondering what Hawaii looked like during the decade before it became an American state? Take a look at these vintage shots from the 1950s for a unique glimpse into a monumental era of Hawaiian history.
Melvin Vaniman/Wikimedia Commons
National Photo Company, Library of Congress/Wikimedia Commons
A. R. Gurrey Jr./Wikimedia Commons
Historic Photographs Of Old Hawaii/Wikimedia Commons
Hawaii State Archives/Wikimedia Commons
Wikimedia Commons
B. Snow
R. J. Baker/Wikimedia Commons
Charmian London/Wikimedia Commons
Severin & Bolster/Wikimedia Commons
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