Monthly Archives: February 2008

The Silver Townships- Rainbow City Part III

Posted on February 11, 2008 by Roberto Reid | 1 Comment

Images Top: Rainbow City Elementary School
Thanks to CZbrats.com

The Camp Coiner area bordering Silver City was originally known as Camp Randolph, having acquired its name in 1942 from Lt. Col. Richard T. Coiner, Corps of Engineers when he and the main offices of the Construction District of the Panama Engineer Division occupied it. By the end of WWII (1945), the U.S. Army transferred Camp Coiner to the Canal Zone and the area became Silver City’s second suburb. The Army buildings were then replaced with more suitable buildings, including the first “experimental housing” for local rate (Silver Roll) workers. Continue reading →

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Posted in Silver Roll Townships, West Indian Panamanians

Tagged Camp Coiner, Ciudad-Arco-Iris, Colon, Gov.-F.K.-owecomer, public-vote, Rainbow-City, Silver-City

The Silver Townships- Rainbow City Part II

Posted on February 8, 2008 by Roberto Reid | 4 Comments

The images point to the glaring problem
of adequate housing needed by the Silver People.
In Colon it was especially pressing.
Top shows the dwellings for the West Indian
canal workers built during the French Period (1880-1889).
The bottom shows the squalor of the “Silver” housing
areas in Colon townships.
Images thanks to George Westerman

In 1915, soon after the Canal was inaugurated, a housing survey conducted throughout the Canal Zone pointed out the urgent need for more and better housing arrangements for Atlantic side towns. At the time, the population of Fox River was 932 and Camp Bierd was 1,818. Continue reading →

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Posted in Silver Roll Townships, West Indian Panamanians

Tagged Camp Bierd, Colon, Colon-fire-of-1940, Rainbow-City, Silver-City, silver-housing

The Silver Townships- Rainbow City- Part I

Posted on February 5, 2008 by Roberto Reid | 2 Comments

Image: Map of the Panama Canal Zone.
Rainbow City appears at the Atlantic end (north)
Image courtesy of www.wikipedia.com

Of all the Silver Townships on the Isthmus of Panama, Rainbow City in the Province Colon is the place that has been known by the greatest variety of names imaginable. It was first known as “Silver City” but, in the early days of construction was variously referred to as The FolksRiver end of Manzanillo Island, Silver town at Mount Hope, New Silver town site at Big Tree; and Cristobal Silver Townsite. After the area was settled, however, it was also known as Silvertown, Silver Town, and Silver city. The term Silver “City” with the city capitalized was not formally recognized until July 1921 when it was named in this manner in official correspondence. Continue reading →