Ancedontes personal letters, newspaper accounts of the day and old photos paint a glowing picture of King Kalakaua s colourful reign (1874-1891) He fought to preserve the old traditions of his people while an alarming influx of foreign influences threatened everthing Hawaiian - even his throne. The strain took toll. Always an innovator, the king went to San Francisco in the late 1890 “to negotiate Hawaiian business and to recruit his failing health.” He died there at the Palace Hotel in January 1891.
