Two railroad workers pose with train engine #46, which is named Toulon. Panama. 1885.
The Panama Railroad was meant to revolutionize travel, offering a faster route to the California Gold Rush, but its construction came at a devastating human cost. Disease, treacherous terrain, and brutal conditions made it one of the most dangerous projects of its time.
Panama Canal, 1913. The Panama Canal project was one of the largest and most difficult engineering projects ever undertaken. The canal was cut across the Isthmus of Panama, enabling ships to travel between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. However thousands of workers died from yellow fever, malaria, and other tropical diseases – by 1884 the death rate was over 200 per month.
This URL below is an audio version of the Dark History of the Panama Railroad and you will need to click on the sound to hear the story.
Panama city, Panama – February 7 2016: Panama Canal Railway and Station. The Panama Railroad is the railway line that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean through Panama in Central America. The route stretches 48 miles (77 km) across the Isthmus of Panama, from Colón to Panama City (via Gatún, Bujio, Barbacoas, Matachin, and Summit. When it opened its doors in 1855 it was called the “interoceanic railway”, which was later described as the first transcontinental railway in the world.
