Utulei, American Samoa

Coordinates: 14°17′13″S 170°40′59″W / 14.28694°S 170.68306°W / -14.28694; -170.68306
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Utulei
Village
UTC−11 (Samoa Time Zone)
ZIP code
96799
Area code+1 684

Utulei or ʻUtulei is a village in

legislative capital of American Samoa, and is located on the southwest edge of Pago Pago Harbor.[1] Utulei is the site of many local landmarks: The A. P. Lutali Executive Office Building, which is next to the Feleti Barstow Library; paved roads that wind up to a former cablecar terminal on Solo Hill; the governor's mansion, which sits on Mauga o Alii, overlooking the entrance to Goat's Island, and the lieutenant governor's residence directly downhill from it; the Lee Auditorium, built in 1962; American Samoa's television studios, known as the Michael J. Kirwan Educational Television Center; and the Rainmaker Hotel (a portion of which is now known as Sadie's Hotel). Utulei Terminal offers views of Rainmaker Mountain.[2]

Also in Utulei are some of the hotels based in Pago Pago, such as Sadie’s by the Sea,

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.[citation needed
]

Utulei Beach Park has an enormous

fale with ornate carvings, which is used for performances and events. Smaller fales in the park are used for everyday gatherings. Across from Utulei Beach Park is the Executive Office Building and Feleti Barstow Public Library. Next to the library is the largest high school on Tutuila Island, Samoana High School. Sadie's By The Sea is one of the only beachfront hotels on Tutuila and has an outdoor swimming pool, spa, restaurant, and water equipment for rent. The restaurant, Goat Island Café, offers a combination of Samoan, Asian, and American cuisine.[8]

History

Remains of a World War II encampment above Utulei.
Year Population[9]
2010
 684
2000
 807
1990
 930
1980
 980
1970
 1,074
1960
 719
1950
 744
1940
 488
1930
 375
The historic tramway on the World War II Heritage Trail.

Utulei is by tradition considered distinct from Fagatogo because it is the site of Maota o Tanumaleu, the residence of the High Chief Afoafouvale (also known as the Le Aloalii). The current holder of that title is Afoa Moega Lutu, who has held it since 1990.

Of historical interest, more than a century ago, on November 3, 1920, Warren Terhune, who was the Samoan governor at the time, committed suicide in Utulei.[10]

During World War II, the population of the village of Utulei, around 700 inhabitants, was almost entirely displaced to make room for US military installations. One Naval officer was said to have describe Utulei as consisting of "a few native houses". The inhabitants were told to move out of the village and into the hills, and bachelor officers’ quarters and other military support facilities were built there.[11]

After the war, in 1946, the now-vacant two-story marine barracks at Utulei were renovated and repurposed as the new Samoan Hospital, with 224 beds, 27 bassinets, a pharmacy, and a dentistry. During the year 1950, the hospital admitted 2,771 patients, and delivered about 40 percent of all babies born in American Samoa that year. Nursing needs were filled by graduates from the local nursing school. Medical needs were filled by students were selected for the Central Medical School.[12]: 247 and 267  After the Navy's departure in 1951, however, there was a severe shortage of physicians and other health care professionals. In 1954, for example, there were only four doctors (one stateside and three European), and only one dentist. The hospital therefore depended heavily on nurses to provide its patient care.[12]: 268 

In 1964, the

House Appropriations Committee.[12]
: 279–280 

In 1980, during celebratory

Flag Day military demonstrations, a U.S. Navy airplane accidentally hit the cables of the Mount ‘Alava Cable Car and crashed into the Rainmaker Hotel. All six naval personnel on board the aircraft died, as did two hotel guests.[14]
: 167 

Geography

Surface runoff - from Utulei Ridge, the Togotogo Ridge, and Matai Mountain - flows through Utulei, carried by the Vailoa Stream. The stream discharges into the sea at a point on the north side of the Pago Pago Yacht Club in Utulei.[15]: 24–26 

Utulei Beach Park

Beach at Sadie's by the Sea

Utulei Beach Park is one of only a few public parks in

U.S. Navy in the 1940s by filling in a marshy area near the Pago Pago Harbor. Next to the park are two historic naval buildings erected in the 1940s — two of four remaining original structures built here by the Navy during World War II - as well as the Pago Pago Yacht Club and the ASG Tourism Office. The park includes a grassy area with scattered trees and picnic sites. It is used for recreational activities, such as volleyball and picnicking, and is a common gathering place for social activities and events. The adjoining beach is used for canoe racing, kayaking, and windsurfing.[16]

In 2006, the governor proposed approving the addition of a McDonald's restaurant to Utulei Beach. He said he hoped the restaurant would boost activity during the evenings, a time when the area was usually almost deserted. This was a controversial proposal, because Utulei Beach is a designated park area that has received substantial funding from the National Park Service.[17] The proposal was defeated.

In 2009,then-Governor Togiola Tulafono designated Su’igaula o le Atuvasa as one of the venues for the 10th Festival of Pacific Arts, slated to be hosted by American Samoa in the summer of 2010. Su’igaula o le Atuvasa is the portion of the beach closest to the former site of the Pago Pago Yacht Club (now occupied by the DDW Beach Cafe).[18]

Another public park in Utulei is Su’igaulaoleatuvasa, which is managed by the American Samoa Parks and Recreation department.[19]

Tourism

Fagatogo
.
View of Rainmaker Mountain from the Pago Pago Yacht Club in Utulei.

