Division of Mechanical and Civil Engineering Panama Canal Collection

Content Description

Collection consists primarily of photographs--both loose and in albums--documenting the construction of the Panama Canal and life in the Panama Canal Zone from individuals who worked there. Materials also include scrapbooks, postcards, letters, envelopes, a patent (US Patent 1,299,318 for a drill), railroad tickets, vehicle licenses, certificates, newspaper clippings, and telegrams.

Arrangement

Collection is arranged into one series.

Historical

The Panama Canal Zone was established with the signing of the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty as an unincorporated and organized territory of the United States in 1903. The treaty allowed for the construction of the Panama Canal, a strip of land 10 miles wide extending from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, by the United States. Panama granted exclusive canal rights to the United States in exchange for financial reimbursement and protection of the newly established republic in Panama. The Canal Zone had two administrative subdivisions, the Balboa (Pacific) and Cristobal (Atlantic) districts. Balboa Heights was the administrative headquarters for both the Canal Zone government and the Panama Canal Company. The Canal Zone existed until 1979. Full control over the Canal Zone and the operation of the canal was transferred to Panama in 2000.