Several sailing ships visited Midway in the 19th century

Captain N.C. Brooks discovered Midway aboard the Gambia from Honolulu in 1859. He claimed Midway for the U.S., based on the Guano Acts of 1856, which authorized Americans to temporarily occupy uninhabited islands to obtain guano. No evidence points to native peoples ever living on Midway. The Atoll's original name, "Middlebrooks," reflected its position between the U.S. west coast and Japan, and the captain who discovered it. The United States took formal possession of the unoccupied islands in 1867. Later, the name was changed to Midway. Hidden beneath the salty Pacific, the coral atolls along the northwestern Hawaiian chain put an abrupt end to many a daring seafarer's adventure. Though the first intentional settlers arrived in 1903, earlier castaways spent many a day struggling to survive on these harsh islands. For example, the General Siegel and the Wandering Minstrel wrecked on Midway's reefs in 1886 and 1888.