Panama: Crossroads of Empires · Episode 6 of 24 · 21 min
The Gold Rush Express: Panama's Deadliest Shortcut and the Color Line
After gold was found in California in 1848, the fastest route across America ran through Panama's jungle. The Panama Railroad, finished in 1855, linked the oceans at a high and poorly counted human cost. The episode also covers the Chinese laborers at Matachín, a racial pay hierarchy that foreshadowed the Canal Zone, and the 1856 Watermelon Riot.
Who's who
- John L. StephensAmerican financier who helped found the Panama Railroad Company
- William H. AspinwallAmerican financier who helped found the Panama Railroad Company
- Henry ChaunceyAmerican financier who helped found the Panama Railroad Company
- Jack OliverAmerican passenger whose taking of a watermelon sparked the 1856 riot
- José Manuel LunaAfro-Panamanian vendor who demanded payment for the melon
- Miguel HabrahanBystander who seized Oliver's gun, igniting the riot
Where it happens
- Isthmus of Panama+2 more episodesFifty-mile crossing for California-bound travelers
- Chagres River, Panama+1 more episodeRoute poled by boatmen and used by travelers
- Matachín, PanamaSite of the tragedy of Chinese laborers
- Panama City, Panama+6 more episodesSite of the 1856 Watermelon Riot
- Colón, Panama+2 more episodesWhere U.S. Marines landed in September 1856
Timeline
- January 1848Gold found at Sutter's Mill, California
- 1850Panama Railroad Company begins construction
- March 1854About 700 Chinese laborers arrive on the Sea Witch
- January 27-28, 1855The 47-mile railroad, first to link two oceans, is completed
- April 15, 1856Watermelon Riot leaves about 15 Americans and 2 Panamanians dead
- September 19, 1856160 U.S. Marines land at Colón, the first U.S. armed intervention on the isthmus
Still debated
The railroad's death toll is uncertain; the 'dead man for every tie' story is a myth, and estimates reach up to about 12,000, with non-white deaths poorly recorded. The count of Chinese laborers and suicides varies by source, and the corpse trade is documented but not precisely quantified.