From Our Files: Moments from Hawai‘i’s Past–October Edition

A look back at Honolulu from 1900 to 1991. Stories taken from the archives of Paradise of the Pacific and HONOLULU Magazine.

October 20, 2016

Michael Keany,

OUR HISTORY

In 1888, King Kalākaua issued a royal charter, commissioning a magazine. Then titled Paradise of the Pacific, this publication became HONOLULU Magazine, making it the oldest magazine west of the Mississippi.

1921

A Paradise editorial sounds the alarm about water resources, asking, “What are we wasting that we might conserve?” Goats have already threatened to turn the landscapes to desert, and wildfires have swept through Hawai‘i’s old-growth forests. But the biggest dangers, according to Paradise, are allowing cattle to range in timberland, excessive lumbering and cord-wood harvesting, and the lack of a ban on fire-making in or near wooded areas. “Without a good watershed, no island in Hawai‘i would be worth a tinker’s dam, and without forests, there can be no watersheds.”

1921

The Kunalu Club Girls, after the Regatta Day races. Paradise of the Pacific notes, “They came in second and still smiling.” From left to right, they are Jessie Searle, Annie Young, Josephine Hopkins, Lani Hutchinson, Rena Munro and Dogmar Madsen.

1936

The hot new competition of the day: pigeon racing, thanks to a security program established in Hawai‘i by the National Defense Act, in case of national emergency. In the meantime: The third annual Pigeon Race releases homing birds from the Maui Fairgrounds back to Honolulu, and from Honolulu back to Maui. “This event is becoming more popular each year. We will [soon] have a real sport organized, as sportsmanship is one of the most essential elements of the game of pigeon racing,” enthuses Paradise. The next goal, a race in which Honolulu birds are released from the summit of Haleakalā.

1936

Surfer and writer Tom Blake poses the question: How far can you ride a surfboard? The answer, for him, was an entire mile, in Waikīkī. “I realized an ambition of six years’ standing by riding a wave from first-break-castle through public-baths break, on through chuna-break and to shore, opposite Lalani Village, at the stone wall.”

1966

HONOLULU Magazine showcases new looks from local designers, manufacturers and retailers: “Gone are the old touristy prints. In their stead are colors plucked from our flora, combed from our sky and sea. Hawai‘i’s fashion industry is booming in dollar value and fashion impact. Wear these at home. Then try them in Cannes or Jamaica and listen to the fashion aficionado ask, ‘Where?’”

1971

HONOLULU celebrates the impending debut of DDD, direct distance dialing. For the first time ever, it’ll be possible to make phone calls to the Mainland simply by dialing a number, without the help of an operator. Neighbor Islands will have to wait—the new service is being rolled out in phases.

1991

Sen. Daniel K. Inouye’s favorite Halloween costume? A white sheet with holes cut out for the eyes. “Halloween was not high on our agenda as kids,” he says.


1921	1936	1991

Learn more about the evolution of covers in HONOLULU Magazine and Paradise of the Pacific: 125 Years of Covers, available at shop.honolulumagazine.com.