In the ashes of Colombian rule the new Republic of Panama arose, and before long the Americans had their treaty granting them the right to build and operate a canal in a strip of land which came to be known as the Panama Canal Zone. With covert assistance by President Theodore Roosevelt and Americans on the Isthmus, a successful revolt against Colombia, which had denied them a chance to build the canal, was mounted in November 1903. The Americans were not exactly thrilled by this, and when the French effort collapsed in financial scandal in the 1890s, American interest in a canal escalated. Then in the 1880s the French attempted to dig a canal through the jungles and mountains of Panama. Panama, although not the shortest route, was deemed the fastest and most secure as a mail route had been opened via Panama to California in 1848.Ĥ-cent Thatcher Ferry Bridge and Map of Western Hemisphere plate proofĬonstruction of a Panama Railroad was an arduous and expensive job, but by January 28, 1855, the two oceans were joined by a ribbon of iron (steel came later). This led to a massive influx of 49ers, all madly searching for an easy way to the goldfields.

The treaty coincided with the discovery of huge gold deposits in California. Until the late 1840s Panama remained isolated, but the era of the railroad was at hand, and the Americans negotiated a treaty with Colombia granting them the right to construct a path for the iron horse across the Isthmus. In 1821 Panama became part of present-day Colombia.

Further, the Spanish king is reported to have said that “Man can not render asunder that which God hath joined.”Įarly in the nineteenth century the Spanish colonies in America gained their freedom, one by one. The technology of the day, however, prohibited such an undertaking. The hope that the Isthmus could be breached and then opened to maritime traffic goes back to the early days of Spanish colonization too. Balboa opened the pages of a book that led to Panama’s role as the 'Bridge between the Americas' as well as 'The Path Between the Seas.' His discovery that the Pacific lay only a relatively few miles from the Atlantic attracted attention worldwide, and the Isthmus was soon the preferred route for the transit of the treasures of South and Central America back to the Mother Country. Vasco Nuñez de Balboa, for whom Panama’s national currency has been named since 1906, first spotted the Pacific Ocean “From a peak in Darien” in 1513, shortly before he was beheaded by his own father-in–law at the original Spanish settlement of Aclá. First visited by Christopher Columbus on one of his epic voyages to the New World in the early sixteenth century, the Spanish soon colonized the region, imagining extensive deposits of precious minerals were to be found there. Though it existed as a stamp-issuing entity for only about seventy-five years, the Panama Canal Zone has a long history. A particularly nice example might sell for more than the amount listed, while a poor copy might be worth less.2-cent Canal Zone and Panama overprint single The prices listed here are for well centered, undamaged stamps. The value of an individual stamp is dependent on its centering and condition. Use these values as a guideline for evaluating the reasonableness of dealer prices, setting up trades with other collectors, and estimating the worth of your collection. They are derived from numerous sources such as dealer price lists, advertisements in philatelic publications, and public auction results. stamps are provided as a service to Hobbizine readers.

Airmail 5 cent stamp red 1941