Pago Pago was first settled 4,000 years ago. The area was initially settled by Polynesian navigators, who established a vibrant community rooted in agriculture, fishing, and the distinct cultural practices of Samoan society. The ancient people of Tutuila produced clay pottery known as Samoan Plainware. The majority of these open bowls had plain designs and featured rounded bases. Such pottery has been retrieved from sites in Pago Pago, including at
Vaipito. The production of such pottery ceased approximately 1500 years ago. A site in the Vaipito Valley has also revealed more substantial elements, such as constructions made from rocks, like house foundations and terraces (lau mafola). Ceramic findings have been retrieved at Vaipito, an inland area within Pago Pago village. A deposit here is thought to be an old hill-slope below a living area where people threw away their waste. Numerous large ceramic pieces have been retrieved here. The layer with the ceramics dates back to the time between 350 BCE and 10 CE. Another site, Fo’isia, is located approximately 100 meters from Vaipito, at the same elevation inland in Pago Pago. During sewer line construction, the
American Samoa Power Authority noticed many broken pieces of clay pottery. Five dates associated with the ceramics indicate a time range between 370 BCE and 130 CE.
Tongan rule The island of Tutuila was part of the
Tuʻi Tonga Empire from the invasion around 950 CE to when Tongans were expelled in
1250. According to Samoan folklore, a warrior from Pago Pago, Fua’au, is associated with driving the Tongans out of Tutuila. According to the legend, Fua’au's fiancé, Tauoloasi’i, was kidnapped and taken to Tonga while sleeping on an exquisite mat known as Moeilefuefue. Filled with anger at the loss of his fiancé and the renowned mat, Fua’au rallied the Tutuilans, encouraging them to revolt against the Tongan rule imposed by
Lautivunia. During the period of Tongan rule, political opponents and defeated Samoan warriors were exiled to Pago Pago. The surrounding settlements effectively functioned as a Samoan penal colony. In response to the oppression, the Samoans, under the leadership of paramount chief
Malietoa, eventually revolted against their Tongan rulers. According to one source, it was Chief Fua’autoa of Pago Pago who successfully expelled the Tongans from Pago Pago.
Old Pago Pago Until 1722, Pago Pago, like several other villages in American Samoa such as
Fagasā and
Vatia, existed as a ridge-top settlement. This upland community, now part of the National Park of American Samoa, was strategically situated to provide safety during a period marked by inter-island conflicts involving
Samoa,
Fiji,
Tahiti, and
Tonga. The elevated location offered protection from coastal raids, as attackers arriving by boat posed a significant threat to shoreline settlements. By 1772, the majority of families had relocated from the highlands to the coast, establishing new homes near the shoreline. However, oral histories indicate that a few households continued to reside or farm in the upland areas into the late 19th century. Archeological findings at the site of Old Pago Pago include ancient rock walls, building foundations, and graves. Some of these graves are believed to belong to chiefs or ceremonial figures, such as a
taupou (a ceremonial maiden), with legends suggesting one may have been interred in a bonito boat. The remnants of Old Pago Pago are accessible via the
Mount ‘Alava Trailhead at
Fagasā Pass, just west of
Vaipito Valley. When Westerners first visited Tutuila, the Mauga was the leading matai (chief) of Pago Pago.
