The island of O'ahu has a lot of knowledge hiding behind the curtains. The beauty of the island is hiding beneath the bosom of the smiling faces all around. O'ahu is flooded with many natural, cultural, and historical landmarks. Though, there are several that many people are not familiar with. One of the common landmarks still standing untouched to this day would be the Moanalua Valley Trail. Moanalua Valley Trail is one of the best examples towards what O'ahu was like before modernism struck.
Moanalua Valley Trail, also known as Kamananui Valley Road or The Damon Estate, has been best preserved for decades and decades. The rich history behind this valley is locked up in a bottle and it will continue to be. The old road from the early 1900s is made of cut lava rock. Along the path in the valley, the remains of the road are still stable and very much visible. Now, the pathway or the road is of eroded concrete, but it's still there and you can still reminisce. Moanalua Valley was considered "The Damon Estate" because it was property owned by a man named Samuel Mills Damon. Before Samuel Mills Damon gained ownership of the 3,716 acre valley, it was owned by Kamehameha the Great or King Kamehameha I. That of whom was the very first ruler of Hawaii and all the other Hawaiian islands, hence "The Great" and "The First." He was the big man. Moanalua Valley went through a great succession of owners such as King Kamehameha I, then passed down to his grandson, Prince Lot, then passed down to his great-granddaughter, Princess Bernice Pauahi Paki Bishop, then later to Samuel Mills Damon and his family. Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop was the one who willed the valley to Samuel Mills Damon when she died in 1884. Even as Samuel Mills Damon passed on, the Damon bloodline was carried on as the owners of the estate(s) that he and his family were willed.
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