In 1927 Charles Lindbergh soloed the Atlantic Ocean in a plane called The Spirit of St. Louis and became an American hero. That same year, Ernie Smith and Emory B. Bronte took off from Oakland, California, on July 14, in a single-engine Travelair aircraft named The City of Oakland, headed across the Pacific Ocean for Honolulu, 2,397 miles away. The next day, after running out of fuel, they crash-landed upside-down in a kiawe thicket on Molokai, but emerged unhurt to become the first civilians to fly to Hawaii from the U.S. mainland. The 25-hour-2-minute flight landed Smith and Bronte a place in aviation history -- and a roadside marker on Molokai. Located 12 miles east of Kaunakakai on Hwy. 450 (East Molokai).

A deeper look into the history of this attraction will help you to better understand why it is one of Molokai's most revered historical sites. Kiawenui, a desolate, rocky stretch along the southeast coast of Molokai, aptly taking its name from the deep covering of kiawe trees that bristles on beach and hills, has been added to Hawaii's famous spots, and the kiawe tree has become a famous species in the minds of Ernest Smith, pilot, and Emory Bronte Jr., navigation.

It was on this lonely stretch, about two miles east of Kamalo landing that Smith, running out of gasoline, in a last desperate effort to bring his silver monoplane City of Oakland to Oahu from the Pacific coast, was forced to land, and it was the thick, thorn-encrusted limbs of a kiawe (Key-Ah-Vay) that extended Hawaii's initial welcome to the daring bird men. Thousands watched and cheered the Travelair monoplane take off.

Smith's landing without injury to himself or his navigator was nothing short of miraculous. The flier had evidently been heading north along the west coast of the Lonely Island when the last sputter of his powerful engine informed him that at last the end, expected for the past four hours, had arrived. He turned the plane sharply toward the coast and brought it crashing down on a narrow strip of tree covered beach, between the road and the sea.

Smith explained that if he had landed in the shallow water along the beach the plane would have turned over, probably killing Bronte in the rear cockpit. A few feet higher and the City of Oakland would have crossed the road to be met by a steep boulder strewn hillside, with certain destruction for its occupants. The trees were the only alternative. A terrifying alternative, but the pilot had no time to waste in contemplation of the results. The Travelair machine crashed into the thicket on top of a kiawe whose trunk measured six inches through. Fortunately the nose of the plane missed the heavy trunks of the tree. The branches armed with thorns, clutched the wings and broke the fall of the ship. The nose struck the ground and ended its long journey just four inches from a steep mound of sun-baked earth about five feet high. Another four inches of forward momentum and the plane would have stopped a great deal more suddenly and with probably serious consequences for its occupants.

The right wing of the ship was splintered, its shreds hanging on the trees at right angle to the other wing. The left wing, also badly smashed, remained attached to the plane

The fuselage was not as badly wrecked as would be expected. One lower longeron (long central beam) was buckled, the fuselage is of metal tubing construction, but the other three appeared to be uninjured. The thorny kiawes had taken care that very little of the silver painted covering on the wings and fuselage was not ripped and torn.

When Molokai residents who were near the scene rushed to the fallen plane, the City was entirely covered with limbs of the trees she had chosen for her final resting place.

A heavy branch spread across the fuselage just to the rear of the navigator's seat and a few inches above the top of the cockpits. A few inches higher as she entered the grove and the branch would have torn off the heads of the airway pioneers. Several minutes work with an ax cutting away the thorns and branches was necessary before the aviators could climb from their seats. Neither was hurt, though each bore a tiny scratch on the cheek, an unnecessary reminder that they had landed.

Due to the great size of the tree trunks, Molokai is noted for its husky kiawes or algarrobas, and the presence of the earth mound directly in front of the nose, a few feet right or left, forward or backward, up or down, would certainly have spelled death or serious injury for the bird men.

I've met many kinds of trees, Smith said, after climbing out of the thorn thicket, but this is the first time I've made the intimate acquaintance of these watchamacallits. They are thorny and hostile but this old tree surely proved a godsend for us.

Smith took a branch of the kiawe with him as a souvenir of the end of his transpacific flight. In the Hawaiian Language Kiawe means "strong".

This great story is what you will be seeing the remains of when you visit. A favorite site for those who love aviation and Hawaiian history.