19th century In 1791, Captain
Edward Edwards, leading the British warship HMS
Pandora in the pursuit of the
Bounty mutineers, arrived at Pago Pago Harbor. During their search, the crew stumbled upon a French military uniform belonging to one of
Pérouse’s men, who had been killed at
Aʻasu in 1787. In 1824,
Otto von Kotzebue is believed to have discovered the entrance to
Pago Pago Harbor, according to one source. In 1830, a man named Norval "Salemi" from Massachusetts, lived in Pago Pago as part of High Chief Mauga’s household. Driven by a desire to share his faith, he translated portions of the
Church of England Prayer Book into
Samoan language and counted the Mauga of Pago Pago among his converts. In 1836, the English whaler
Elizabeth, captained by Cuthbert, became the first European vessel to enter Pago Pago Harbor. Captain Cuthbert is credited with ‘discovering’ Pago Pago and naming it Cuthbert Harbor. In the 1830s, two missionaries were assigned to Tutuila Island: Reverend Archibald W. Murray and his wife to Pago Pago and Reverend Barnden to
Leone. They landed at
Fagasa Bay and hiked over the hill to the High Chief Mauga in Pago Pago. Mauga welcomed the missionaries and gave them support. RMS later moved to Pago Pago, becoming the second ship to enter
Pago Pago Harbor. In 1834,
Matthew Hunkin arrived in Pago Pago and served as a companion to Archibald Murray, both residing under the patronage of High Chief Mauga. Together, they conducted visits to villages situated along the eastern end of Tutuila. Subsequently, both men relocated to
Leone, where Murray undertook preparations to establish the
Mission Institute for Pacific Islanders at
Fagatele, situated on the outskirts of Leone. Beginning in 1836, whaling vessels started calling at
Pago Pago Harbor, quickly transforming it into a favored stopover. Crews found it to be a secure place to rest, take on supplies, and carry out repairs. As of 1866, whalers no longer visited the Samoan Islands as whaling activities had shifted farther north. In 1837, Tutuila’s chiefs and Captain
Charles Bethune of H.M.S.
Conway reached an agreement on Pago Pago’s first documented commercial port regulations, finalized on December 27 of that year. On May 9, 1838, the
London Missionary Society established a church in Pago Pago. In 1839, the Samoan Islands experienced its first recorded
epidemic, which resulted in the death of High Chief Mauga of Pago Pago. After his passing, Manuma assumed the title. After the death of his stepbrother Pomale, Manuma provoked controversy within the Christian community by eloping with Pomale's widow. As a result, the
aiga deposed him from his position. Nevertheless, Manuma was later reinstated, and he presided as the Mauga of Pago Pago until his death in 1849. As early as 1839, American interest was generated for the Pago Pago area when Commander
Charles Wilkes, head of the
United States Exploring Expedition, surveyed Pago Pago Harbor and the island. Wilkes' favorable report attracted so much interest that the U.S. Navy began planning a move to the Pago Pago area. During his time in Pago Pago, Wilkes negotiated a set of "Commercial Regulations" with the matais of Pago Pago under the leadership of Paramount Ali'i Mauga. Wilkes' treaty was never ratified, but captains and Samoan leaders operated by it. Rumors of possible annexation by Britain or Germany were taken seriously by the U.S., and the U.S. Secretary of State
Hamilton Fish sent Colonel
Albert Steinberger to negotiate with Samoan chiefs on behalf of American interests. American interest in Pago Pago was also a result of Tutuila's central position in one of the world's richest whaling grounds. On August 8, 1844,
Archibald Wright Murray wrote a letter recounting how the Tutuilans, at one point, prepared to vacate their settlements and negotiate with the French while taking refuge in the highlands. Recognizing Pago Pago Harbor as the island’s most significant lure for European powers, they planned to cede it to
France in return for a pledge safeguarding Tutuila’s independence. In 1868 the
Polynesian Land Company - the first major American enterprise in the Samoan Islands - was founded to speculate in real estate. Company agent James Stewart championed Pago Pago as the South Pacific’s best harbor and an ideal commercial depot, urged local chiefs to petition for U.S. annexation, and sought greater American involvement; Washington showed little interest, the firm’s holdings were auctioned, and the company collapsed. In 1871, the local
steamer business of W. H. Webb required coal and he sent Captain E. Wakeman to Samoa in order to evaluate the suitability of Pago Pago as a coaling station. Wakeman approved the harbor and alerted the
U.S. Navy about
Germany's intent to take over the area. The U.S. Navy responded a few months later by dispatching Commander
Richard Meade from
