Russian Fort Elizabeth

The remains of the Russian Fort Elizabeth (1816-64) stand above the east bank of the Waimea River. It looks like a boring abandoned stone wall but the historical backstory might surprise you.

In a nutshell, the Russians were interested in Hawaii as a supply spot between Russia and the Pacific Northwest, where they monopolized the seal and otter fur trade. A Russian diplomat ingratiated himself with Kaua'i's King Kaumuali'i, who figured the Russians might help him overcome King Kamehameha's dominance. In September 1816 the diplomat began the construction of Fort Elizabeth, but within a year he was forced to leave, due perhaps to King Kamehameha's orders or to general suspicion of the Russians.

Fort Elizabeth was nevertheless completed and Hawaiian troops used it until they dismantled it in 1864. Today the most intact part of the fort is the exterior lava-rock wall, which is 8ft to 10ft high in places and largely overgrown with scrub.