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

Alexander's father was also a missionary and surveyor, and he taught the profession from Lahainaluna Seminary on the island of Maui.

Twice as large as all of the other major Hawaiian Islands combined, the Big Island is also the youngest of the island chain. At some 800,000 years of age, it's also still growing due to a very active volcano that continues to add to its shoreline.