Honolulu, Hawaii to assess Pago Pago's suitability as a naval station. Meade arrived in Pago Pago on and made a treaty with the Mauga for the exclusive use of the harbor and a set of commercial regulations to govern the trading and shipping in Pago Pago. He also purchased land for a new naval station. In 1872, the chief of Pago Pago signed a treaty with the U.S., giving the American government considerable influence on the island. Later, also in 1872, German consul Theodore Weber arrived in Pago Pago soon after
Richard W. Meade’s departure. He cautioned Mauga that the treaty with the Americans was not official and insisted that German interests in the harbor be safeguarded. On August 7, 1873, Colonel
Albert Barnes Steinberger—an associate of President
Ulysses S. Grant and representative of the
Pacific Mail Steamship Company—arrived in Pago Pago. He found that High Chief Mauga already regarded himself as under U.S. protection by virtue of his treaty with
Richard W. Meade, though its terms had been largely neglected. No pilotage or watering facilities existed, and the buoys once placed by the USS
Narragansett had long since drifted away. With the other members of the Treaty Board living 80 miles away in
Apia, Mauga had been left unable to maintain the harbor on his own. Before moving on to
Upolu, Steinberger insisted that at least Whale Rock, a hidden hazard to navigation, be properly marked with a buoy. Tutuila Island was acquired by the United States through a treaty in 1877. One year after the naval base was built at
Pearl Harbor in 1887, the U.S. government established a naval station in Pago Pago. It was primarily used as a fueling station for both naval- and commercial ships. During the
Tutuila War of 1877, all buildings in Pago Pago were destroyed. The war emerged during a tumultuous period, where Samoans were sharply divided over the future direction of their government. In response to the growing threat posed by the Puletua—a rising opposition faction—the Samoan leadership based in
Apia sent
Mamea to Washington, D.C. to negotiate an agreement with the U.S. While Mamea was abroad, the Puletua launched a rebellion, escalating the situation into full-scale war in Tutuila. To regain control, government forces stationed in
Leone advanced toward Pago Pago, where the rebel leader Mauga was headquartered. The troops burned every building in Pago Pago and pursued Mauga along with several hundred followers to
Aunu’u Island. The Puletua faction on Tutuila, led by the former U.S. Consul to
Samoa, S. S. Foster, who had moved to Pago Pago after his dismissal, and Mauga, found Aunu’u incapable of supporting their forces. Consequently, they returned to Tutuila where they soon surrendered. In 1878, the U.S. Navy first established a coaling station, right outside
Fagatogo. The United States Navy later bought land east of Fagatogo and on Goat Island, an adjacent peninsula. Sufficient land was obtained in 1898 and the construction of
United States Naval Station Tutuila was completed in 1902. The station commander doubled as
American Samoa's Governor from 1899 to 1905, when the station commandant was designated Naval Governor of American Samoa.
The Fono (legislature) served as an advisory council to the governor. Despite the Samoan Islands being a part of the United States, the
United Kingdom and Germany maintained a strong naval presence in the area. Twice between 1880 and 1900, the U.S. Navy came close to taking part in a shooting war while its only true interest was the establishment of a coaling station in Pago Pago. The U.S. quietly purchased land around the harbor for the construction of the naval station. It rented land on Fagatogo Beach for $10/month in order to store the coal. Admiral
Lewis Kimberly was ordered to Pago Pago while in
Apia waiting for transportation home after the
hurricane of 1889. In Pago Pago, he selected a site for the new coaling station and naval base. In June 1890, the
U.S. Congress passed an appropriation of $100,000 for the purpose of permanently establishing a station for the naval and commercial marine. With the appropriation, the
State Department sent Consul
Harold M. Sewall from Apia to Pago Pago to buy six tracts of land for the project. Some parts were previously owned by the Polynesian Land Company, while other tracts were still owned by Samoan families. For the defense of the harbor in event of a naval war, the U.S. Navy wanted to purchase headlands and mountainsides above the Lepua Catholic Church which directly faced the harbor's entrance. The conflict led to the deaths of 12 people. In 1887, the
Kaimiloa, a 171-ton steamer and the only warship in the fleet of
King Kalākaua of
Hawai‘i, was sent on a diplomatic mission to the Samoan Islands as part of the Hawaiian monarch's initiative to create a united Polynesian kingdom. The journey included visits to several key locations, including Pago Pago, which was an important trading hub at the time. Historical accounts document the trade of the Kaimiloa's cannons to the Samoans, with at least one of these cannons now preserved and on display at the
