In contrast to other U.S states and islands, the island of Kauai has a history that is rich and unique. The birth and development of first island civilization in Hawaii involve tradion, culture and a healthy dose of folklore.

About 1600 years ago between 400 to 500 A.D., Kauai had its first share of settlers who brought basic food products like taro which is commonly used to make poi. Moving forward to 1000 A.D. and the Marquesans had sailed from Polynesia and had become the first real inhabitants of the island. Tahitians arrived around the same time and overpowered the Marquesans to settle in the island of Kauai as well. Several of the Polynesians brought many of the plants that you can still find in Kauai today.

Western navigation of the Hawaiian islands is only a relatively recent event.  It was not until the 1700's that famous explorer Captain James Cook stepped onto the shores of this island chain.  To put that into perspective, that is 1300 yeas after the first periodic settlers and 700 years after the Polynesians had made the open water journey. The HMS Discovery and Resolution first landed in Waimea local trading and cultural education from their Hawaiian hosts.~Bay on the west cost of the island in 1778.  Cook and his crews traded food and basic items with their Hawaiian hosts and recieved a cultural education about the area during their stay.} Captain Cook called the islands the Sandwich Islands after the captain's superior officer, the Fourth Earl of Sandwich.

Moving thorugh history a few more decades and King Kamehameha took Kauai non-violently from King Kaumuali"i in 1810. He reigned over the majority of the island chain. In 1815, Georg Scheffer, a Russian doctor visited Kauai in an attempt to establish trade privileges with Kamehameha. Kauai however, was still nominally under the control of King Kaumuali"i so the Russian doctor promised Kaumuali"i to liberate Kauai with the support of Nicholas I of Russia in exchange for cargo situated in Waimea. Fort Elizabeth was then built on the western aspect of the island plus a few more near Hanalei. However, Scheffer was recalled to Russia causing the fall of Fort Elizabeth to King Kamehameha.

The Kilauea Lighthouse was created in 1913 at the northernmost point of the major Hawaiian islands which featured the largest glass lens of its kind guiding sailors from the Orient. It continued to function until 1970 and is now considered as a historical landmark. Hawaiian history continued to flourish throughout the years and was well-preserved even after American colonization during the 1900s.

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