Molokai and Lanai are located just west of Maui, seen on the right of this image.
Molokai, the larger of these two islands at 259 square miles of land, has a mountainous
east end and a relatively flat, arid, west end. The eastern mountain ridge rises to a
summit elevation of 5,000 feet at Olokui. A small rise on west Molokai known as Mauna
Loa reaches a height of 1,382 feet. East and west Molokai divide between Mauna Loa and
Kaunakakai. Canyons and steep cliffs dominate the north coast of eastern Molokai but
the mountains rise gradually from the reef protected south coast. The population of
Molokai was concentrated on the east end, particularly along the southern shore.
Molokai's famous leper colony was located on Kalaupapa Peninsula, jutting out from the
north coast beneath towering and nearly impassable cliffs. Landings were at Pukoo (17
miles from Lahaina), Kamalo and Kaunakakai on the south coast and at Kalaupapa (50 miles
from Honolulu) and Kalawao on Kalaupapa Peninsula.
Lanai (50 miles east of Honolulu) is a mere 141 square miles in size and was privately
owned throughout the second half of the 19th Century. It rises on the east side to an elevation of 3370
feet at Paiawai and falls off gradually to the west. It has landings at Kamaiki Point,
Manele Bay and Halepalaoa. Villages on Lanai included Koele, the ranch headquarters and
Lanai City, both located in the upland interior of the island. Keomuku, not mentioned
on this map, was a sugar plantation town in the late 1890's and was situated just
northwest of Halepalaoa landing.
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