View source for Ka Lae

{{short description|Historic Place in Hawaii County, Hawaii}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox NRHP
| name                 = South Point Complex
| nrhp_type            = nhld
| nocat                = yes
| image                = Ka Lae.jpg
| caption              = Rocky cliffs of Ka Lae
| location             = [[Hawaii (island)|Big Island of Hawaii]]
| nearest_city         = [[Nā'ālehu, Hawai'i|Nā'ālehu]]
| coordinates          = {{coord|18.9111|-155.681111|display=inline,title}}
| locmapin             = Hawaii
| area                 = {{convert|710|acre}}
| built                =
| architect            =
| architecture         =
| added                = October 15, 1966<ref name = nris/>
| designated_nrhp_type = December 29, 1962<ref name="nhlsum">{{cite web|url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=182&ResourceType=District|title=South Point Complex|access-date=2008-07-04|work=National Historic Landmark summary listing|publisher=National Park Service|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511180124/http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=182&ResourceType=District|archive-date=2011-05-11}}</ref>
| refnum               = 66000291<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2010a}}</ref>
}}
[[File:Southernmost Point USA 2002.jpg|thumb|upright|150px|alt=people on cliff|Ka Lae Point, with people getting ready to jump the cliff]]
[[File:Wind-blown tree Ka Lae Hawaii.jpg|thumb|right|Wind-blown tree]]
'''Ka Lae''' ({{langx|haw|the point}}), also known as '''South Point''', is the southernmost point of the [[Hawaii (island)|Big Island]] of [[Hawaii]] and [[Extreme points of the United States|of the 50 United States]]. The Ka Lae area is registered as a [[National Historic Landmark|National Historic Landmark District]] under the name '''South Point Complex'''. The area is also known for its strong ocean currents and winds and is the home of a [[wind farm]].
==Geography==
The name for the southern tip of the [[Hawaii (island)|island of Hawai{{okina}}i]] comes from ''Ka Lae'' in the [[Hawaiian language]] which means "the point".<ref>{{Hawaiian Dictionaries |Ka Lae |dic=pp |accessdate= September 20, 2010 }}</ref> It is often spelled as one word, Kalae, or called South Point or South Cape.<ref>{{gnis|359521|Kalae}}</ref>
A confluence of [[ocean current]]s just offshore makes this spot one of Hawaii's most popular [[fishing]] spots. Both [[Red snapper (fish)|red snapper]] and [[Giant trevally|ulua]] are plentiful here. Locals fish from the cliffs, some dangling perilously over the edge of steep [[lava]] ledges. Swimming here, however, is not recommended, due to the current. In fact, it is called the "Halaea Current", named after a chief who was carried off to his death.<ref name="coffeetimes">{{cite web | url=http://www.coffeetimes.com/kau.htm | title=Kaʻu | publisher=Coffee Times}}</ref>
The confluence of currents also means the area is prone to accumulation of [[marine debris]]. Most of this coastline is very remote and difficult to access, and is probably the most debris-littered coast in the state, primarily due to its difficult access for debris removal. This debris poses an entanglement threat to wildlife and may refloat during storms. The shoreline is used by [[Hawaiian monk seal]]s and hatchling [[hawksbill turtle]]s, both [[endangered species]]. Efforts to clean the coastline are organized by the [[Hawaii Wildlife Fund]] in conjunction with the [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|NOAA]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/about/waiohinu_removal.html | title=Marine Debris Removal from the Waiohinu-Ka Lae Coast Hawaii Island | date=September 18, 2006 | work=Marine Debris Program | publisher=[[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|NOAA]]}}</ref>
Ka Lae is accessible via South Point Road, a 12-mile paved narrow road leading from [[Hawaii Belt Road|State Route 11]] (Hawaii Belt Road), the turn off being about 7 miles (11&nbsp;km) west of the village of [[Nā'ālehu, Hawai'i|Nā{{okina}}ālehu]] and east of [[Ocean View, Hawaii]]. The strong winds cause some trees to become almost horizontal with their branches all growing in the same direction near the ground.  The road forks near its end, with one branch leading south to Ka Lae and the other east to [[Papakolea Beach]], known  for its green sand.
