AN AMERICAN LEGACY IN

A Brief History of the Department Of Defense Installations and Properties The Former Zone Republic of Panama

An American Legacy

This publication, a Legacy Resource Manage- ment Program demonstration project, was pre- CARRIBF.AN SEA pared for the s 7— (USARSO) through the Directorate of Engineer- >~V ing and Housing, United States Army Garrison- s^-^^f^?\s^—^ COST* RICA V. V ^v " Panama, by Graves+Klein. Architects, Engi- ^W > ^ PANAMA } V neers of Pensacola, Florida. The purpose of this 1-. ^ /*s V \ > -^ COLOMBIA brochure is to provide an overview of United W\ 3. States DoD installations in the Panama Canal

a Area. Future in-depth studies of individual DoD PACIFIC OCEAN \ "~ installations are under development.

Researched and Compiled by:

Suzanne P. Johnson, Cultural Resources Specialist Consultant to Graves+Klein

Editor: Richard M. Houle Chief, Engineering Division, Directorate of Engineering and Housing, USARSO

Technical Advice: Any information or additional sources of Ivan Klasovsky documentation would be greatly appreci- Chief, Plans and Property Branch, ated and should be forwarded to: Directorate of Engineering and Housing, USARSO Suzanne P. Johnson,

Research/Design/Coordination: Cultural Resources Specialist Don Carlos/John Klein/James Mattern or Architects Richard M. Houle Graves+Klein, Chief, Engineering Division Architects Engineers

HQ US Army Garrison - Panama Cover Photograph: "Four U.S. Air Force A-37s Unit 7151, BOX 51 make a formation pass over the Mirajlores ATTN: SOCO-EH-E Locks" U.S. Air Force Photograph, 5 Decem- APO AA 34004-5000 ber 1970.

Publication hformation page Contents

Introduction 4

The Stage Is Set 5

The Canal Construction Era 12

The 19

Monument at Quarry Heights

Canal Defense 27

Pacific Division, East Bank Installations 3 1

Pacific Division,

, ' *»'» T^ "j West Bank Installations 41 '^JwKK y "^f

Atlantic Division . n Installations 49 Barracks at

Former ^_ Q Installations JO

U.S. Army Medical Activity 67

Department of Defense Dependents

Schools 75 Theater at Fort Clayton

page 3 J nrrnr Introduction fTTTT

Since Columbus' 'discovery' of the New World, who sold the rights to construct a canal to the it was inevitable that the history of what is now United States in 1903. called the Republic of Panama would be linked with that of other nations. The country's pri- In the first decade of the 20th century, the United mary natural resource, a strip of land at places States, led by the U.S. Army Medical Corps and barely fifty miles wide, links the Western Hemi- the Corps of Engineers, tamed the isthmus and sphere and separates the Atlantic and Pacific completed the canal, the "Eighth Wonder of the Oceans. The dream to cut this Isthmus and link World." Over the last 90 years, hundreds of thou- the two oceans began over 350 years ago. sands of U.S. citizens have been involved with the construction, operation, and defense of the

One of the first to recognize the commercial po- canal. tential of a canal across the isthmus was the Spanish explorer Vasco Nunez de Balboa, the By 'discoverer' of the Pacific Ocean. After serious consideration, Spain's King Charles I rejected the proposal, concluding that "if God wanted the oceans to meet He would have built the ca- nal Himself." '

In the late 1 880s, La Compagnie Universelle du Canal Interoceanique, a French company headed by Count , arrived on the Isthmus to begin construction of a canal.

Tropical disease and economic failure of the company led to the capitulation of the French, The Stage Is Set

FOREIGN CONQUEST

The history of the Republic of Panama is closely tied to its geography. As the link between North and South America, the Isthmus was fated to become a focal point of European exploration M iff and a transportation corridor for goods from the New World. Indigeneous Indian tribes had es- tablished a passage trail across the Isthmus long before Colonial invaders established their own trade routes.

