This 75’ long boat-shaped pit was dug in the early 1800’s by King Kamehameha's men to the exact width and breadth of the cargo hold of a ship. Sandalwood was a much sought-after fragrant wood growing in these forests. Hawaiian workers would cut down the trees and pile them in this pit, which when full would be equivalent to a shipload. They then would haul the wood down the mountain and load it onto a vessel bound for China.
However, this trade with its harsh, unhealthy work conditions, brought little economic gain. The local Hawaiians thus destroyed young sandalwood plants so their descendants would not undergo such hardships, causing the near extinction of sandalwood trees. Today few full grown sandalwood trees exist in the Hawaiian islands with many forests being replanted in eucalytus, pine, and other alien trees.
FTF prize is an unactivated TB