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Kauai County, Hawaii

51 topographic sheets cover 64 settlements here, and 39 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Research this county

From the record

39 National Register listings published here, 4 of them National Historic Landmarks.

Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service

Hawaii within the United States
Kauai County within Hawaii

What the record shows

  • 561 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
  • 39 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 20 buildings, 9 structures, 7 districts and 3 sites.
  • 12 of the 39 listings were added during the 1970s.
  • The Geographic Names Information System records 64 populated places in this county; 64 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.

Places on the National Register

39

Every property in this county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the year it was listed and the federal nomination document.

Photograph PropertyType ListedReference
Bishop National Bank of Hawaiibuilding197878001026
Camp Sloggettbuilding199393000773
Civilian Conservation Corps Camp in Kok'e State Parkbuilding199696001504
Coco Palms Resortdistrict2021100006139
Cook Landing Sitesite196666000298
Charles Gay Housebuilding198484000203
Grove Farmdistrict197474000722
Grove Farm (Boundary Increase)district197878003436
Grove Farm Company Locomotivesstructure197979000761
Gulick-Rowell Housebuilding197878001027
Hanalei Elementary Schoolbuilding199090000344
Hanalei Pierstructure197979000757
Hanapepe Town Lot No. 18building199393001033
Haraguchi Rice Millstructure198383000252
Kaua'i Belt Road-North Shore sectiondistrict200403001048
Kikiaolastructure198484000270
Kikiaolastructure198484000270
Kilauea Plantation Head Bookkeeper's Housebuilding199393000774
Kilauea Plantation Head Luna's Housebuilding199393000775
Kilauea Plantation Manager's Housebuilding199393000777
Kilauea Point Lighthousestructure197979000759
Kilauea Schoolbuilding198383000254
Kong Lung Storebuilding199393000776
Lihue Civic Center Historic Districtdistrict198181000204
Lihue Hongwanji Missionbuilding197878001025
Menehune Fishpondsite197373000677
Old Sugar Mill of Koloasite196666000296
Opaekaa Road Bridgestructure198383000253
Pu'u'opae Bridgestructure200505000536
Russian Fortstructure196666000299
Sakuichi and Chieko Matsumoto Residencebuilding2024100010092
Seto Buildingbuilding197979000758
Sueoka Marketbuilding2019100004288
US Post Office-Lihuebuilding198989002011
Wailua Complex of Heiausdistrict196666000297
Waioli Mission Districtdistrict197373000676
Albert Spencer Wilcox Beach Housebuilding199393000725
Albert Spencer Wilcox Buildingbuilding197979000760
Yamase Buildingbuilding199696000398

Wildfire, 1998 to 2020

928 fires

Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 928 of them, burning about 11,552 acres. None started naturally and 1 was recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.

Reported cause Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined919
Recreation and ceremony3
Equipment and vehicle use2
Railroad operations and maintenance1
Debris and open burning1
Arson/incendiarism1
Fireworks1

The five largest, by the area the report gives. None of them was recorded as arson.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
16 August 2012Missing data/not specified/undetermined3,000 acresCounty of Hawai'iPOKI'I RIDGE
16 June 2019Missing data/not specified/undetermined2,150 acresState of HawaiiPOKII RIDGE 2019 FIRE
15 May 2017Recreation and ceremony750 acresState of HawaiiWAIMEA HEIGHTS 2017 FIRE
25 June 2012Missing data/not specified/undetermined652 acresState of HawaiiHIKIMOE12
19 July 2003Missing data/not specified/undetermined640 acresState of Hawaiinot named
21 August 2005Missing data/not specified/undetermined500 acresState of Hawaiinot named
2 September 2001Missing data/not specified/undetermined500 acresState of Hawaiinot named
30 June 2007Missing data/not specified/undetermined300 acresState of Hawaiinot named

Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.

Storms, 1967 to 2026

60 of 550 shown

The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 550 reports for this county, causing 10 deaths, 1 injury and about $97,686,000 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.

