Hotel Washington in the Panama Canal Zone
3/1941
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The original caption for this photograph, taken in the U.S. territory of the Panama Canal Zone, reads: The Panama Railroad Co. - Hotel Washington at Colon, C.Z. - March 1941.
It comes from a series of photographs documenting support facilities in the Canal Zone, such as clubhouse facilities, soda fountains, shops, cafeterias, commissaries, housing, hotels, schools, and recreation.
U.S. interests in the Panama Canal can be traced back to 1895 when President Grover Cleveland appointed the Nicaragua Canal Board to study the feasibility of completing a canal through Nicaragua. In 1899, Congress authorized President William McKinley to examine the Panamanian as well as the Nicaraguan route. The First Isthmian Commission (FIC), appointed by the President, suggested the Panama route and recommended purchasing the property.
An Act of Congress on June 28, 1902, authorized the purchase of the property following the ratification of a treaty with Panama creating a second Isthmian Commission for the purpose of directing the construction work and governing the Canal Zone. The Second Isthmian Commission was dissolved in 1914 and replaced by the Panama Canal Organization (PCO). In 1950, the PCO was reorganized into two groups and included the Canal Zone Government (CZG). with authority limited only to maintaining civil government, and the Panama Canal Company (PCC), formerly the Panama Railroad Company (PRC), with authority to maintain operation and maintenance of the canal.
It comes from a series of photographs documenting support facilities in the Canal Zone, such as clubhouse facilities, soda fountains, shops, cafeterias, commissaries, housing, hotels, schools, and recreation.
U.S. interests in the Panama Canal can be traced back to 1895 when President Grover Cleveland appointed the Nicaragua Canal Board to study the feasibility of completing a canal through Nicaragua. In 1899, Congress authorized President William McKinley to examine the Panamanian as well as the Nicaraguan route. The First Isthmian Commission (FIC), appointed by the President, suggested the Panama route and recommended purchasing the property.
An Act of Congress on June 28, 1902, authorized the purchase of the property following the ratification of a treaty with Panama creating a second Isthmian Commission for the purpose of directing the construction work and governing the Canal Zone. The Second Isthmian Commission was dissolved in 1914 and replaced by the Panama Canal Organization (PCO). In 1950, the PCO was reorganized into two groups and included the Canal Zone Government (CZG). with authority limited only to maintaining civil government, and the Panama Canal Company (PCC), formerly the Panama Railroad Company (PRC), with authority to maintain operation and maintenance of the canal.
This primary source comes from the Records of the Panama Canal.
National Archives Identifier: 202800335
Full Citation: Photograph 185-CZ-11-13-K-24(4); Hotel Washington in the Panama Canal Zone; 3/1941; 13-K-24(4); Photographs Related to the Operation and Development of the Panama Canal Zone, ca. 1938 - ca. 1960; Records of the Panama Canal, Record Group 185; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/hotel-washington-panama-canal-zone, June 22, 2025]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.
