Write of Passage

The building of the Panama Canal by the United States from 1904 to 1914 at the time was the most significant and monumental engineering achievement the world had ever seen. Its completion, despite incredible obstacles, changed the lives of thousands of people in nations around the world and brought to realization a centuries-old dream of connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

The brave and adventurous workers who went to Panama during the construction period faced unimaginable hardships on a daily basis; death was a constant companion as yellow fever, malaria and other tropical diseases took their toll. The family histories contained in this book document the incredible hardships faced by those early construction workers and provide a fascinating glimpse of life in Panama and the former Canal Zone during the American Era of the Panama Canal, from 1904 to 1999.