Howland and Baker Islands - Under A Jarvis Moon

Under A Jarvis Moon

The colonization of Jarvis, Howland, and Baker islands by a few Hawaiians and military personnel in 1935 was followed a year later by the claim of possession by Franklin D. Roosevelt in May 1936. Canton Island and Enderbury Island, now a part of Kiribati, were colonized in March of 1938.

An 88-minute 2010 documentary, Under a Jarvis Moon, captures the story of the 130 Americans who colonized these islands between March 1935 and February 1942. The settlers lived on the islands for 3- to 4-month shifts. This colonization was kept secret until Franklin Roosevelt claimed these islands as the territory of the United States in May 1936. It was these settlers who prepared the airstrip for Amelia Earhart.

The colonization came to an end on December 8, 1941, the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Howland and Baker were bombed, and two of the four colonists on Howland died. Although Wake Island was also bombed on December 8, Wake is west of the International Date Line, and the attack on Wake occurred only a few hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The last of the colonists on Jarvis, Howland, Baker, Canton, and Enderbury islands were removed in February 1942.