1928 Wall / Iao Map of Hawaii (Big Island), Hawaii Territory Survey

From Colonialism to Conservation.

This is a 1928 Walter E. Wall and Joseph Iao survey map of the Island of Hawaii (Big Island), done for the Hawaii Territory Survey. Among other features, it represents land use and land ownership on the island at a time when increasing amounts of land were being dedicated as parkland or forest reserves.

A Closer Look

This map covers the entirety of the 'big island', with major landmarks like Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea, and Kealakekua Bay noted. Elevation is recorded at peaks and indicated with hachures, with lava flows from recent eruptions traced. The survey includes information on transportation (roads, trails, railroads) and administrative divisions. Some idiosyncratic sites are labeled, such as the Humuula Sheep Station, the Louisson Coffee Mill, and the Volcano House, a hotel on Mt. Kilauea still in operation today. But the map's primary purpose is to give an overview of land use and ownership across the island, with the names of individual plots recorded throughout (often forming the basis of community names used today). This issue was particularly complicated due to historical claims and the changing nature of the island and the territory after its incorporation into the U.S. in 1898.

In 1848, King Kamehameha III (r. 1825 - 1854) initiated the Great Mahele, which redistributed the Kingdom of Hawaii's land and classified it into Crown Lands, Government Lands, and Konohiki Lands, meaning private lands held by chiefs (ali'i nui) or commoners (kanaka). However, a poor understanding of the legal complexities of private property among the population meant that most land ended up in the hands of the monarchy and elites, or, increasingly in the late 19th century, foreigners. After the monarchy was overthrown, Crown Lands and Government Lands were combined, the cause of their preponderance here. In the early 20th century, much of these Government Lands were designated as National Parks or Forest Reserves; today, roughly 40 percent of the island's land is managed as state or federal parkland, while much of the rest of the island has restricted conservation zoning.

In terms of private lands, by the 1890s, the majority was owned by 'foreigners' (non-Native Hawaiians, especially those descended from Europeans, even if born in Hawaii). 200,000 acres of Government Lands were set aside in 1921 for Native Hawaiian 'homesteads' by the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, but the law's particulars led to it being generally seen as a half-measure. Namely, it put in place stringent 'blood quantum' requirements that barred many Native Hawaiians (with at least partially mixed ancestry) from participating and leased the land to 'homesteaders' rather than giving them fee simple ownership.

The Hawaiian Government Survey

The Hawaiian Government Survey was formed in 1870, when the Hawaiian Minister of the Interior, Dr. Ferdinand W. Hutchinson, asked the Legislature for $5,000 for 'Government Surveying'. Dr. Hutchinson appointed William D. Alexander surveyor general. Alexander, in turn, hired Curtis J. Lyons, a former surveyor and legislator, as his assistant. In 1871, they hired two assistants, J. F. Brown and J. M. Lydgate. The primary goal was to map the islands so the government could assess the territory. In addition, the maps produced were available for public use. The Survey established the first sophisticated triangulation of the islands, mapped their topography, and compiled individual surveys into larger maps. Surveying began on the island of Maui, then moved to Oahu and Hawaii, and then to the other islands. Work continued until 1901, when the Hawaiian Government Survey became the Hawaiian Territorial Survey, and Walter E. Wall succeeded Alexander as Territorial Surveyor.

Publication History and Census

This map was prepared by Walter E. Wall, head of the Hawaii Territory Survey, and Joseph Iao in 1928, updating earlier maps prepared by the Survey, including when it was called the Hawaii Government Survey (see, for example, our earlier HawaiiHawaii-lo-1901). The only known institutional holdings of this map are with the Hawaii Government and Territory Survey Maps Collection at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and the American Geographical Society Library Map Collection at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Cartographers

Walter Eugene Wall (October 13, 1867 - July 23, 1944) was an American surveyor. Born in Yreka, California, he arrived in Honolulu with his parents in 1880. His father was the architect in charge of the construction of the Iolani Palace. He began working at the Hawaiian Government Survey in 1889 and was appointed Territorial Surveyor General in 1901. He worked for the survey for more than 35 years. Wall attended the Ponahou School where he was known for his athletics, introducing the curveball (referenced as 'curve pitching in baseball' in his obituary) to Hawaii. He married Edith Louise Dietz on June 22, 1903. He died in 1944 in Honolulu.   Further Details...

Joseph Lee Iao (fl. c. 1900 - 1940) was a surveyor in Hawaii, known for working with Walter E. Wall on maps of Hawaii Island and Maui in the early 20th century. He was born around the year 1881 in Honolulu to a Chinese father and Native Hawaiian mother. Iao worked as a draughtsman with the Hawaii Territory Survey in the early 20th century when the survey was headed by Wall. In 1910, he married Margaret Lokalia Kamakani (1888 - 1942), with whom he had seven children. His son, Joseph Iao, Jr. (1913 - 1991) also became a surveyor, working at the Hawaii Department of Public Works.   Further Details...

Condition

Good. Wear along fold line at top. Creasing and uneven toning.

References

UW Milwaukee, American Geographical Society Library - Maps ; 762-c.H38 E-1928. UH Mānoa Hamilton Library, G4382.H3F7 1928.I25.