Jean P. Haydon Museum. In 1888, during the
Samoan Civil War, German official
Eugen Brandeis sought to enforce strict control over the Pago Pago Bay area. When
Aua and
Fagatogo fell into arrears under new tax laws, he imposed a US$300 fine on each and warned that nonpayment would bring war and the exile of village chiefs. The fines were promptly paid, with the proceeds remitted to the German treasury in
Apia. The
1889 Apia cyclone ended a decade-long dispute between the U.S. and Germany over the coaling facilities at Pago Pago. During the storm, British, German, and American warships anchored off the island of Tutuila as part of the
Samoan crisis were all sunk. In 1889, author
Robert Louis Stevenson also paid a visit to Pago Pago. In 1892, Mauga Lei, High Chief of Pago Pago and a supporter of
Malietoa Laupepa, spent extended periods in
Upolu, leaving the bay area without his leadership. While Pago Pago remained loyal, Fagatogo - aligned with
Mataʻafa - joined
Aua in an effort to depose him. A confrontation followed: a canoe flotilla from Aua and Fagatogo advanced on Pago Pago but retreated under heavy gunfire. Warriors from Pago Pago and
Fagasā then attacked Aua and Fagatogo, burning both villages; women and children took refuge at the Catholic mission at Lepua, and the flotilla withdrew to
Aunuʻu. On May 27, 1893, a branch of the
LDS Church was established in Pago Pago. The church had first arrived on the island in 1863 and became formally organized on Tutuila in 1888. In 1893, acting U.S. consul William Blacklock visited Pago Pago to assess the purchase of land at
Blunts and
Breakers Points for gun emplacements protecting the coaling station. Ongoing hostilities between Mauga of Pago Pago and Leʻiato of
Fagaʻitua prevented a binding agreement; Blacklock secured only an option to purchase at a later date. In 1898, a
California-based construction and engineering firm was contracted to build the coal depot. The naval engineer in charge was W. I. Chambers. On April 30, 1899, Commander
Benjamin Franklin Tilley sailed from
Norfolk, Virginia on with a cargo of coal and steel for the project. The U.S. Navy was the only American agency present in the area, and it was made responsible for administering the new territory. Pago Pago and Tutuila Island were formally part of the
Kingdom of Samoa until 1899, when they became U.S. territory. In December of that year, the
Tripartite Convention formally partitioned Tutuila as a U.S. territory, thereby granting the United States control over Pago Pago. In 1900, the
Oceanic Steamship Company's steamers - the
Sierra, the
Ventura, and the
Sonoma - shifted their port of call from
Apia to Pago Pago. On April 17, 1900, the first
American flag was raised at Sogelau Hill above the site of the new wharf and coaling facilities in Fagatogo. For the ceremony, a group of invitees from
Apia arrived with German Governor Heinrich Solf onboard . USS
Abarenda, home of B. F. Tilley and his new government, was in the harbor. American consul Luther W. Osborn arrived from Apia, and many spectators arrived from American Samoa villages and other countries. Tilley was the master of ceremonies and began the program by reading the Proclamation of the President of the United States, which asserted American sovereignty over the islands. Next was the reading of the Order of the Secretary of the Navy, followed by chiefs who read the
Deed of Cession, which they had written and signed. Before raising the flag, reverend E. V. Cooper of the
London Missionary Society (LMS) and reverend Father Meinaidier of the Roman Catholic Mission offered prayers. Students from the LMS school in
Fagalele sang the national anthem. The two ships,
Comoran and
Abarenda, fired the national salutes. File:PAGO_PAGO_BAY.png|An 1896 illustration of Pago Pago. File:Castle_Packets,_R.M.S._DUNOTTAR_CASTLE.jpg|RMS
Dunottar Castle was the second ship to enter Pago Pago Harbor. File:American Naval Base, Samoan Islands.png|From 1878 to 1951, it was a
coaling and repair station for the
U.S. Navy, known as
US Naval Station Tutuila. File:A glimpse of the isles of the Pacific (1907) (14780577521).jpg|Boatmen in Pago Pago, 1907 File:Pago_Pago,_Samoa_LOC_15482942648.jpg|Pago Pago as seen in the early 1900s File:Samoa._Pagopago_(Tutuila)_showing_steamers_Ventura_%26_Mapourika._May_1903.,_PH-NEG-15060_001.jpg|Pago Pago Bay in 1903. File:Service-pnp-stereo-1s30000-1s36000-1s36600-1s36647v.jpg|
US Naval Station Tutuila. File:HHMS_Kaimiloa_anchored_at_Honolulu_Harbor.jpg|HHMS
Kaimiloa in 1887. Cannons recovered from the
Kaimiloa are on display at the
Jean P. Haydon Museum. File:Карта_к_статье_«Панго-Панго»._Военная_энциклопедия_Сытина_(Санкт-Петербург,_1911-1915).jpg|1914 map of Pago Pago File:HMS_Miranda_(1879)_AWM_302218.jpeg|Mauga Lei and Mauga Manuma were summoned to a peace conference aboard the H.M.S.
