W. A. Fishbaugh Panama Canal Photograph Album
name: label: Creator
content: Hunt, Mary Alice Minear
label: Creator
content: Hunt, George Laird
label: Creator
content: Fishbaugh, William Arthur
label: Creator
content: Minear, A. Bruce
label: Former owner
content: National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Engineering and Industry
place: label: Place
content: Panama Canal (Panama)
label: Place
content: Panama -- 1900-1910
topic: label: Topic
content: Villages -- Panama
label: Topic
content: Streets -- Panama
label: Topic
content: Hospitals -- Panama
label: Topic
content: Jungles -- Panama
label: Topic
content: Animals -- Panama
label: Topic
content: Bullfights
label: Topic
content: Canals -- Panama
label: Topic
content: Cemeteries -- Panama
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: This collection was donated to the National Museum of American History's Division of the History of Science and Technology, Engineering and Industry Collections by Mary Alice Minear Hunt and George Laird Hunt, 1987.
creator: label: Creator
content: Hunt, Mary Alice Minear
label: Creator
content: Hunt, George Laird
label: Creator
content: Fishbaugh, William Arthur
label: Creator
content: Minear, A. Bruce
abstract: label: Summary
content: Photograph album of commercially-produced photographs of Panama Canal construction.
bioghist: label: Historical
content: On November 18, 1903, the United States and Panama negotiated the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty, which granted the United States permission to construct a canal that would join the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.  Construction for the Panama Canal began on May 4, 1904.  The large workforce (at its highest population in 1913 it numbered 44,733 men, not including those sick, on leave, or otherwise absent) had a great impact on Panama.  As there were not enough amenities to accommodate them when they arrived, they built entire communities, paved streets, improved communication systems, and installed water and sewage systems.  Likewise, the railroad was improved for more efficient transportation of supplies, labor, food, and equipment.  Much to the credit of Chief Sanitary Officer Dr. William Crawford Gorgas, yellow fever was completely eradicated on the Isthmus and malaria cases greatly reduced.  Native villages and towns along the planned construction route were required to relocate.  

The first self-propelled, ocean-bound vessel traveled on the canal on January 7, 1914, and the canal was formally opened in August of that year.  The Panama Canal construction project was the most expensive construction project in United States history to that date, costing $375,000,000.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 0.15 Cubic feet (1 box)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1905-1908.
container: label: Container
content: Box 1
custodhist: label: Custodial History
content: Transferred to the Archives Center from the Division of the History of Science and Technology, Engineering and Industry Collections (now Division of Work and Industry) in 2007.
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives Center, National Museum of American History
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NMAH.AC.1021
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Photographs
label: Type
content: Photograph albums
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: This collection is arranged in one series.

Series 1, Photograph Album, 1905-1907
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: Processed by Kiley Orchard, intern, 2008; supervised by Vanessa Broussard- Simmons, archivist, 2008.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Photographs -- 1900-1910
label: Genre/Form
content: Photograph albums -- 20th century
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents note
content: This collection consists of a photograph album of one hyndred commercially produced views of Panama Canal construction.  Also included are some views of life in the Canal Zone, including hospitals, villages, street scenes, jungles, cemeteries, animal life, and bullfights.  The album was assembled by A. Bruce Minear, who was sent to Panama by President Theodore Roosevelt to develop the YMCA for the men working on the canal.  Most photographs are captioned.
relatedmaterial: label: Related Materials
content: Materials in the Archives Center

W. P. Stine Panama Canal Papers (NMAH.AC.1039)

John Frances Little Panama Canal Scrapbook Photograph Albums (NMAH.AC.0708)

Katherine Kingsford Panama Canal Photograph Album (NMAH.AC.1040)

A.R. Van Tassell Photograph Albums (NMAH.AC.1015)