A monument at St. Gregor’s Point at Maalaea Bay, Maui, commemorated the centennial of the 1881 arrival of a Norwegian ship bringing passengers seeking a new life in Hawaii.

A plaque reads:

THIS MONUMENT COMMEMORATES THE ARRIVAL OF THE NORWEGIAN BARQUE BETA WHICH DROPPED ANCHOR NEAR THIS SPOT ON FEBRUARY 18, 1881, AND OF HER SISTER SHIP MUSCA, WHICH ARRIVED IN HONOLULU MAY 18, 1881. THEY BROUGHT MORE THAN SIX HUNDRED NORWEGIANS, SWEDES AND DANES TO WORK IN THE SUGAR CANE FIELDS AND MILLS OF THE HAWAIIAN KINGDOM – THE FIRST AND ONLY MASS MIGRATION OF SCANDINAVIANS TO THESE ISLANDS. FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO THE LIFE OF THIS LAND, AS WELL AS THOSE OF THEIR COUNTRYMEN WHO PROCEEDED OR FOLLOWED, OUR MAHALO AND ALOHA.

THE SCANDINAVIAN CENTENNIAL COMMISSION

FEBRUARY 14, 1981, THE CENTENNIAL DATE

The story of the 600 Scandinavian arrivals is told in an eBook, “Aloha from Forgotten Norwegians in Hawaii. From Life in Slavery to Life in a Vacation Paradise,” condensed and translated from the original book by Torbjørn Greipsland and published by Emigrantforlaget.

Excerpts can be found here.

It can be purchased and downloaded for just $4.99.

I learned about the book while trying to find more information about Edgar Wilkins, the husband of one of my grandfather’s sisters. Wilkins first wife, Anna Barbara Stengrimsen, was born just months after her parents arrived in Hawaii as part of this Norwegian influx.

In any case, it’s available for download in eBook format or as a pdf. I purchased it yesterday, and it’s quite interesting.

The content of the condensed English eBook version is as following:

– 600 Passengers to Hawaii – ?It Never Happened Again
– Nils Emil Aars’ Diary
– Voyage on the “Musca”
– Tough Life in the Sugar Fields
– The Judge Pulled His Gun
– They Achieved Some Improvement ?In Retrospect: ?Were the Norwegians Deceived?
– The Norwegian pioneer immigrants met a daily life that was quite foreign to them
– Valdemar Knudsen became a pioneer and chieftain on Kauai
– Jeweler in Hawaii
– The Descendants of Hans Peter Faye Operate a Beautiful Vacation Resort on Kauai
– Christian L’Orange – the Captain who became Sugar Plantation Owner and – Tobacco Farmer
– Half Norwegian, Half Hawaiian
– Saddler, Watchmaker, and Sheriff
– Toil and Tragedy, Education and Invention
– He wanted to tell his children about their Norwegian heritage
– Christina-Housekeeper for Caroline L’Orange
– He was not informed of his sister’s death
– Grandfather Johannes worked on the plantation all his life, ?but Grandmother Maren was not happy and was always complaining
– Of Norwegian Vikings and Hawaiian Royalty
– Jenna chose the young millwright and Hawaii
– To Kauai without a contract
– Jack M. Johnson has learned Norwegian to be able to read the Diary of his great-grandfather, Nils Emil Aars
– Granddaughter of a Beta passenger marries the son of Captain L’Orange
– New Immigrants Meet the Modern Hawaii
– Masters of Song and Music
– Miss Aloha Hula is Norwegian!
– Sonja – Queen of the Waves
– He’s lived nearly all his life in Hawaii – ?but he still speaks Norwegian like a native
– When we are away, we miss the Hawaiians!
– Audun Davik Knows Hawaii In and Out
– The Shock of a Lifetime that Ended in a Wonderful Trip to Norway
– 50 Years on Wings
– Erik, with ancestors from Kalveland and Svineli, teaches his students about calves and swine
– Plans to Cultivate Orchids
– World Class Writer
– Evjen in Orkanger became Iverson in Hawaii
– They teach students to help others
– Important experience made Hawaii dear to their hearts
– Raincoat? I don’t even own one!
– Similarities between Norwegians and Hawaiians: They are not pretentious
– Nina Fasi – Hawaii’s Norwegian Consul
– Preserving an Important Legacy
– Post word by Knut Vollebæk, Norwegian Ambassador to the United States of America, former Norwegian Secretary of State.

Passenger Lists for M/S Beta and M/S Musca are also included