Spanish Exploration ;,^V^ - ' ^>£«SK

Spain, the first of the three major Colonial set- Las Cruces Trail tlers, established in 1521 on the

Pacific coast. It became one of the three richest cities in the New World. Goods from Central English Piracy and South America were transported to Panama City by ship, and from there along the eighteen- By 1572, England was silently watching the mile Las Cruces Trail to the town of Cruces, Spanish Empire grow rich at the expense of the near the present town of Gamboa, and down the New World. With the assistance of native Indi- Rio Chagres. Along the route, part of which ans, who had been much abused by the Span-

ran through what is now Fort Clayton, fortified ish, English pirates such as Sir Francis Drake, outposts were constructed to provide protection Captain Cook, and Henry Morgan raided not

to the Spanish mule trains carrying goods. On only the Spanish galleons as they set sail for the Atlantic coast of the Isthmus, the city of Spain, but also the cities of Portobelo and Portobelo was established as a port for Spanish Panama as well. Following a raid, they often galleons which sailed once a year to the Mother hid out on Perico and Taboga Islands, Taboga 2 Country with treasures plundered from the re- "being that favorite anchorage of buccaneers." gion.

The Stage Is Set page 5 xiixn~ FOREIGN CONQUEST

The Panama Railroad

Fort San Lorenzo The Panama Railroad

Spain reacted to the pirating by building fortifi- The discovery of gold in California revived out- cations including Fort San Lorenzo at the mouth side interest in using the Isthmus as a transpor- of the and Fort San Felipe at tation corridor. In 1847, three New York entre- Portobelo. By 1746, due to continued raiding, preneurs began construction of a second trans- the Spanish were forced to re-route their galle- portation system linking the Atlantic and Pa- ons around the tip of South America. The result cific Oceans, and on January 28, 1855, the West- was a temporary decline in interest in the Isth- ern Hemisphere's first transcontinental railroad mus as a passage route. was completed.

In 1821, the Isthmus gained its independence Although initiated by a United States mail con- from Spain and became a province of Nueva tract, hundreds of would-be goldminers made Granada (the Republic of Colombia). the sea voyage from the east coast of the United States to the Atlantic port city of Colon where they rode the Panama Railroad to the Pacific port city of Panama. A second sea trek took them to their final destination-California. Sur- prisingly, this route was faster than crossing overland from the east to the west coast of the United States.

Once again, the Isthmus of Panama regained its place as the "crossroads of the Western world." 3 Fort San Lorenzo today

The Stage Is Set page FOREIGN CONQUEST LU nllil LLMLLLJ LLUn Ul

The French Era

The success of the Panama Railroad renewed international interest in constructing an isthmian canal. France, fresh from the success of the Suez Canal, bought the rights to construct the Panama

Canal from Colombia in 1 879 .

In 1881, Ferdinand de Lesseps, builder of the Suez Canal, arrived in Panama intending to build a sea-level canal. After a preliminary survey, a Count Ferdinand de Lesseps and canal route along the Rio Chagres and the Rio Friends at Cristobal Grande was chosen. Under the direction of de Lesseps, the French began to clear jungles, ex- cavate land and level mountains; however, eco- nomic corruption and rampant illness seriously undermined the project. Malaria and yellow fever took the lives of 22,000 laborers and engi- neers before the French finally admitted defeat in 1898.

Remaining section of the French Canal

French cemetery, Paraiso

The Stage Is Set page THE REPUBLIC OF PANAMA AND THE PANAMA CANAL TREATY

After attaining independence from Spain in or restrictions whatsoever," 4 anchored naval 1821, Panama allied itself with the Republic of warships at the Atlantic port city of Colon, with Colombia. Unsatisfied with the status of a 'De- orders to "protect the Panama Railroad. Ma- partment' of Nueva Granada, political leaders rines landed in Colon, and prevented Colom- of the Isthmus tried repeatedly (no less than 50 bian troops from marching to the city of Panama, times between 1850 and 1902) to gain their in- the headquarters of the Panamanian revolution." 5 dependence and establish sovereignty. On November 6, 1903, the Republic of Panama was formally recognized by the United States.

