Panama Canal

A ship sails through the Panama Canal in 1915

The Panama Canal is a 48-mile-long man-made waterway located in Central America. It connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans through a series of locks, channels, and artificial lakes.

The canal was begun by the French in the late 1800s, but that project ended in failure. It became the pet project of President Theodore Roosevelt, and American construction on the canal began in 1904. But progress was slow and dangerous, and the threat of diseases such as yellow fever and malaria terrified the workers.

However, in 1907, work on the Panama Canal finally began to take off. Yellow fever had largely been eradicated, living conditions had improved (mainly for whites), and the railways for removing dirt had been finished.

In January 1914, the first unofficial ship sailed through the canal from ocean to ocean, and on August 15, 1914, the canal officially opened. Its completion was a feat of engineering and highlighted America’s emergence as a major player on the world stage. The canal also reshaped world trade and travel by greatly reducing the time it takes for ships to cross between the Atlantic and Pacific.

The Panama Canal remained in American hands until December 31, 1999, when control was handed over to Panama. An expansion project was completed in 2016.

Learn more about the Panama Canal through historical newspapers from our archives. Explore newspaper articles, headlines, images, and other primary sources below.

Clippings about the Panama Canal

Newspaper mention of an early attempt to dig a canal in Panama 12 Dec 1838, Wed Democratic Free Press (Detroit, Michigan) Newspapers.com Early history of Panama Canal and the French failure Wed, Dec 26, 1888 – Page 7 · St. Louis Post-Dispatch (St. Louis, Missouri) · Newspapers.comEditorial argues in favor of the Panama Canal over the Nicaragua Canal 27 Sep 1898, Tue The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Maryland) Newspapers.com"Making Headway in Canal Matters. Preliminary Agreements Made With Colombia and Panama Company." 10 Jul 1902, Thu The Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, California) Newspapers.comUnited States signs canal treaty with Panama in 1903 Thu, Nov 19, 1903 – 1 · The Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, California) · Newspapers.comPanama Canal considered "a failure up to date" in 1905 Sun, Aug 13, 1905 – Page 38 · The Washington Post (Washington, District of Columbia) · Newspapers.comEradicating yellow fever in the Canal Zone Sun, Nov 19, 1905 – Page 13 · The New York Times (New York, New York) · Newspapers.comJournalist writes description of life in the Canal Zone during 1910 visit 03 Mar 1910, Thu The Leavenworth Weekly Times (Leavenworth, Kansas) Newspapers.comPresident Taft sets rates that foreign shipping must pay to pass through the Panama Canal 14 Nov 1912, Thu The Lewiston Daily Sun (Lewiston, Maine) Newspapers.comMap of Panama Canal Wed, Jun 18, 1913 – 4 · Wausau Daily Herald (Wausau, Wisconsin) · Newspapers.comDescription of what traveling through the Panama Canal is like Thu, Jul 10, 1913 – 6 · The Perry County Times (New Bloomfield, Pennsylvania) · Newspapers.comImages from the construction of the Panama Canal Thu, Jul 31, 1913 – Page 3 · Dakota County Herald (Dakota City, Nebraska) · Newspapers.comHistory of American involvement in the Panama Canal up to 1913, including deaths Thu, Oct 16, 1913 – 1 · The Bossier Banner (Bellevue, Louisiana) · Newspapers.comFirst ship goes through Panama Canal Thu, Jan 8, 1914 – Page 1 · Belvidere Daily Republican (Belvidere, Illinois) · Newspapers.comThe official Panama Canal newspaper reports on the opening of the canal to traffic Wed, Aug 19, 1914 – Page 1 · The Canal Record (Ancon, Panama, Panama) · Newspapers.com"Army Plan for Nicaraguan Canal Ready and Waiting for Congress" 02 Mar 1937, Tue Fitchburg Sentinel (Fitchburg, Massachusetts) Newspapers.comExcerpt from editorial criticizing racial discrimination in the Canal Zone by the U.S. government 15 May 1948, Sat The Black Dispatch (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) Newspapers.comLetter to the editor discusses unrest in Canal Zone and argues for review of U.S.'s Panama policy 11 Nov 1959, Wed St. Louis Post-Dispatch (St. Louis, Missouri) Newspapers.comAnti-American riots break out in Panama to protest American control of the Canal Zone 30 Nov 1959, Mon Ledger-Enquirer (Columbus, Georgia) Newspapers.comPartial account of the protests and violence during the 1964 Martyrs' Day riots 27 Jan 1964, Mon News-Journal (Mansfield, Ohio) Newspapers.comLetters to the editor discuss the U.S. handover of the canal to Panama 22 Sep 1979, Sat The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Maryland) Newspapers.comSummary of history of American-Panamanian relations, published day after 1989 American invasion 21 Dec 1989, Thu The Sacramento Bee (Sacramento, California) Newspapers.comUnited States transfers ownership of the Panama Canal to Panama Sat, Jan 1, 2000 – Page 2 · News-Press (Fort Myers, Florida) · Newspapers.comPanama Canal expansion completed in 2016 Sun, Jul 3, 2016 – Page 22 · Albuquerque Journal (Albuquerque, New Mexico) · Newspapers.com