Gold Rush Bottles in Panama

This article is to acquaint fellow victims of the Bottle Bug of a literally virgin area of prime pickings

. What's your preference: Whiskies, Beers, Liquors? Or is it Extracts, Cure-alls, Inks or Ales? Or throw in just for added interest early Americana, camp equipment, miners gear, railroaders miscellany or even early Spanish. It's all here for the adventurous, the daring and the hardy. Where is this Utopia of Trash? Ah, therein lies the adventure.

The trash digger well knows that the bottle went West with the cry heard around the World, "Gold in California". So came the inconspicuous bottle in pocket, pouch and saddle; in wagons, coach and purse. However, as any good bottler knows, there was yet another means by which our little prize found its way west. Though it was the longest route, it was then considered the safest, fastest and most comfortable means obtainable (until the trip was actually made). This was by way of ship.

From every corner of the Old World they came. In every conceivable vessel that would float them to the "Glory Land". From all points east, including the Eastern U. S. the quickest passage west was the Panama Route.

For the unacquainted, the following will provide some needed background.

By 1535, the Spaniards had established two final routs across the Isthmus of Panama which they used to transport their supplies and fabulous gold trains from ocean to ocean which were paved with cobblestone. Both of these routes originated at the town of Panama located on the Pacific side of the Isthmus. One of these routes traveled 18 miles through the jungle to the banks of the Rio Chagres. Here the village of Las Cruces was established and dugout boats and barges were floated down river to the Caribbean Sea, for a total distance of 75 miles.

At the location where the Rio Chagres flowed into the Sea was a small harbor where the village of Chagres was established, as well as a fortification finally started to be built in 1597 to protect their cargo. It was here at this little bay where various types of light vessels, dugouts and rafts were hired to transport the miners and others up river to the village of Las Cruces. Once at Las Cruces, the transit was then required to hire a mule to make the journey to Panama from where they would then sail to San Francisco, California.

Now, perhaps you can picture this transit route that was so well used by the 49ers and others, traveling both ways, up until the completion of the Panama Railroad in 1855. The river portion no longer exists as the completion of the Panama Canal in 1905 flooded all but 5 miles of the Rio Chagres. However, that route from the City of Panama to the banks of the Rio Chagres, (the village of Las Cruces was also put under water), still offers thousands of bottles yet laying along this route.

Gold Rush Bottles in Panama

By: Gus Bliss

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