In the late 1890s, the desire to improve com- merce of the country and effectiveness of the On November 18, 1903, amidst controversy, the military led to the United States' decision to Isthmian Canal Convention (also referred to as build a transoceanic canal. After debating on the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty) was signed. This the most economically sound route, it was de- agreement gave the U.S. the right "in perpetu- termined that the Isthmus of Panama was the ity" to construct, maintain, and defend an inter- most practical location. Negotiations with the oceanic waterway across the Isthmus over which representatives of the failed French company the U.S. would exercise rights, powers and au- were begun, and terms agreed upon. Colombia, thority "as if it were Sovereign of the territory." hoping for more than the $10,000,000 offered This document also granted to the United States by the United States, commenced a ploy to hold out until 1 904 when the French concession was due to expire, after which they would be able to demand more for. the right to construct a canal at the Isthmus of Panama.

The U.S.'s determination to build the Canal, combined with Panama's need for military sup- port in their quest for independence from Co- lombia, set the stage for a unique partnership between the two countries. On November 3, 1903, Panamanians revolted and proclaimed their independence from Colombia. The United States, acting in accordance with the terms of the 1 846 Mallarino-Bidlack Treaty, which gave the U.S. "the right of way or transit across the

Isthmus of Panama... free of all encumbrances Pacific Squadron Visits Panama, 1909

c The Stage Is Set page 8 THE REPUBLIC OF PANAMA AND THE PANAMA CANAL TREATY

the right to control the sanitation of the Panama The United States of America, represented by Canal Zone and the two port cities of Panama the Governor of the Panama Canal Zone, offi- and Colon. The French company received cially proclaimed occupation of the Isthmus of $40,000,000 for its concession to build a Panama on May 19, 1904. Lieutenant Mark transisthmian canal and for its properties on the Brooke, United States Army, "received the keys Isthmus. The Republic of Panama received an and formally took possession on behalf of the 6 initial payment of $10,000,000, an annual pay- United States." ment of $250,000 beginning in 1 91 3, and a guar- antee of independence.

Panama City Today

3

The Stage Is Set page 9 RECENT HISTORY: THE PANAMA CANAL TREATIES OF 1977

Increasing political pressure, growing Panama- nian nationalism, and social unrest within Panama resulted in an agreement calling for the negotiation of a new treaty with a "fixed termi- nation date."8

President Jimmy Carter, representing the United States of America, and General Omar Torrijos, representing the Republic of Panama, signed the Panama Canal Treaty and allied agreements on

September 7, 1977. Those documents became

effective on October 1, 1979, ('Treaty Day'), Jimmy Carter and General Omar Torrijos sign- and govern the future operation and defense of ing the 1977 Treaty the Panama Canal until final implementation at noon, December 31, 1999. Controversy over the conditions surrounding the signing of the 1903 Treaty resulted in continu- Under the Treaty of 1977, the Department of ous friction between the Panamanian and U.S. Defense retains control of certain installations, governments, and although there were numer- known as 'Defense Sites.' These are: Corozal, ous other conventions and treaties signed dur- Albrook Air Force Station, Howard Air Force ing the intervening years, the original treaty was Base, Rodman Naval Station, the Cocoli hous- not renegotiated until 1977. ing community, Camp Semaphore, Forts Clayton and Kobbe at the Pacific end of the While the Canal's importance to trade and rapid Canal, , and Forts Davis and military transit between the East and West coasts Sherman at the Atlantic end. of the United States remained vital, by the mid- 1970s the probability of successfully defending The DoD maintains and controls other installa- the Canal against an enemy attack had decreased. tions in Panama known as 'Military Areas of The defense of the canal was deemed "hardly Coordination,' where authority is shared with possible against either sabotage or missiles. It the Panama National Police (PNP). These ar- was decided that the best protection of the Ca- eas include: Quarry Heights, , nal was to assure Panama's own vital interest in

7 preserving its greatest natural resource."