Kind of event Reports
Heavy Rain305
Flash Flood150
Flood52
Thunderstorm Wind11
Debris Flow8
Funnel Cloud7
Tornado6
Wildfire4
Lightning4
Waterspout2
Hail1

The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
March 2006Flash FloodHanalei7 killedno account filed
August 2018Flash FloodPrinceville1 killed, $1,500,000Flooding waters on Kuhio Highway closed the roadway near the Hanalei Bridge in the northern part of Kauai. One fatality occurred when a man jumped into the swollen Waikomo Stream to try to save a dog.
December 2016Flash FloodWailua1 killedFlash flooding at a stream near the Wailua River on Kauai swept a woman away to her death, though others in the kayak and hiking tour group managed to get to safety.
February 2013FloodNa Pali Coast Sp1 killedOne of the approximately 50 hikers stranded on the Na Pali Coast on Kauai was swept into the swollen Hanakapiai Stream near Hanakapiai Beach. The body was recovered at 8:30 AM the next morning, 2/22/13.
November 2019Flash FloodPrinceville1 hurtKuhio highway was closed near the Hanalei Bridge due to water overflowing the Hanalei River. A bit later, Kuhio Highway became impassable as the Wainiha River overflowed its banks at the Twin Bridges in Wainiha. A woman was swept away by the flood waters in that area, but she was rescued by the Kauai Fire Department.
March 2020Flash FloodPrinceville$30,600,000Kuhio Highway was also closed near the Hanalei Bridge in northern Kauai as the Hanalei River overflowed its banks along the roadway. Later in the morning around 04:30 HST after heavy downpours, Kuhio Highway was closed in Wailua at the Wailua River in windward Kauai as debris piled up against the bridge crossing the waterway. Some homes and businesses in the area were also affected by flooding waters. There were no reports of significant injuries.
March 2021Flash FloodPrinceville$30,100,000Heavy rain caused the Hanalei River to overflow near the Hanalei Bridge, which then closed Kuhio Highway in that area. Other areas in northern Kauai were affected by downpours that caused debris flows unto roadways, near Princeville, Kilauea, and Wailoko. Other areas that had problems were near Lihue at Niumalu and Hulemalu roads, and in Kapaa where the Keapana Bridge became impassable.
April 2018Flash FloodHanalei$17,600,000In northern Kauai, Kuhio Highway was closed in Hanalei near the Hanalei Bridge due to flooding as of 1900 HST. Two homes were destroyed on Wainiha Powerhouse Road in Wainiha as of 2000 HST, and at the same time the roadway itself was washed out. At 0130 HST on the 15th, multiple people became trapped in their homes between Hanalei and Haena. Around 0400 HST, guests in the Hanalei Colony Resort in Haena had been moved to the second floor due to rising water. And at 0400 HST, water as high as 8 feet was covering Kuhio Highway in Hanalei and other areas, including submerging many vehicles. Small hail was reported by a member of the public at 0600 HST in Wailua in the eastern part of Kauai.
April 2024Flash FloodWailua$7,000,000Emergency managers reported flash flooding along with multiple evacuations in the Wailua area. Additionally a large crane at the Wailua River was leaning on a power line and blocking a road. Several roads were impassable due to flooding. Wailua Bridge southbound lane was closed due to flash flooding.
April 2024Flash FloodLawai$6,500,000Multiple Roads in Koloa were impassable and closed due to flooding which was caused by the heavy rainfall. A small landslide was reported near Piko Road. Additionally, Poipu Road and Koloa Road were flooded and water entered storefront properties. There were several evacuations in the area.
March 2021Debris FlowHanalei$3,900,000Rocks and soil caused the closure of one lane of Kuhio Highway at mile marker 4.5, near Waikoko on Kauai's north shore.
December 1967Tornadonot stated$250,000no account filed
January 2005Thunderstorm WindKalaheo$100,000no account filed
March 2002Tornado (F0)Anahola$60,000no account filed
January 1996Thunderstorm WindWest Kauai$40,000no account filed
November 1995Thunderstorm WindKauai HIZ001$15,000Thunderstorm winds tore off part of the roof of the Nawiliwili Small Boat Harbor office. Trees and powerlines were blown down over parts of south and east Kauai.
August 2017LightningKalihiwai$10,000Power outage in Kilauea after a transformer was struck by lightning.
January 1997Thunderstorm WindKekaha$10,000no account filed
April 2024Thunderstorm WindLihue$1,000Halehaka Road was closed due to a downed tree.
April 2026Flash FloodNa Pali Coast Sp-Water was reported on the Hanalei Bridge on Kuhio Highway due to heavy rain.
February 2026Flash FloodPrinceville-Kauai Police shut down Kuhio Highway near the Hanalei River Bridge due to rising water and flooding.
July 2025Flash FloodNa Pali Coast Sp-The Kauai Emergency Management Agency reported that a large amount of water inundated Kuhio Highway at the Hanalei Bridge. Flooding was also reported near the mouth of Wailua River.
April 2024Flash FloodPrinceville-Kuhio Highway was closed in both directions at the Hanalei Bridge.
April 2024Flash FloodKaumakani-Flooding was reported for 100 yards in the vicinity of Kaumakani/Pakala area.
April 2024Flash FloodKapaa-Olohena Road was closed near the solar farm due to flooding and a landslide.
April 2024Flash FloodLihue-Hulemalu Road near Alekoko Menehune Fishpond was closed due to fallen trees and boulders.
