Another Legend

Puntan Dos Amantes 

Two Lovers Point

For Christmas  we went to Guam. We did a city tour, and my favorite stop was here at Putan Dos Amantes aka Two Lovers Point.

The legend is from when Spain ruled Guam. There was a proud family living in the Capitol city, Hagatna. The father was a wealthy Spanish aristocrat and the mother was a daughter of a great Chamorro chief.

They had a beautiful daughter, admired by all for her honesty, modesty, and charm. 

One day her father arranged for the girl to marry a powerful Spanish captain. When the girl discovered her father's plan, she was upset. She ran away to the north shore of Guam to a secluded shore.

There on the moonlit shore, she met and fell in love with a young warrior from a very modest Chamorro family. 

When the girl's father learned of the two lovers, he grew angry and demanded she marry the Spanish captain at once.  That day at sundown, she stole away to the same high point along the shore, and once again met her Chamorro lover.

Her father, along with the captain,  and the Spanish soldiers  cornered them at the edge of the cliff.

The young lovers tied their long black hair into a single knot, acting as if they were alone they looked into each others eyes and kissed for the final time.

Then they leaped off the cliff into the roaring water below.

Since that day the two lovers remain a symbol of true love, a love in which two souls are entwined forever in life and death.

This is the heart lock wall. It is said that if you and your love put a lock here, your love will last forever. It is a very popular attraction for honeymooners. 

There is a beautiful view from the look out point, but it was rainy that day so we had limited visibility.

More on World War II

The American invasion of the Marianas forced the Japanese out of hiding.The American and Japanese Navies fought in what became known as the "Battle of the Philippine Sea". The Americans shot down 402 planes, 26 American planes were downed. This became known as the "Marianas Turkey Shoot".

The Capture of Saipan and Tinian were not the end of the campaign in the Marianas. The battle for Guam continued.  Guam was secured by August 10,1944.

Securing these Islands, in the Marianas, was strategic, in that it gave the US a base in the Pacific to land their B-29s.

Daily bombings devastated industrial and urban areas in Japan.

This is the staging and loading area of "Little boy" 

This is the loading and staging vault of the second atom bomb "Fatman"

Replica of "Fatman"

Replica of "Little Boy"

The first bomb was nicknamed "little boy" it was assembled in an air conditioned hut on North Field (Tinian). It had a uranium heart. On August 1, 1945. Little boy was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6th. The bomb destroyed 4.7 miles of Hiroshima. 71,347 people were dead or missing and 68,023 were injured. 

President Truman asked the Japanese to surrender. 16 millions pamphlets were printed and dropped on Japan. This pamphlet warned the people that the US had more atom bombs and urged the people to plead with the Japanese government to surrender to avoid more devastation to Japan. Emperor Hirohito did not heed the warning.

The second atom bomb "Fatman" (which had a platonium heart) was dropped on Nagaski on August 9th. The bomb killed 35,000 people, 5000 were missing and 60,000 were injured. Japan surrendered on August 10, 1945. { Sidenote: Two more atom bombs had already been delivered to Tinian and were scheduled to be dropped August 13 & 15}

To the Americans arriving on Tinian, the islands was shaped similar to New York City's Manhattan Island. They engineered the streets and street names after those in Manhattan.

A photo of Northfield from the air

Northfield, Tinian

Tinian had the world's largest airbase. With 6, 8500 foot runways. Four at Northfield and 2 at West field.
*info for this post was taken from History of the Northern Mariana Island, by Don A. Ferrall

War Memorials

I Promised more pictures and today the internet connection decided to work with me.

This is at Suicide Cliff, Tinian.

As Chris and I were visiting the memorials we noticed coins and trinkets left on the head stones.

I was curious if there was a meaning behind this gesture, according to e-how; coins left on a gravestone can mean different things, in some cases people believe that it is to help pay the way to the after life. Some people leave a coin hoping to earn good luck, and a more recent purpose is for military veterans to let others know that the individual is not forgotten. It can also just be a marker that someone has visited the grave.  (Picture from Suicide Cliff, Tinian)

Suicide Cliff, Tinian

Another trinket left on the memorial, Suicide Cliff, Tinian.

Chris likes this cliff near Suicide Cliff, Tinian. Can you see the gorilla face?

At Banzai Cliff in Saipan, there is a long row of different graves stones and memorials, lined up along the cliff.

Banzai Cliff, Saipan

Banzai Cliff, Saipan

Banzai Cliff, Saipan

Banzai Cliff, Saipan

Banzai Cliff, Saipan

Banzai Cliff, Saipan

This is looking to the left from Banzai Cliff, Saipan. This is where we saw a third sea turtle. We feel very lucky.

Suicide Cliff, Saipan

Banzai Cliff, Saipan

Peace Memorial at the top of Suicide Cliff, Saipan.

This cactus plant had peoples names on them, I do not know the significance of this. There were actually 2 like this, and they were rather large.

Peace Memorial at Suicide Cliff, Saipan

 It is a sobering experience to stand where so many lost their lives.

