I was looking through the thousands of digital images this weekend that CZ Images contributors have sent me.  Drew Marzak sent me a series of photos some time ago that make up a panorama of the newly established town of Gamboa.  This is panel F in the series.  The photo was taken from on top of the boom of either the Hercules or Ajax floating crane on April 27, 1938.  What caught my eye was all the construction still taking place in downtown Gamboa.  The new commissary, theater, club house and gymnasium are shining bright new.  What really caught my eye was the Gamboa Pool is under construction.  You can see the excavation of where the pool will be.  I don't know what the building next to the theater is going to be when complete.  The sheds across from the club house are the temporary construction sheds.  McGrath Field bleachers are also under construction and the Elementary School looks complete on the right hand side of the photo.  My eyes ventured up to the upper part of the photo and I see the last house I lived in which was 103 on the end of Murwin Pl.  I found the steep cliff next to my old house and remembered a finding that I found years ago reading old I.C.C. maps pre-completion of the Canal.  What would be McGrath Field and most of the area that down town Gamboa and Santa Cruz (local rate housing unseen in this photo to the left)  is actually all filled in as the Chagres River's path used to run through there. The steep cliff/incline is what remains of the cut out bank of the Chagres River.  Pretty cool stuff here this week.

Thank you Drew for sending in these great old photos.  I will feature more of them in the weeks to come.