W.D. Alexander was appointed the first surveyor general of the Hawaiian kingdom in 1870, during the reign of Kamehameha V. At the time this map was created, he was serving the administration of King Kalakua.

Providing valuable property information, the map is color-coded and illustrates all the government lands in green and the former Crown lands in orange. In addition, the names of companies and individuals holding title to larger portions of land are noted on the map.

Of special interest is the list of mileages that offers distances between various points on the island.