During the reign of King Kamehameha I, the islands of Kauaʻi was one of the last Hawaiian islands to join Kamehameha's Kingdom of Hawaiʻi. The ruler, Kaumualii, resisted Kamehameha for years, surviving two attempts to invade Kaua'i.

Anahola is also the place of an ancient surfing area, Ka-nahā-wale, which literally translates to "easily broken".