December 2024Funnel CloudHanamaulu-An employee at the NWS Data Collection Office at Lihue Airport and an observer at the FAA tower reported a funnel cloud.
February 2023Flash FloodPrinceville-Kuhio Highway was closed at the Hanalei Bridge around 8:10am due to water across the road. Later that morning Hauaala Road was closed at the Keapana Bridge due to flooding in Kapaa Stream.
February 2023Flash FloodWailua Homesteads-Maalo Road was closed beginning at 2:00pm near Wailua Falls Lookout due to flash flooding. Additionally, flash flooding also forced the closure of the cement bridge near Kawaihau.
February 2023Flash FloodPrinceville-Kuhio Highway near the Hanalei Bridge was closed due to flooding.
January 2023Flash FloodPrinceville-Kuhio Highway was closed near the Hanalei Bridge.
January 2023Flash FloodPrinceville-Kuhio Highway was closed at the Hanalei River Bridge due to flooding.
March 2023Flash FloodPoipu-Emergency management reported vehicles were stranded on Lawai and Kua Roads.
December 2023FloodPrinceville-A rapid rise in stream and river levels prompted the closure of Kuhio Highway at Hanalei Bridge on the Island of Kauai.
December 2023FloodPrinceville-Kuhio highway was closed at Hanalei bridge due to water over the road.
January 2022Flash FloodPrinceville-Downpours caused the Hanalei River to overflow onto Kuhio Highway near the Hanalei Bridge in the northern part of Kauai.
October 2022Heavy RainHanalei-Local stream gauges recorded some initial rises in response to enhanced rainfall rates, but receded quickly without much impact as rains diminished quickly over the area.
March 2022Flash FloodPrinceville-Kuhio Highway closed near the Hanalei Bridge as the Hanalei River overflowed.
December 2022Thunderstorm WindWaimea-Emergency management reported widespread power outages due to thunderstorm wind gusts.
March 2021Flash FloodPrinceville-Heavy rain caused the Hanalei River to overflow onto Kuhio Highway near the Hanalei Bridge in the northern part of Kauai.
March 2021Flash FloodPrinceville-The overflowing Hanalei River flooded onto Kuhio Highway near the Hanalei Bridge, closing the roadway for a time.
January 2021Flash FloodPrinceville-Flooding caused a closure of Kuhio Highway near the Hanalei Bridge.
February 2021Flash FloodPrinceville-Kuhio Highway was closed near the Hanalei Bridge due to flooding from the Hanalei River. Also, a debris flow occurred near Lumahai that partially closed Kuhio Highway in the area, and Wailua Marina was inundated by flood waters.
February 2021Flash FloodPrinceville-Kuhio Highway was closed near the Hanalei Bridge due to flooding along the Hanalei River.
March 2021Heavy RainKaunalewa-County officials advised homeless individuals to voluntarily evacuate the Anini Beach Park in the northern part of Kauai because of heavy precipitation in the area.
March 2021Flash FloodKoloa-Multiple road closures occurred in Koloa and Kalaheo in the southern portion of Kauai because of flooding.
December 2021Flash FloodPrinceville-Kuhio Highway was closed near the Hanalei Bridge due to flooding across the roadway in the northern section of Kauai.
March 2020Flash FloodPrinceville-Kuhio Highway near the Hanalei Bridge became impassable near Hanalei due to the Hanalei River overflowing its banks. Also, part of Route 50, Kaumualii Highway, near Waimea was closed around 0735 HST on the 17th, and other roadways were closed in Waimea, because of flooding waters from heavy rainfall on Kauai.
March 2020Flash FloodPrinceville-Kuhio Highway was closed near the Hanalei Bridge in Hanalei because the Hanalei River overflowed its banks due to heavy rain.
February 2020Flash FloodPrinceville-With heavy rain falling, the Hanalei River overflowed its banks near the Hanalei Bridge along Kuhio Highway.
November 2020Flash FloodPrinceville-Kuhio Highway was closed near the Hanalei Bridge due to the Hanalei River overflowing its banks.
October 2019Flash FloodPrinceville-With heavy rain, the Hanalei River overflowed onto Kuhio Highway near the Hanalei Bridge in the northern part of Kauai.
August 2019Flash FloodAnahola-Flooding prevented access to several homes in Anahola on the Garden Isle of Kauai. More problems occurred just north of Kapaa as water began overflowing Keapana Bridge.
September 2019Flash FloodPrinceville-Kuhio Highway was closed near the Hanalei Bridge in the northern part of Kauai due to flooding.
December 2019Flash FloodPrinceville-Kuhio Highway was closed near the Hanalei Bridge due to the Hanalei River overflowing its banks.
February 2018Debris FlowHanalei-A debris flow occurred on the southbound lane of Kuhio Highway in northern Kauai between Waikoko Beach and Waipa Farmers Market.
February 2018Debris FlowHanalei-A debris flow occurred near Wainiha in northern Kauai along Kuhio Highway. When county workers tried to clear the debris, a larger flow occurred which then closed both lanes of the highway.
February 2018Debris FlowHanalei-A debris flow occurred near Wainiha in northern Kauai along Kuhio Highway. When county workers tried to clear the debris, a larger flow occurred which then closed both lanes of the highway.
February 2018Flash FloodPrinceville-Heavy rain caused the Hanalei River to overflow and spill onto Kuhio Highway near the Hanalei Bridge over the northern part of Kauai.
February 2018Flash FloodPrinceville-After a period of heavy rain, the Hanalei River overflowed its banks and flooded Kuhio Highway near the Hanalei Bridge in the northern part of Kauai.

