{"product_id":"old-map-of-wailea-hawaii-by-usgs-1915-honomu-kihei-makena","title":"Old Map of Wailea, Hawaii by USGS, 1915 – Honomu, Kihei \u0026 Makena","description":"\u003cp\u003ePublished in 1915 by the United States Geological Survey, the map titled “Honomu” presents an early twentieth-century topographical portrait of Wailea, Honomu, and the surrounding Hawaiian landscape at the detailed scale of 1:62,500. Its finely drawn contour lines translate volcanic terrain into an elegant scientific language, revealing ridges, valleys, coastal slopes, and upland gradients with remarkable clarity. The muted palette and disciplined typography are characteristic of USGS cartography of the period: restrained, legible, and quietly authoritative. At a time when Hawaii’s landscapes were being increasingly surveyed, cultivated, and connected by roads and trails, this map captured both the natural drama of the islands and the human footprint beginning to reshape them.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe United States Geological Survey, founded in 1879, became one of the most influential cartographic institutions in American history, producing maps that served explorers, engineers, land managers, soldiers, scientists, and settlers. In Hawaii, its work held particular importance, because the islands’ steep volcanic relief, dramatic coastlines, and rapidly changing agricultural districts demanded accurate topographical representation. This “Honomu” sheet belongs to that tradition of practical elegance. Rather than offering decorative embellishment, it conveys authority through measurement: contours, place names, drainage patterns, roads, and trails form a dense visual archive of the land. The result is a map that is at once utilitarian and beautiful, a document of federal scientific ambition applied to one of the Pacific’s most distinctive environments.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe mapped region includes places such as Wailea, Honomu, Kihei, Makena, Wailuku, Paia, Hookena Point, and the South Hilo District, situating named settlements within a broader geography of coast, slope, and ocean. The Pacific Ocean frames the landward detail, while coastal features along the southern shores emphasize the intimate relationship between settlement and sea. Roads and trails thread through the terrain, showing patterns of movement before the full force of modern resort development and highway infrastructure transformed many Hawaiian localities. Wailea, now associated with luxury resorts and planned coastal communities, appears here in a far earlier context, when land use, access, and settlement were markedly different from the polished landscape known today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTopographically, the map is especially compelling. The contour patterns reveal the varied terrain of Hawaii with a precision that invites close reading: tightly nested lines indicate steep slopes and mountainous ground, while more open spacing suggests gentler valleys and coastal plains. These elevation markings evoke the islands’ volcanic origins, where lava-built landforms descend from upland interiors toward the ocean in complex folds, gulches, and ridges. In an era before aerial photography became routine, such maps distilled painstaking field observation into a coherent vision of the landscape. The viewer can trace how water, elevation, and access shaped settlement, agriculture, and movement across the region, making the sheet both a geographic record and a historical interpretation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs a historical document, “Honomu” preserves Hawaii at a moment of transition. The early 1900s saw expanding plantation agriculture, evolving transportation networks, and increasing American administrative oversight following annexation and the establishment of the Territory of Hawaii. Over the century that followed, many places represented on this map changed dramatically: agricultural lands shifted use, roads multiplied, towns expanded, and areas such as Wailea became synonymous with tourism and resort development. Against that later transformation, the 1915 USGS depiction feels especially evocative. It records a landscape before contemporary urbanization, yet already carefully measured and integrated into a national cartographic system—an elegant intersection of Hawaiian geography, scientific mapping, and modern history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eCities, towns and places on this map\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWailea\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHonomu\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHookena Point\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMakena\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKihei\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWailuku\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePaia\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSouth Hilo District\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePacific Ocean\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eVarious contour lines indicating elevation\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNumerous roads and trails illustrated\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCoastal features along the southern shores\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eHistorical context \u0026amp; cartographic details\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMap name: Honomu\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePublished by the US Geological Survey (USGS)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDated 1915\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHistorical 1:62,500 topographical map of Wailea, Hawaii, and the surrounding area\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe USGS, established in 1879, is known for producing reliable geological and topographical maps across the United States\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFeatures clear contour lines illustrating the area’s topography\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUses a traditional early 20th-century cartographic style with a muted, legible color palette\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eShows varied terrain, including mountainous regions and valleys\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eReflects early 20th-century geographical understanding of the area\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDocuments a landscape that has since changed through urban development, shifting land use, and agriculture\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWailea has developed over time into a key resort area, contrasting with its less populated historical depiction\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLooking for a particular place?\u003c\/strong\u003e Review the detailed images to confirm that the town, landmark or feature you have in mind appears on the map. If you are unsure, \u003ca target=\"”_blank”\" href=\"\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003eask our workshop to check before you order\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDetailed maps are especially rewarding at larger sizes, where names, boundaries and decorative features have more room to be appreciated. Use the close-up preview and size guide to choose the right scale for your wall.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 50in (125cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003eget in touch\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe model in the listing images is holding the 16x20in (40x50cm) version of this map.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhere personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. \u003ca target=\"”_blank”\" href=\"\/pages\/map-personalisation\"\u003eSee personalised map examples\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEvery piece is printed to museum-grade archival standards using fade-resistant pigment inks on acid-free matte paper. Choose an unframed map print, framed map or canvas using the finish options above. Framed maps use crystal-clear optical acrylic and arrive ready to hang.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith its rich detail and strong sense of place, this map makes a considered gift for a new home, anniversary, retirement or anyone with a personal connection to the area shown. Still deciding? Explore our collection of \u003ca target=\"”_blank”\" href=\"\/collections\/all-old-vintage-antique-maps\"\u003erare old and vintage maps\u003c\/a\u003e to discover another place, period or style.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Unique Maps Co.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":58800902439296,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0257\/0344\/8638\/files\/file_47f78d7a-ebc9-4bc4-b66f-8e80b298b57d.jpg?v=1787935967","url":"https:\/\/uniquemaps.ca\/products\/old-map-of-wailea-hawaii-by-usgs-1915-honomu-kihei-makena","provider":"The Unique Maps Co.","version":"1.0","type":"link"}