The $10-million

Hurricane Val put the cableway out of service, and it has yet to be repaired. But the Utulei terminal is still visited because of its views, including its view of Mt. Pioa (also called the Rainmaker Mountain
.

Also located in Utulei are the Lee Auditorium, built in 1962, and the Michael J. Kirwan Educational Television Center.[20][14]: 166  It was at this television center, during the tenure of Governor H. Rex Lee, that the pioneering practice began of broadcasting school lessons to elementary and secondary school students Guided tours of the Michael J. Kirwan TV Studios have been available in the past.[14]: 167 

The two-story

governor of American Samoa since then.[14]
: 167 

International Yacht Racing Union and the American Samoa National Olympic Committee.[21]

Utulei is also home to Tauese PF Sunia Ocean Center, which is the visitor center for the National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa. It offers informative exhibits on region's ecosystems and reefs.[22]

Goat Island Cafe is a restaurant at “Sadie's by the Sea” Hotel in Utulei. Their outdoor dining fale overlooks the beach and the Pacific Ocean.[23]

Blunt's Point

Main article: Blunts Point Battery
Blunts Point Battery

U.S. National Historic Landmark. They are maintained by the National Park Service.[24] The 3-km World War II Heritage Trail, which ends at Blunt's Point, is the most accessible and most popular trail on Tutuila Island. The ridge-top trail winds past various ancient archeological sites as well as World War II installations that were erected to fend off a potential Japanese invasion.[25] Farther on, the trail leads into a bird-filled rainforest.[26]

Landmarks

Economy

At the time of the

1990 U.S. Census, there were 156 houses in Utulei village. Between 1990 and 1995, 23 new residential building permits were issued, so that, by 1995, there were 179 houses. As of 2000, there were 60 commercial enterprises registered in the village, many of which are housed in the one- or two-story buildings on the southwest side of the shoreline roadway. Smaller shops are found in predominantly residential communities upland from Samoana High School and the Executive Office Building.[15]
: 24-23 and 24-25 

Diesel fuel is delivered monthly to

Tutuila Island from Long Beach, California, and Honolulu, Hawaii, supplied by Marlex and Pacific Resources, Inc. The fuel is carried by pipe from the dock area to an energy-storage tank farm operated by Marlex in the Punaoa Valley in Utulei.[27]

Education

The

High School of American Samoa).[28]
It opened in 1946, and was the first high school established in the territory.

The

High School of American Samoa. By the spring of 1972, the college had 872 enrolled students.[30]

Feleti Barstow Public Library, the central public library for American Samoa, is located in Utulei.

Notable people

References

  1. ^ Google Maps: Utulei, Eastern, American Samoa, accessed 12 March 2018.
  2. ISBN 9781566911726
    .
  3. ^ Cruise Travel Vol. 2, No. 1 (July 1980). Lakeside Publishing Co. Page 60. ISSN 0199-5111.
  4. ^ "American samoa". Archived from the original on 2017-10-22. Retrieved 2017-10-21.
  5. ISBN 9780864425553
    .
  6. ISBN 9780918373991
    .
  7. ISBN 9780471769804
    .
  8. ^ Clayville, Melinda (2021). Explore American Samoa: The Complete Guide to Tutuila, Aunu'u, and Manu'a Islands. Page 41. ISBN 9798556052970.
  9. ^ "American Samoa Statistical Yearbook 2016" (PDF). American Samoa Department of Commerce.
  10. ^ "SAMOAN GOVERNOR COMMITS SUICIDE; Naval Commander Terhune of Hackensack, N.J., Shoots Himself when Suspended. WAS TO FACE AN INQUIRY Troubles with Natives Led to Charges Against His Administration There". The New York Times. 6 November 1920.
  11. ISBN 9780980033151
    .
  12. ^
    ISBN 9781573062992
    .
  13. ^ "Weekly Highlight 11/13/2009 Michael J. Kirwan Educational Television Center, Tutuila Island, Western, American Samoa".
  14. ^
    ISBN 9780864422255
    .
  15. ^ a b "AMERICAN SAMOA WATERSHED PROTECTION PLAN" (PDF). American Samoa Environmental Protection Agency. January 2000. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  16. ^ United States National Park Service (1997). National Park of American Samoa, General Management Plan (GP), Islands of Tutuila, Ta'u, and Ofu: Environmental Impact Statement. Page 39.
  17. ^ "American Samoa Governor backs beachfront McDonalds". 16 May 2006.
  18. ^ "Half mil budgeted to improve Su'igaula o le Atuvasa Park". Samoa News. 21 July 2013. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  19. ^ "Park usage numbers increase despite major problems with vandalism and limited facilities". 25 February 2013.
  20. ^
    ISBN 9781566914116
    .
  21. ISBN 9781433011863
    .
  22. ^ "Tauese PF Sunia Ocean Center | American Samoa Attractions".
  23. ISBN 9781786572172
    .
  24. ^ "Blunts Point gun encasements cleaned up". 27 November 2013.
  25. ^ "American Samoa: Tramping the tropics".
  26. ISBN 9781640492790
    .
  27. ^ "United States of America Insular Areas Energy Assessment Report". Department of Interior. p. 152. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  28. ISBN 9780824812386
    .
  29. ISBN 9789820200395
    .
  30. ISBN 9781573062992
    .

External links

14°17′13″S 170°40′59″W / 14.28694°S 170.68306°W / -14.28694; -170.68306

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