World War II

Saipan was the first island (in the Marianas) to be attacked, which surprised the Japanese. They were expecting Palau to be the next target. The US troops advanced past the reef on June 15, 1944 and Saipan was secured by July 9, 1944.

Tinian was invaded on July 24th, and was secured by July 31, 1944. There were still isolated pockets of Japanese hiding in sugar cane fields, caves and thickets of Masalog Ridge.

Rota was not occupied until after V-J day.

On Tinian, there is a cliff called Suicide Cliff.  Many Japanese soldiers and citizens jumped to their death rather than become prisoners of war.

Saipan has 2 cliffs, where the same thing happened. One is Suicide Cliff and the other is Banzai Cliff.

There are many memorials near theses cliffs to honor those who lost their lives.
 

*Information gathered from: Problems of Resettlement on Saipan, Tinian and Rotan Mariana Islands

By Neal m. Beal

And plaques near the sites

This is the view from Suicide Cliff, Tinian looking to the left. Can you believe how blue that water is?



Looking Directly down from Suicide Cliff, Tinian. The water is much more rough here, and it is more windy as well.

Looking back toward the parking lot and Memorials at Suicide Cliff, Tinian.

One of the Memorials here at Suicide Cliff, Tinian. Notice the small Buddha someone left near the left marker.

Walking toward the cliff.

Chris is pointing out a sea turtle swimming. Our second we saw since we have been here.
I will post more pictures of Suicide Cliff later. This is one of my favorite places on the Island. It is so peaceful here.
I will also post pictures of Suicide Cliff, Saipan and Banzai Cliff, Saipan. We visited those this past weekend.

Japanese period

Many Japanese settlers had already started making their way to the Mariana Islands before Japan actually aquired the islands after WW I. Sugar cane fields were planted on Saipan, Rota and Tinian. Sugar refineries were built at Garapan (Saipan), Tinian Town (Tinian) and

This building housed a generater

  Songsong  (Rota). The population grew with an influx of settlers, in 1937, from 4,145 to 46,708.

Tinian Town was the main milling center and port. During this time Tinian was known as "Sugar Island".

With the onset of WW I I,  the landscape began to change, from sugar cane fields to major and minor airfields.  2 airfields were built on Tinian and a 3rd was under way. Around the airfields were barracks and administrative buildings.

29,000 troops were stationed on Saipan. 10,000 on Tinian and a smaller amount on Rota.

An air raid shelter built by the Japanese

Another air raid shelter, theses sit side by side

Administration building 

Closer view of the Administration building 

* info gathered from the book 

Problems of the resettlement of Saipan, Tinian and Rota The Mariana Islands by Neal M. Beal

More history...

So, during the Spanish period of the Marianas much of the history and economy were centered in  Guam. The islands northward of Guam received very little attention. The Spanish Gallons used Guam as a supply station, affording them fresh water, and fresh fruits and vegetables. This was important back then, many died on long voyages because of scurvy and malnutrition. 

Tinian once depopulated was used by the Spanish as a game preserve. 

Following the Spanish American war, Guam was aquirred by the US under the terms of the Treaty of Paris, December 19,1898.

Spain sold the remaining Mariana Islands to Germany for 4.5 million dollars, in 1899.

Due to the distance of the Marianas from Germany, it proved to be an economic liability. 

 Tinian continued to be used for a grazing area during this time.

After WW I, the Japanese gained the Northern Mariana Islands, in the treaty of Versailles. 

(June 28, 1919)

*information gathered from 

Problems of Resettlement of Saipan, Tinian and Rota

Mariana Islands by Neal M. Beal

A little history...

I feel like it is important to give some history of Tinian and the other surrounding Islands, that way as I share pictures from around the area they have a little more context.

This 39 square mile Island has a great deal of history, much of the early history is foggy. I have no intention of misrepresenting any of the history of Tinian.  I am not a historian, and the information I share on the blog I will do my best to fact check.

The first settlers of the Mariana Islands are called Chomorros. It appears that they migrated here from the Indonesia area about 3000 B.C.

Carolinians are also considered native to this region and migrated in the 1800's from the Caroline Islands.

The Marianas were first made know to the Western world by Magellan, who discovered the islands in March of 1521.  The Spanish had no particular attraction to the Marianas because they lacked quick material wealth and gold. So for nearly a century they were left fairly independent.

In 1668, when the Jesuit missionaries arrived at the islands, they were named the Marianas, in honor of Queen Maria Anna, widow of Phillip of Spain.

The initial response to the missionaries was positive, but eventually the inhabitants revolted against the priests and Spanish troops. Because of this revolt the natives were moved to Saipan and Guam (1694). All inhabitants were moved to Guam by 1698.

 

During the 200 years of Spanish rule; war, famine, and disease reduced the Chamorro population from an estimated 40,000 to 73,000 to only 3,169 in 1784.  By 1790, the population was 1,639, and then by 1825 was reported to be as low as 600.

More about the Spanish rule in my next post.

*information gathered from Wikipedia and

Problems of Resettlement on Saipan, Tinian and Rota Mariana Islands

By Neal M. Beal