Mines and quarries

14 recorded

The Survey's mineral resources record lists 14 workings inside this county. 2 still produce and 12 are closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.

Commodity Workings
Aluminum4
Stone, Crushed/Broken2
Pumice2
Iron, Phosphorus-Phosphates, Titanium, Water, Free, Silica2
Stone2
Titanium, Metal, Aluminum1
Titanium, Metal1
Phosphorus-Phosphates, Iron, Silica, Titanium, Water, Free1
Calcium1
Salt1

The least common of them first, because a county's hundredth gravel pit says nothing its first ten did not.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Kaneha Reservoirs DepositTitanium, MetalOccurrence
Kauai Bauxite DepositTitanium, Metal, AluminumOccurrenceBauxite, Ilmenite
Mahaulepu Quarry and MillCalciumProducer
Northeast Kauai DepositAluminum, Phosphorus-Phosphates, Iron, Silica, Titanium, Water, FreeProspect1949
Unnamed SaltSaltUnknown
45 Hm QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Bluestone Quarry and MillStoneProducer
Chang MillStonePast Producer
Cinder PitPumicePast Producer
East Central Kauai DepositAluminum, Iron, Phosphorus-Phosphates, Titanium, Water, Free, SilicaProspect1949
Kapaia Valley QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Kapeku Cinder PitPumicePast Producer
Kauai DepositsAluminum, Iron, Phosphorus-Phosphates, Titanium, Water, Free, SilicaProspect1949
Hawaii BauxiteAluminumOccurrenceBauxite, Gibbsite

Every populated place in the county

64

Named settlements recorded in the Geographic Names Information System, each with the topographic sheets covering it. Villages, hamlets and abandoned places alike. Each is shown with the nearest named watercourse or landform and the survey quadrangle it falls on.

The vanished settlements of Kauai County: the places named above that are no longer on the map.

Provenance

  • Topographic sheets. USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection, county index, measured from the bulk metadata.
  • Fire insurance maps. Library of Congress Sanborn collection, faceted to this county.
  • Photographs. Each place queried individually against the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs search.
  • Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
  • Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
  • Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.