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for the sailors coming off the whaling ships. Hawaiian chiefs and
Christian missionaries had to establish laws regulating drinking,
gambling, and prostitution. And these laws weren't always followed.
In fact, in 1851, the Hale Paahao Prison was constructed out
of coral-block stones from the old fort on Lahaina's waterfront.
Missionary and whaler clashes were common, and the prison served
the purpose of trying to keep the peace between everyone on Maui.
Because the life of a sailor was arduous, and the
journey could last up to five years,
thousands "jumped ship" each
year in Hawaii.
This would leave
whaling ships short
of men. Since
Hawaiians
were natural
watermen, they
were popular
replacements
and these
Hawaiian
sailors,
called
their bounty of oil and whale bone back to mainland America,
and to allow crew members time to rest and relax. More than
100 ships stopped in Hawaii in 1824, and over the next two
decades the industry flourished so much that by 1846 an
astounding 736 ships arrived in the Islands that year.
But it wasn't all good times for the people of Hawaii, or
Whaling Port of Lahaina
By Ryane Acalin
THE
NORTH
ATLANTIC
RIGHT
WHALE IS
THE MOST
ENDANGERED
WHALE IN
THE WORLD.
After being hunted almost
to extinction, there are fewer than
400 remaining on the entire planet.
HISTORY OF WHALING
Maui Discovered, Map of Maui
By Dave Stevenson