Ka Lae is [[Extreme points of the United States|the southernmost point in the 50 United States]].
==History==
===South Point archaeological site===
Ka Lae is the site of one of the [[Ancient Hawaii|earliest Hawaiian settlements]], and it has one of the longest archaeological records on the islands.<ref name = nhlsum/> It is generally thought that this is where the [[Polynesia]]ns first landed because the Big Island is the closest of the [[Hawaiian Islands]] to [[Tahiti]], and Ka Lae would be the point of first landfall.<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/North_America/United_States_of_America/Hawaii_State_of/Hawaii_Big_Island/Kailua_Kona-772371/Off_the_Beaten_Path-Kailua_Kona-Ka_Lae_Kau-BR-1.html | title=Ka Lae, Ka'u, Kailua-Kona | work=Kailua-Kona Travel Guide | publisher=Virtual Tourist | date=October 5, 2002}}</ref> Ruins of an [[ancient Hawaii]]an temple (''[[heiau]]'') and a fishing shrine can be found here. In addition, ancient Hawaiians drilled numerous holes in the rock ledges to use for mooring their canoes. Tying long ropes to their boats, they would drift out to sea to fish without fear of being carried away by the strong currents.<ref>{{cite book | title=Hawaii | last1=Bendure | first1=Glenda | last2=Friary | first2=Ned | edition=4th | date=September 1997 | chapter=Hawaii — The Big Island | pages=[https://archive.org/details/lonelyplanethawa00glen_0/page/327 327–28] | publisher=[[Lonely Planet]] | location=Australia | isbn=0-86442-489-2 | url-access=registration | url=https://archive.org/details/lonelyplanethawa00glen_0/page/327 }}</ref> Anthropologists from the [[Bishop Museum]] excavated the area in the 1960s.<ref name="Kelly">{{cite journal |last1=Kelly |first1=M. (Marion) |year=1969 |title=Historical background of the South Point area, Ka’u, Hawaii |journal=Pacific anthropological records |issue=6 |location=Honolulu, HI |publisher=Dept. of Anthropology, [[Bishop Museum|Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum]] |lccn=77029164 |issn=0078-740X |oclc=659366796 }}</ref><ref name="Emory & Sinoto">{{cite journal |last1=Emory |first1=Kenneth P. |author-link1=Kenneth P. Emory |last2=Sinoto |first2=Yosihiko H. |author-link2=Yosihiko H. Sinoto |year=1969 |title=Age of the sites in the South Point area, Ka’u, Hawaii |journal=Pacific anthropological records |issue=8 |location=Honolulu, HI |publisher=Dept. of Anthropology, [[Bishop Museum|Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum]] |lccn= 71029054  |issn=0078-740X |oclc=659366796 }}</ref><ref name="Underwood">{{cite journal |last1=Underwood |first1=Jane H. |year=1969 |title=Human skeletal remains from Sand Dune site (H1), South Point (Ka Lae), Hawaii: a preliminary examination |journal=Pacific anthropological records |issue=9 |location=Honolulu, HI |publisher=Dept. of Anthropology, [[Bishop Museum|Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum]] |issn=0078-740X |oclc=659366796 }}</ref>
===Ka Lae Light===<!-- section link -->
On March 5, 1906, a small lighthouse opened at the point. In 1908 about {{convert|10|acre}} were set aside for the [[United States Coast Guard]] to build a house for a keeper. At the request of [[William Tufts Brigham]] of the Bishop Museum, care was taken not to destroy the archaeological site. In 1929 a steel tower was built for the light, and in 1972 a new 32 foot (10m) concrete tower with solar power was built.<ref>{{cite web |title= Minor light of Hawai'i - Ka Lae, HI |work= Lighthouse Friends web site |url= http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=914 |access-date= 2010-04-15 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title= The lighthouses of Hawai'i |author= Love Dean |publisher= [[University of Hawaii Press]] |year= 1991 |isbn= 978-0-8248-1319-2 }}</ref>
