The Occasional Seedy Underbelly of History

Copyright © 2018

By Ralph F. Couey

Honolulu is one of those places where history points in many different directions, all of them colorful. King Kamehameha, after consolidating his rule over all of the Hawai'ian islands in 1804, located his royal court here on two separate occasions, as did his descendant, Kamehameha III. The first European, British Captain William Brown made port here in 1794. Many other ships followed, and soon Honolulu was the focal point for shipping between North American and Asia. With the expansion of trade came the people. Almost every Asian culture is represented here, and Honolulu is one of those rare places where white people are a distinct minority, totaling less than 20% of the population.

The Hawai'ian Monarchy was overthrown in 1893, and the entire island chain was annexed as a territory by the United States in 1898. Most people when they come here flock to the popular tourist destinations, particularly Waikiki and Ala Moana. But located near downtown is what for most of its history was considered the seedy part of Honolulu. The area now known as Chinatown encompasses a street named Hotel, a place when mentioned to military veterans will almost always return a smile and a chuckle.

In the 19th century, the owners of the sugar plantations began importing Chinese laborers to work in their fields. Many of those workers became merchants after their contracts expired, and clustered in this area, and remains one of the oldest Chinatowns in the U.S.

In 1899, a 22-year-old Chinese bookkeeper was diagnosed with Bubonic Plague. The disease arrived here, as it did in most places, via ships carrying rats infested with fleas carrying Yersinia Pestis, the causative agent of the plague. The young man died two days later, and when other cases were diagnosed, the reaction of the city fathers was to burn the buildings where the disease had taken hold. But the fires got out of control and ended up burning some 38 acres of Honolulu, destroying the thriving businesses and rendering some 7,000 people homeless. The survivors were moved into relocation camps to maintain the quarantine until April when the quarantine was lifted. Some 40 people died of the plague. Residents of Chinatown rebuilt their businesses, mostly out of stone and concrete, but moved their residences to other parts of town to escape the effects of any future blazes.

In the 1930's and through World War II, the area became a hotbed of recreation for servicemen. There, poorly paid sailors, marines, and soldiers could imbibe in alcohol at any of the dozens of bars. They could also avail themselves of the local brothels, whose staff were regularly checked by military doctors. After the war ended, the area slid into decline, becoming an area known for crime and eventually drugs. After many incidents of assaults and murders, the area was declared off limits to servicemen by military authorities.

There were attempts to rehabilitate the area, and going there today, one can visit many of the open air markets selling fruits, vegetables, and traditional Chinese foods and herbs. The area still has a seedy feel to it, but this is where the old and unrepentant Honolulu still exists. The buildings, all built after the 1900 fire, carry the names of the entrepreneurs who built them. There are only a few bars here now, and some of Hawai'i's ubiquitous homeless population have taken up residence in doorways and alleys.

Still plenty of this around...

This building was home to the legendary Wo Fat's, a restaurant

hugely popular in it's day. The name has survived through

characters in both editions of the television series Hawaii Five-0.

One of the many markets in the district.

On this particular sunny Sunday afternoon, there weren't many tourists around. I suspect this is not on their lists of destinations, but I have a deep appreciation for history, especially revolving around culture and identity. Such places are numerous across the American landscape, but few carry the colorful past of Honolulu's Chinatown.