The Stage Is Set page J 1

RECENT HISTORY: THE PANAMA CANAL TREATIES OF 1977

Cargo ship in Locks

Gorgas Army Hospital, Curundu housing com- On December 31,1 999, when the Panama Ca- munity, Naval Station Rodman-Fort Amador, nal Treaty terminates, U.S. presence will cease Chiva Chiva, Summit Naval Radio Station and and Panama will assume full control and respon- Empire Range on the Pacific side, and Fort sibility for the operation, maintenance and de- Gulick on the Atlantic Side. Also included are fense of the Panama Canal. All DoD property most of the Department of Defense Dependents will revert to the Government of Panama. Schools (DoDDS).

The Stage Is Set page 1 The Canal Construction Era (1904-1914) CHIEF ENGINEERS OF THE PANAMA CANAL

After officially claiming occupation of the Isth- Wallace began his term by repairing the dilapi- mus of Panama on May 19, 1904, the United dated housing left by the French and initiating States, in the form of the Isthmian Canal Com- surveys necessary for the engineering work to mission, was able to count as its assets an odd be accomplished. The citizens of the United assortment of French maps, surveys, drawings States, however, "wanted something more than and more than 2,000 buildings, "all insect-in- announcement of plans," 12 they wanted to see 9 fested and out of repair," in a country that was the dirt fly. Wallace's previous position as gen- "a howling wilderness, pestilential and death- eral manager of the Illinois Central Railroad pre- dealing." 10 pared him for many of the challenges he faced, but not for the constant pressure to get on with The Isthmian Canal Commission, a Federal canal construction, nor for the red tape from agency which reported directly to the Secretary Washington. of War and the President of the United States, was charged with the construction of the Panama

Canal. The first Commission, which was ap- pointed by President Roosevelt on February 29, 1904, arrived on the Isthmus in September of that year, and after a two week visit, left instruc- tions for surveys to be initiated and "hurried back to Washington... duly impressed with the mighty responsibility resting on their collective shoulders.""

John F. Wallace

The first to hold the title 'Chief Engineer of the

Panama Canal' was John Finley Wallace. Mr. John F. Wallace Wallace accepted the $25,000 a year position, and arrived on the Isthmus in late June 1904. In order to appease the public's demand, Wallace He was greeted by 746 laborers who had been set the laborers to continue digging 'the big half-heartedly continuing the work begun by the ditch,' although at the end of the day they had French at the Culebra Cut. no option but to go home to a deserted railroad boxcar or a shanty in the jungle.

The Canal Construction Era page 12 CHIEF ENGINEERS OF THE PANAMA CANAL

Wallace brought with him a "lurking dread that The first issue was the sanitation of the Canal before he could finish the canal, the canal would Zone. Until the area was healthy, thousands finish him." 13 He was terrified of the unhealthy would die. Although not entirely convinced of tropical environment which had taken the lives the Chief Sanitary Officer's (Dr. Gorgas) sci- of so many during the French construction era, entific findings, Stevens whole-heartedly sup- and brought with him to the Isthmus two cas- ported his sanitary efforts. kets - one for himself and one for his wife - 'just in case.' After serving as Chief Engineer for The second issue was the preparation of the or- one year, Wallace succumbed to the pressure and ganizational groundwork. Construction of fa- complications emanating from Washington and cilities to accommodate the vast number of la- his fear of contracting yellow fever or malaria. borers and engineers expected on the Isthmus He resigned on June 28, 1905. was begun. Commissaries and dining facilities,

recreation and religious facilities, piers, machine John F. Stevens shops, police stations, jails, a cold storage plant, schools, fire stations, bakeries, laundries, hotels,

mess halls, harbor installations, housing, and a Following the resignation of Chief Engineer sewage disposal plant were constructed. A tele- Wallace, the Isthmian Canal Commission was phone system was laid out, and repairs were reorganized. It was required that the Chief En- made to the old French hospital. The railway gineer and the Governor of the Panama Canal system, which had fallen into disrepair, was re- Zone, both members of the Commission, actu- habilitated for transporting the large amount of ally reside in Panama. The newly established board included several Army and Navy offic- ers, whose appointments included orders to re- side on the Isthmus.

