The Watcher on
Lyon's Hill.

Paul Fagan was a San Francisco businessman and sports promoter who purchased the 14,000-acre Hana Ranch in 1944. He saw potential where others saw remoteness — the rugged eastern coast of Maui was nearly inaccessible at the time, connected to the rest of the island only by a narrow, winding road through dozens of one-lane bridges. Fagan set out to transform Hana into a destination and built the Hotel Hana-Maui, which opened in 1946 and became one of the most exclusive retreats in the Pacific.

Fagan died in 1959, deeply attached to the community he had helped sustain. His employees at the ranch and hotel mourned his loss genuinely, and a group of community members volunteered to construct a large cross on the hilltop above town as a memorial. The project was completed by hand — workers carried lava rocks up the steep slopes to build both the cross and the cairn on which it rests. The result is an 8-foot basalt cross on a summit called Lyons Hill, positioned so that it can be seen from Hana Bay and much of the town below.

Fagan's legacy in Hana is a complicated one — his investment undeniably preserved the agricultural economy of the region and created employment, but also changed the character of a remote Hawaiian community. The cross, maintained by the local community, represents the genuine affection felt by those who knew him and built a lasting physical tribute with their own hands.