James Munro's Role in Lanai Island History

Information about James Munro's role in the history of Lanai island in Hawaii.

FULL NAME: George Campbell Munro
YEAR OF BIRTH: 1866
PLACE OF BIRTH: New Zealand
YEAR OF DEATH: 1963

- native of New Zealand
- Ornithologist, botanist, and conservationist
- Wrote the book "Birds of Hawaii" (pubished in 1944)

George C. Munro was hired by the Lanai Company in in 1911 to manage their cattle ranch. The remained in that position for about 23 years. He managed the ranch and the land with an eye toward conservation.

Pine Trees of Lanai
One of the most recognizable examples of this is the Cook Island pine trees dotting the landscape. Munro noted that a Norfolk Island pine, planted in 1878, dripped water onto the ranch house roof and realized the boughs collected water from the fog and clouds – and thus collected valuable water in the form of fog drip. As a result, he planted pines across Lanai to restore the islands' watershed, many of which can be seen even today from Maui.

During his tenure on Lanai, Munro hosted a number of scholars and researchers who also photographed the scenes and people of the island. Images of Lanai from his collection are currently held by the family of Richard Munro Towill, grandson of George C. Munro. A major contributor to the collection was Bishop Museum archaeologist Kenneth Emory, who conducted a survey of Lanai in 1921-1922.

Books by George Munro

TITLE: The Story of Lanai
AUTHOR: George C. Munro
PUBLISHER: Native Books Hawaii
DATE PUBLISHED: June 30, 2007
NUMBER OF PAGES: 233
ISBN-13: 9781883528317
ISBN-10: 1883528313
Download Fr4om Jonco Dot Press

TITLE: Birds of Hawaii
- Revised Edition
- 1982 Edition
- 1966 Edition
- 1944 Edition
- 1978 Edition (title: Hawaii's Bireds)

Resources

Munro's Love of Lanai Published in "Story"
(2007 Honolulu Advertiser article)

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Lanai Island Travel Guide

Other Islands of Hawaii

Visitor Destinations in Hawaii

Hawaii for Visitors

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