Photographs, publications, artifacts, notes, correspondence. The collection primarily consists of photographs of Panama and the Panama Canal Zone during construction, beginning in 1914. The photographs show dredging and construction operations, workers, military personnel and camps, ships such as the U.S.S. Ohio, the dam at Pedro Miguel, an hydroelectric plant, locks, the Steamship Cristobal, Paraiso Yard, and a U.S. Navy dirigible. Several photos have captions identifying the persons, places and events shown. Most of the collection, particularly the photographs and items dated 1914 to 1929, originally were created or collected by Walter E. Boyd. He appears in a small number of the photographs, and two of the publications int he collection were mailed to him. The publications include guides, magazines, and brochures that provide historical and travel information about the Canal. Included among a small number of artifacts is a metal spike from the Pacific Coast railroad, which Boyd evidently brought to the U.S. in 1919. The collection also includes an 1887 letter, in French, regarding a proposal for a scheme to transport dredged rubble from the Canal.