A [[NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards|NOAA Weather Radio]] transmitter broadcasts weather reports from [[KBA99]] with callsign WWG27 on 162.55&nbsp;MHz.<ref>{{cite web |title= NOAA Weather Radio WWG27 |publisher= [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] |url= http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/Maps/PHP/site.php?State=HI&Site=WWG27 |access-date= 2010-04-15 }}</ref> A weather station also monitors wind speed.<ref>{{cite web |title= South Point, Hawaii ARC Wind Sensor |publisher= National Weather Service |url= http://www.prh.noaa.gov/hnl/pages/display_arc.php?site=AR03 |access-date= 2010-04-15 }}</ref>
===Recent history===
[[File:Kamaoa wind farm 258089172 431b470d25 o.jpg|right|thumb|200px|alt=decrepit turbines|Old Kamaoa [[wind farm]] at South Point]]
[[File:South point nav marker.jpg|thumb|South Point navigational marker]]
[[File:Swedish Space Corporation - South Point Satellite Station.jpg|thumb|right|200px|South Point Satellite Station]]
During [[World War II]], the [[US Air Force]] built a landing strip called [[Morse Field (Hawaii)|Morse Field]] on the point. The airfield was closed in 1953.<ref>{{cite web |title= Morse Field, South Point, HI |date= January 1, 2010 |author= Pauk Freeman |url= http://www.airfields-freeman.com/HI/Airfields_HI_Hawaii.htm |work= [[Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields]]: Hawaii, Hawaii island |access-date= 2010-04-15 }}</ref> In 1961 South Point was on the list of final sites to be considered by [[NASA]] to launch crewed rockets to space, but was considered too remote<ref>{{cite web |title= Space Program Has A Space Problem And A New Spaceport Is Born |work= History of Cape Canaveral |year= 2000 |author= Cliff Lethbridge |url= http://spaceline.org/capehistory/3a.html |access-date= 2010-04-15 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120829045427/http://www.spaceline.org/capehistory/3a.html |archive-date= 2012-08-29 |url-status= dead }}</ref> although it was later used to launch sounding rockets for testing of instruments at the Air Force's Maui Space Surveillance Center.<ref>{{cite web |title= South Cape (Morse Field) Airport |url= http://hawaii.gov/hawaiiaviation/hawaii-airfields-airports/hawaii/morse-field |work= Hawaii Aviation Archive |publisher= State of Hawaii Department of Transportation, Airports Division |access-date= 2010-04-15 }}</ref> The low [[latitude]] of the location also made it (and nearby areas that are as remote) attractive as a site for private rocket launches, but these plans were dropped in the face of high costs and local opposition.<ref>{{Cite news|title= Hawaii: A Stepping Stone to Space? |author= Jonathan Eberhart |date= Mar 26, 1988 |work= Science news |url= http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Hawaii:+a+stepping+stone+to+space%3F-a06542759 }}</ref>
A space tracking station was operated from 1964 to 1965, and in the 21st century the [[Swedish Space Corporation]]'s [[Universal Space Network]] again established a remote ground station for space tracking and communications, now consisting of two 13-meter [[parabolic antenna]]s on the east side of South Point Road.<ref>{{cite web |title=Universal Space Network Expands Satellite Ground Stations |date=September 19, 2007 |publisher=SSC Group |url=http://www.sscspace.com/universal-space-network-expands-satellite-ground-stations |access-date=2014-03-29 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140101000603/http://www.sscspace.com/universal-space-network-expands-satellite-ground-stations |archive-date=January 1, 2014 }}</ref>  Also at Ka Lae are the large [[shortwave radio]] antennas of [[World Harvest Radio International]], which used callsign KWHR until 2009.<ref>{{cite web |title= Station Record - KWHR |publisher= [[Federal Communications Commission]] |url= http://www.fcc.gov/ib/sand/neg/hf_web/KWHR.txt |access-date= 2010-04-15 }}</ref>