On June 30, 1905, President Roosevelt named John F. Stevens as Wallace's successor. Upon

arriving on the Isthmus on July 25, 1 905, Stevens halted work on canal construction. He deter- mined that construction of the canal could not be accomplished until three main issues had been dealt with.

John F. Stevens

r The Canal Construction Era page 13 4

CHIEF ENGINEERS OF THE PANAMA CANAL

waste and spoil from the Culebra Cut and other areas. Having provided a substantial and healthy

: I infrastructure, Stevens redirected his efforts to the construction of the canal itself.

It had still not been determined which type of canal - sea-level or lake-and-locks - would be constructed. In June of 1905, a panel of thir- teen engineers was appointed by President Roosevelt to study and recommend the type of canal to be built. Chief Engineer Stevens, based on his evaluation of the construction site, sub- mitted a report favoring a lock-type canal, but Chief Engineer Goethals in front of the the determining panel recommended a sea-level Miraflores Spillway type. Despite the advice of the panel, Congress and the President officially endorsed a lake-and- locks-type canal. The third major issue had been the Zone. In short he had planned for the Canal resolved. Zone a form of administration which came to be called socialistic and gave cold chills to those

14 Despite his success in laying the necessary who stand in dread of that doctrine." groundwork for canal construction, Stevens, like Wallace, was continually frustrated by Wash- ington, and on March 31, 1907, he resigned.

George W. Goethals

Following the resignations of his first two Chief Engineers, Roosevelt decided that "henceforward the work should be done by army and navy officers, trained to go where the work was to be done and to stay there until recalled... The government [would] be the sole contractor, the only employer, the exclusive paymaster,

landlord and purveyor of all that was needful on Colonel George Washington Goethals and the [Third] Isthmian Canal Commission Board Members

The Canal Construction Era page 1 CHIEF ENGINEERS OF THE PANAMA CANAL

tpm&r&y

Roosevelt appointed Lieutenant Colonel George diers." 16 Together they would defeat the enemy Washington Goethals, U.S. Army Corps of En- and build the Panama Canal. gineers, to the position of Chairman of the Isthmian Canal Commission, thereby moving Following the completion of the Panama Canal, control of the Commission from Washington to the office of Chief Engineer was eliminated, and the Isthmus. Goethals was also appointed Chief Goethals was appointed Governor of the Panama Engineer of the Canal Zone, a Panama Canal post he held until and President of 1916 when he re- the Panama Rail- signed from the road. Never had Army to establish this much author- a private engi- ity been vested in neering practice. a single person on His plans were jfcy \ a project the size %&$ thwarted, how- of the construc- ever, by the tion of the U.S.'s entry into

Panama Canal. World War I. In In a single day, 1917, Goethals Goethals became was reinstated Goethals Memorial Celebration "the supreme ar- into active duty, biter of the destinies of all men and things on serving as acting quartermaster-general of the the Canal Zone thereby earning him the title of U.S. Army. He was awarded the Distinguished Benevolent Despot." 15 Service Medal and received honors from Great Britain, France and China as well. Reaction on the Isthmus to the announcement that the U.S. Army would construct the canal Major General George Washington Goethals was anything but positive. Shortly after his ar- died in New York on January 21, 1928. Flags rival on March 14, 1907, Goethals eased the in the Panama Canal Zone flew at half staff un- minds of his work force when he announced that til after his interment at West Point. On March he would be leading "the Army of Panama, 31,1 954, dedication ceremonies were held for whose enemies were Culebra Cut and the canal's the unveiling of the monument erected in his locks and dams. The division engineers already honor at the foot of the Panama Canal Adminis- in charge were to be his colonels, the foremen tration Building in Balboa. his captains, the men who dug his private sol-