Miranda in 1883. File:High_Chief_Mauga_Manuma_of_Pago_Pago,_Samoa,_1885.jpg|High Chief Mauga Manuma of Pago Pago, 1885. File:USS_Abarenda_(AC-13).jpg|The deck of U.S.S.
Abarenda served as capitol from 1899-1902, and Commander
Benjamin Franklin Tilley's cabin as the Governor’s residence. File:The Hurricane at Samoa on the morning of March 16 LCCN2002699802.jpg|The 1889 cyclone sank British, German, and American warships anchored off Tutuila.
20th century (unincorporated U.S. territory) On April 17, 1900, the first
American flag was raised at Sogelau Hill above the site of the new wharf and coaling facilities in Fagatogo. For the ceremony, a group of invitees from
Apia arrived with German Governor Heinrich Solf onboard . USS
Abarenda, home of B. F. Tilley and his new government, was in the harbor. American consul Luther W. Osborn arrived from Apia, and many spectators arrived from American Samoa villages and other countries. Tilley was the master of ceremonies and began the program by reading the Proclamation of the President of the United States, which asserted American sovereignty over the islands. Next was the reading of the Order of the Secretary of the Navy, followed by chiefs who read the
Deed of Cession, which they had written and signed. Before raising the flag, reverend E. V. Cooper of the
London Missionary Society (LMS) and reverend Father Meinaidier of the Roman Catholic Mission offered prayers. Students from the LMS school in
Fagalele sang the national anthem. The two ships,
Comoran and
Abarenda, fired the national salutes. At the beginning of the 20th century, Pago Pago became American Samoa's
port of entry. The first school arose from petitions by Europeans in Pago Pago for a school for their children. Governor
Uriel Sebree established it at Fagatogo, allocating US$1,000 from the copra fund, and reserved to himself the selection of pupils from the non-Samoan and part-Samoan population. On September 1, 1912, the first Samoan hospital was completed at
Malaloa, on a hillside adjacent to the present-day site of the
Sadie Thompson Inn. From December 16, 1916, to January 30, 1917, English author
W. Somerset Maugham and his secretary and lover,
Gerald Haxton, visited Pago Pago on their way from
Hawai'i to
Tahiti. Also on board the ship was a passenger named Miss Sadie Thompson, who had been evicted from Hawaii for prostitution. She was later the main character in the popular short story,
Rain (1921), a story of a prostitute arriving in Pago Pago. Delayed because of a quarantine inspection, they checked into what is now known as
Sadie Thompson Inn. Maugham also met an American sailor here, who later appeared as the title character in another short story,
Red (1921). The Sadie Thompson Inn was added to the
U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 2003. In 1920,
Mauga Moi Moi, the highest ranking chief of Pago Pago, initiated the
Mau movement. The Mau movement first took shape in Pago Pago, where gatherings were held at the doorstep of Mauga. High chiefs, chiefs, talking chiefs, and community members came together to take part. A series of fonos in Pago Pago brought together high and talking chiefs for prolonged oratory and political maneuvering. The meetings halted copra cutting for months, causing a sharp downturn in Tutuila’s economy. On August 31, 1925,
Margaret Mead arrived in Pago Pago aboard the SS
Sonoma to begin fieldwork for her Columbia University dissertation, later published as
Coming of Age in Samoa. On September 26, 1930, the Bingham Commission reached Pago Pago aboard the
USS Omaha. Their arrival was marked by a dockside parade of the Fita Fita Band, which performed
The Star-Spangled Banner. File:SADIE THOMPSON BUILDING.jpg|English author
W. Somerset Maugham stayed at
Sadie Thompson Inn during his 6-week visit to Pago Pago in 1916. File:Blunts Point Battery - American Samoa - 1986.jpg|Guns were emplaced at
Blunts and
Breakers Points in 1940–42, covering Pago Pago Harbor. File:World_War_II_encampments_on_American_Samoa.jpg|Remains of a World War II encampment above
Utulei. File:NC16734_Pan_American_Airways.jpg|
Samoan Clipper exploded just after leaving Pago Pago Harbor in 1938. File:American_Samoa_tramway_remains.jpg|The historic tramway on the World War II Heritage Trail File:USS_Chehalis_(AOG-48)_at_anchor,_circa_in_1944_(NH_83319).jpg| sank in Pago Pago Harbor in 1949 near the main docks.
