W. D. Alexander was appointed the 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 a surveyor and taught the profession from Lahainaluna Seminary on the island of Maui.

Kauai is the oldest and most northerly of the Hawaiian Islands. This map offers a tremendous amount of detail about the island's road system and major population centers.