Completed in 1935, the Madden Dam is one of three major dams that make up the Panama Canal Waterway. It lies on the Chagres River about twelve miles upstream from the Panama Canal and provides a reservoir to maintain the water level of Gatun Lake during the dry season.
Dad joined the Madden Dam construction project as a Rigger Foreman in 1931, and it was there in 1933 that he met my mother, Helen Celeste Headrick. A native of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, her father, Bern Headrick, was Aggregate Foreman for the Madden Dam construction. I (their only offspring) was born in 1934 at Gorgas Hospital in Ancon, Panama.
Dad’s job ended in October of that year, and we left for the “Grand Coulee Dam” project in the state of Washington.
In November of 1939, Dad returned to the Canal Zone aboard the “Cristobal” for the purpose of helping to bomb proof the Canal gates. Mother and I followed a few months later.
In July of 1940, we left Panama for the last time and returned to the States on the “Brazil Maru", a Japanese liner that was later used to transport Japanese troops during the War.
The following photos were taken during the construction of the Madden Dam. Included are many that document life in the Canal Zone during both time periods.
General Office: W.E. Callahan Const. Company.
Peterson, Shirley & Gunther, Madden Dam Project,
The Panama Canal.
Bird's Eye View Of Madden Dam Housing With The Chagres River In The Background. (1933-1934)
Madden Dam In The Quiet Of The Night.
Russ Brown (Left) On Pile Pullers.
Unidentified Worker.
Cable-Way View Of Dam Construction.