First and Second World Wars In May 1917, when the U.S. joined
World War I, two German ships anchoring in Pago Pago were seized. The 10,000-ton
Elsass was towed to Honolulu and turned over to the U.S. Navy, while its smaller
gunboat,
Solf, was refitted in Pago Pago and given the name . Wireless messaging between Pago Pago and Hawaii was routed through
Fiji. As the British censored all messages through Fiji, the Navy quickly upgraded the facilities to go directly between Pago Pago and Honolulu. The film’s release later that year brought international attention to Pago Pago, including a promotional photo spread in
Life magazine. The film became a box office blockbuster, grossing $4.4 million domestically, and it went on to win the
Academy Award for Best Sound Recording in 1938. On January 10, 1938, the flying boat
Samoan Clipper exploded just after leaving Pago Pago Harbor. Pilot
Edwin Musick and his crew of six died in the accident. light tank. Pago Pago was a vital naval base for the U.S. during
World War II. Limited improvements at the naval station took place in the summer of 1940, which included a
Marine Corps airfield at
Tafuna. The new airfield was partly operational by April 1942, and fully operational by June. On March 15, 1941, the Marine Corps' 7th Defense Battalion arrived in Pago Pago and was the first Fleet Marine Force unit to serve in the
South Pacific Ocean. It was also the first such unit to be deployed in defense of an American island. Guns were emplaced at
Blunts and
Breakers Points, covering Pago Pago Harbor. It trained the only
Marine reserve unit to serve on active duty during World War II, namely the 1st Samoan Battalion, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. The battalion mobilized after the attack on Pearl Harbor and remained active until January 1944. This took place on the morning of January 11, 1942, when a Japanese submarine surfaced in
Fagasa Bay and fired fifteen rounds from its 5.5-inch deck guns toward Pago Pago. The shells passed over the hills and landed in several locations around Pago Pago Bay. Commander Edwin B. Robinson, who was cycling on Centipede Row, was struck in the knees by shrapnel. He was the only person in American Samoa to sustain war injuries during World War II. On January 20, 1942, the 2nd Marine Brigade arrived in Pago Pago with about 5,000 men and various supplies of weaponry, including cannons and tanks. On May 30, 1942, Rear Admiral
Richard E. Byrd arrived in American Samoa to assess the defenses of Pago Pago. He reported that Tutuila’s garrison—7,995 U.S. Navy and Marine Corps personnel, along with 100 Fitafita Guards—was sufficient to repel minor raids but inadequate to withstand a major assault. On August 24, 1943, Pago Pago and the
U.S. Naval Station was visited by First Lady
Eleanor Roosevelt. The First Lady reviewed the Fita Fita Guard and Band and the First Sāmoan Battalion at the U.S. Naval Station. On October 7, 1949, the , a World War II oil and gas tanker, exploded and sank in Pago Pago Harbor. It remains the only shipwreck from that era found in the harbor and lies just over 100 feet beneath the current fuel dock. Measuring 90 meters in length, the wreck continues to be considered a source of pollution, impacting the water quality as of 2002. In 1953, 56
Tokelauans evicted from
Swains Island arrived in Pago Pago, where they had to be supported by American Samoa until their repatriation. In response, Governor
Richard Barrett Lowe issued an executive order to prevent similar incidents in the future, including restrictions that limited employment on Swains Island to American Samoans. In the
1953 American Samoan legislative election,
Mabel Coleman Reid of Pago Pago became the first woman elected to the
American Samoa House of Representatives.
