Map of the Isthmus of Panama Representing the Line of the Railroad As Constructed Under the Direction of George M. Totten

Incredibly detailed plan of the newly completed Panama Railroad.

This map was issued just two years after the final spike was driven into the Panama Canal Railroad by it’s chief engineer, George Totten. It was created by an English surveyor from Jamaica, Thomas Harrison, and published in New York.

The image shows an incredibly detailed view of the roughly 47 mile route through dense forests, over mountains and across rivers to connect the Atlantic and the Pacific for the first time. An elevation profile of the route between the two company offices shows the incredible height differences that had to be overcome by the engineers and surveyors. Topographical relief is shown by hachures and paths and mule tracks are noted in the legend – there were no roads here. Ambitiously, a proposed canal line by one N. Garella is also depicted, but it would be nearly 60 years before that dream would come to fruition.

What the map fails to show is the tremendous cost of the project. At over $375,000,000 (including the $40,000,000 paid to France), it was the single most expensive construction project in U.S. history, and it wasn’t even domestic! In addition to the financing, tropical diseases and accidents accounted for nearly 6,000 dead workers, and possibly much higher. However, the profitability of the route was undeniable, and its presence was a leading factor in ultimate decision to create a canal immediately west of the line decades later.