r The ( 'anal ( 'onstruction Era page 15 6

OTHER KEY PERSONNEL

President Theodore Roosevelt William C. Gorgas

Although three United States presidents were actually involved with the acquisition, construc- tion and opening of the Panama Canal, it is Presi- dent Roosevelt who is most often recognized for his association with what he called 'the big ditch.' Roosevelt was the first to travel outside of the United States while serving as President, and it should be no surprise that he left the U.S. to visit the Panama Canal Zone and to judge for himself the progress of the canal. On Novem- ber 14, 1906, Roosevelt, his wife, and a small party arrived on the Isthmus. Having sailed on the U.S.S. Louisiana, Roosevelt met with the leader of the Republic of Panama, President Manuel Amador, spoke publicly from Cathedral Plaza in Panama City, and inspected various ca- nal construction sites before returning to the U.S.

Doctor William C. Gorgas

Sanitary conditions on the Isthmus in 1904 were

extremely poor. Panama was, in fact, consid- ered to be "the unhealthiest place in the trop- ics." 17 From the onset of U.S. occupation, Presi- dent Roosevelt was concerned about the health of Americans in the tropical climate. A posi-

tion was created as early as May 1 9, 1 904, for a Chief Sanitary Officer of the Canal Zone. The

first to hold this position was an "experienced officer of the naval medical service," 18 L.W. Spratling, who was succeeded shortly after by Doctor William Crawford Gorgas, a personal appointee of President Roosevelt.

President Theodore Roosevelt inspecting the Canal works

The Canal Construction Era page 1 7

OTHER KEY PERSONNEL

~~- -is^m >*^^

Based on his experiences in Cuba during the trol. Dr. Gorgas's recognition of the causes of Spanish-American War, Dr. Gorgas knew pre- major diseases in Panama would have a pro- cisely how to combat malaria and yellow fever. found effect on the design requirements for the

During his first year on the Isthmus, however, facilities constructed there. he was prevented from implementing proper procedures by those in authority who felt that Brigadier General Gorgas was named Surgeon-

"the whole idea of mosquitoes carrying fever is General of the United States Army in 1914, and 19 the veriest balderdash." on March 4, 1915, in recognition for his ser- vices in connection with the sanitation of the With the support of Chief Engineer Stevens, Panama Canal Zone, he was promoted to the Gorgas was able to begin a campaign to screen rank of Major General in the Medical Depart- windows, clean up and pave streets, clear brush, ment of the United States Army. fill in swampy areas and remove free-standing water. By January of 1906, yellow fever was nearly eliminated from the Isthmus, and within A the next few years, malaria was also vr ~- con-

-

Tourists in the Culebra Cut

3 The Canal Construction Era page 1 8

THE PANAMA CANAL

Former British Ambassador James Bryce per- A total of $387,000,000 was spent by the United haps best described the construction of Panama States on the Panama Canal. The cost for the

Canal when he stated that it was "the greatest construction itself was $310,000,000, with liberty Man has ever taken with Nature." 20 By $10,000,000 paid to the Republic of Panama, the time it was completed, the Panama Canal $40,000,000 to the French company, and had involved the construction of the largest man- $20,000,000 for the sanitation of the Isthmus. made earth dam - ; the largest man- made lake - ; the largest excavation in history - Culebra (Gaillard) Cut; and the con- struction of the largest locks - Miraflores, Pedro

Miguel and Gatun - in the world.

The U.S.S. Arizona transits the Canal, February 23, 1921

D The Canal Construction Era page 1