In 1987 the Kamaoa Wind Farm began operation with thirty-seven Mitsubishi 250 [[watt|kW]] [[wind turbine]]s with an operationally typical total peak output of 7.5 MW.<ref>{{cite web|title=History of Wind Energy Projects in Hawaii |work=State of [[Hawaii]] Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism web site |date=April 15, 2002 |url=http://hawaii.gov/dbedt/ert/wwg/history.html |access-date=2010-04-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080724062824/http://hawaii.gov/dbedt/ert/wwg/history.html |archive-date=July 24, 2008 }}</ref> By 2006 the turbines at {{coord| 18|59|33|N| 155|40|5|W| type:landmark_region:US-HI| name= Kamaoa Wind Farm| display=inline }} were falling into disrepair, and they were finally shut down on August 15, 2006. At the end of August 2006, components for a new set of wind turbines were transported to South Point. The Pakini Nui project consists of 14 [[General Electric]] wind turbines constructed at {{coord| 18|58|20|N| 155|41|21|W| type:landmark_region:US-HI| name= Pakini Nui Wind Farm| display=inline }}, about 1.5 miles (2.4&nbsp;km) from the old Kamaoa wind farm. Completed in April 2007, Pakini Nui supplies up to 20.5 MW of power to the island [[electricity grid]] of [[HELCO|Hawaii Electric Light Company]].<ref>{{cite news |title= Big Isle wind farm boosts grid |newspaper= [[Honolulu Star-Bulletin]] |author= Associated Press |date= July 20, 2007 |url= http://archives.starbulletin.com/2007/07/20/news/story11.html |access-date= 2010-04-15 }}</ref> The wind farm is operated by Tawhiri Power, LLC.<ref>[http://www.tawhiri.us/ Tawhiri Power, LLC]</ref> It is the southernmost wind farm in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |title= Pakini Nui Find Farm |work= Tawhiri Power LLC web site |url= http://www.tawhiri.us |access-date= 2010-04-15 }}</ref> The turbines of the old wind farm have been disassembled.
==Southernmost point==
Ka Lae Point is the southernmost point of all fifty states in the [[United States]], but technically it is not the southernmost point in the United States. The southernmost point of all U.S. territory is [[Rose Atoll, American Samoa]]. However, [[Palmyra Atoll]] contains the southernmost point of all 'incorporated' U.S. territory, according to the doctrine of "incorporation" defined in the [[United States Supreme Court|Supreme Court]]'s [[Insular Cases]]. Palmyra's south point on Holei Island at 5°52'15" N [[latitude]] is officially the [[List of countries by southernmost point|southernmost point]] of all [[incorporated territory]] of the United States of America.<ref>{{cite web|title = GAO/OGC-98-5 – U.S. Insular Areas: Application of the U.S. Constitution | date = November 7, 1997|url= http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/GAOREPORTS-OGC-98-5/content-detail.html|publisher= U.S. Government Printing Office |access-date=March 18, 2018}}</ref>
==See also==
{{stack|{{Portal|Hawaii|Weather|Renewable energy}}}}
* [[Great Pacific Garbage Patch]]
==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
==External links==
{{commons category|South Point Complex}}
* {{cite web |title= South Point Hawaii |work= community web site |year= 2004 |url= http://www.southpointhawaii.com |access-date= 2010-04-15 }}
* [http://pahoahi.tripod.com/kona/kalae.htm Pictures of Ka Lae]
* {{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100918151334/http://awea.org/projects/Projects.aspx?s=Hawaii|archive-date=2010-09-18|title=U.S. Wind Energy Projects - Hawaii|date=December 31, 2009|work=[American Wind Energy Association web site]|url=http://www.awea.org/projects/Projects.aspx?s=Hawaii|publisher=[[American Wind Energy Association]]|location=Washington, DC, USA|access-date=2010-04-15}}
{{National Register of Historic Places}}
[[Category:Landforms of Hawaii (island)]]
[[Category:Headlands of Hawaii]]
[[Category:National Historic Landmarks in Hawaii]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in Hawaii]]
[[Category:Wind farms in Hawaii]]
[[Category:Beaches of Hawaii (island)]]
[[Category:Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Hawaii]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Hawaii County, Hawaii]]
[[Category:Energy infrastructure on the National Register of Historic Places]]