Moanalua

Moanalua is a suburban residential district of Honolulu, Hawaii, neighboring Mapunapuna and Salt Lake on the Hawaiian island of Oahu.

Origins

An ahupua'a in ancient Hawai'i was a parcel of royal land that stretched from the mountain to the sea. The Moanalua ahupua'a was the property of the Estate of S.M. Damon, a private trust of lands owned by Samuel M. Damon. Before him, the lands belonged to the reigning House of Kalakaua which had in turn acquired them from the House of Kamehameha. Damon was involved with the Committee of Safety that succeeded in the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawai'i and obtained the abdication of Queen Lili'uokalani. Damon later became one of the first trustees of the Kamehameha Schools/Bishop Estate and served alongside philanthropist Charles Reed Bishop. The Estate of S.M. Damon sold the ahupua'a to commercial and residential developers in 1956. After statehood, the developers took part in an effort led by Governor of Hawai'i John A. Burns to establish Honolulu as one of the most modern of the cities in the United States with Moanalua as one of its highlights.