1960s , Apollo 13 mission commander, aboard the
U.S.S. Iwo Jima, the prime recovery ship for Apollo 13, en route to Pago Pago. Pago Pago was an important location for
NASA's
Apollo program from 1961 to 1972.
Apollo 10,
Apollo 11,
Apollo 12,
Apollo 13,
Apollo 14 and
Apollo 17 landed by Tutuila Island, and the crew flew from Pago Pago to Honolulu on their way back to the mainland. At
Jean P. Haydon Museum are displays of an
American Samoa-flag brought to the Moon in 1969 by Apollo 11, as well as moonstones, all given as a gift to American Samoa by President
Richard Nixon following the return of the Apollo Moon missions. The museum was officially opened in October 1971 with an opening featuring
Margaret Mead as a guest speaker. The
National Endowment for the Arts provided a start-up grant. The most valuable asset was an exquisite mat reputed to be the
Fala o Futa, the first important fine mat of Samoa, donated by Senate President HC Salanoa S.P. Aumoeualogo. The other major contribution was a cannon which came off
Kaimiloa, a 171-ton steamer and the only warship in the fleet of
King Kalakaua of Hawai'i. The Hawaiian king sent the ship to the Samoan Islands in an effort at creating a Polynesian kingdom. President
Lyndon B. Johnson and First Lady
Lady Bird Johnson visited Pago Pago on October 18, 1966. Johnson remains the only U.S. president to have visited American Samoa.
Lyndon B. Johnson Tropical Medical Center was named in honor of the president. Landing ahead of the
Air Force One was the press plane that carried seventy news reporters. The two-hour visit was televised throughout the country and the world. Governor H. Rex Lee and traditional leaders crammed ceremonies, entertainment, a brief tour, and a school dedication: the Manulele Tausala, Lady Bird Johnson School. The President gave a speech where he laid out the American policy for its lone South Pacific territory. The President and First Lady returned to American Samoa in December 1966, on their way to Prime Minister's
Harold Holt's funeral in Australia. Governor
Owen Aspinall offered a quiet welcome as the
White House asked for there to be no ceremonies during the visit. Around 3,000 spectators went to the
Pago Pago International Airport to see the President. In 1972, seven historical buildings in American Samoa were entered in the
National Register of Historic Places of the United States, including
Navy Building 38,
Jean P. Haydon Museum, and the
Government House. In 1986, the First Invitational Canoe Race was held in Pago Pago.
21st century visiting Pago Pago in 2016. Since 2000,
American Samoa Department of Education through its school athletic program is the host of the East & West High School All-Star Football Game. It has been held at the field in
Gagamoe in Pago Pago. In 2008, the tenth
Festival of Pacific Arts was held in Pago Pago, drawing 2,500 participants from 27 countries. Also in 2008,
Asuega Fa’amamata, one of the few female chiefs in the territory, was elected by Pago Pago as its new senator, becoming the sole female legislator in the
American Samoa Fono. In 2010,
Tri Marine Group, the world's largest supplier of fish, purchased the plant assets of
Samoa Packing and committed $34 million for a state-of-the-art tuna packing facility. when he made a stopover in Pago Pago in April 2017. He addressed 200 soldiers here during his refueling stop. U.S. Secretary of State
Rex Tillerson visited town on June 3, 2017. In August 2017, the
Fono building in
Fagatogo was demolished. In 2018, four months of repair took place at the ASG-owned
Ronald Reagan Shipyard in
Satala. A North Korean cargo ship seized by the United States arrived in Pago Pago for inspections in 2019.
2009 tsunami surging through a parking lot On September 29, 2009, an
earthquake struck in the
South Pacific, near
Samoa and
American Samoa, sending a
tsunami into Pago Pago and surrounding areas. The tsunami caused moderate to severe damage to villages, buildings and vehicles and caused 34 deaths and hundreds of injuries. It was an 8.3 magnitude earthquake which caused waves to hit the city. It caused major flooding and damaged numerous buildings. A local power plant was disabled, 241 homes were destroyed, and 308 homes had major damage. Shortly after the earthquake, President
Barack Obama issued a federal disaster declaration, which authorized funds for individual assistance (IA), such as temporary housing. The largest wave hit Pago Pago at 6:13 pm local time, with an amplitude of . ==Geography==