Rainbow City, Panama
Encyclopedia
Rainbow City is a section of the city of Colón
in the Republic of Panama
. It was originally built as segregated
housing for Panama Canal
employees and was developed into a proper town by the Canal Zone Government. During over a century of history, Rainbow City was home to some of the Panama Canal
's hardest working men and women, including respected teachers, dedicated Panama Canal
workers, and admired athletes.
By the time the United States
acquired the rights to build the Canal
in 1904, the area included a settlement at Folks River (called “Fox” River up to 1915), which consisted of “small, portable houses put up by the French and in bad condition,” and “24 main buildings in three rows,” between the railroad shops and the main line. There was also a settlement on the shores of Limón Bay, overlooking Telfer’s Island. This area, which came to be known as Camp Bierd, included a few houses for families but mostly consisted of crowded one-story barracks for dock workers.
District’s “silver” quarters. The segregated school, with an enrolment of 166, was the largest colored school in the Canal Zone.
Cristobal’s constant activity, particularly in port and railroad traffic, provided employment to most of Silver City’s men and guaranteed that the population of the segregated town continued to experience growth even as white settlements in the Canal Zone
experienced sharp population drops as Canal
construction drew to a close.
In 1915, soon after the Canal
was inaugurated, a survey of housing needs throughout the Canal Zone
was conducted, and urgent need for more quarters was clearly identified for Atlantic Side towns. At the time, the population of Fox River was 932 and Camp Bierd was 1,818. The survey found that 500 apartments were needed for married employees in Fox River and Camp Bierd and that the barracks in Camp Bierd were filled beyond their capacity. To meet the immediate silver quarters needs, the Canal acquired a huge structure of 140 rooms, known as the “Long Building” or Noah’s Ark.
The first permanent town for “silver” workers was built in a landfill to the south and east of the Ark. The fill consisted of hard-packed dirt excavated from the U.S. Army’s construction of Fort Davis, north of the town of Gatun
. This first town, built between 1919 and 1921, initially consisted of thirty-nine 12-family houses and ten 32-room bachelor barracks. For some time, this new town and its streets remained unnamed, but was referred to in Canal Zone files as Silver Town, Cristobal Silver Townsite, and “The Folks River End of Manzanillo Island.” Eventually, its residents took matters into their own hands and named it Silver City.
Silver City continued to grow and in 1933 it acquired its first suburb—Silver City Heights. Though the difference in elevation is hardly perceptible, the new settlement’s name was also of local coinage. Most of the buildings in Silver City Heights were two-story 12-family quarters, designed primarily to accommodate the families still living in Camp Bierd. The remaining barracks were later used during the increased port activity related to the Third Locks Project and the Second World War, but after the war, many of Camp Bierd’s buildings were demolished, with sparse housing remaining in old Navy barracks which came to be known by locals as the “Vatican City”.
On the night of April 15, 1940, flames swept through the heart of Colón
, driving hundreds of families from their homes. Many of these families were Canal
employees. Within a few days, 100 tents went up in a row just south of Silver City Heights to shelter Colón
’s refugees. A few months later, 36 cantonment-type quarters were built to provide more permanent shelter. At first, each house had 12 apartments. In the early 1950s, these quarters were remodeled to house only four or six families each and to extend their useful life.
The area of Camp Coiner was adjacent to Silver City, just across Randolph Road. It was originally known as Camp Randolph, but acquired it name in 1942 when it was occupied by the main offices of the Construction District of the Panama Engineer Division. The name was in honor of Lt. Col. Richard T. Coiner, Corps of Engineers, who died in August 1933 while serving as Department Engineer in the Canal Zone
. In 1945, at the end of the Second World War, the U.S. Army transferred Camp Coiner to the Canal Zone
and the area became Silver City’s second suburb. The Army buildings were replaced with more suitable buildings, including the first “experimental housing” for local rate workers.
The early 1950s brought about improvements which made of Silver City a more complete, better served town. In March 1951, a new swimming pool, bathhouse and luncheonette were built in a playground area east of the town’s vocational school. The pool was 60 by 100 feet, built of reinforced concrete and lined with ceramic tiles. The luncheonette included a soda fountain, kitchen, merchandise and pastry cases and about ten tables, with a partial view of the pool.
In 1951, construction of an extension to Silver City was begun to increase housing for the town and to relocate the last remaining families residing in Camp Bierd. The large scale extension of 139 duplex-type houses was built in two phases. The houses were set at angles to take advantage of prevailing breezes and were painted different colors to make them more appealing given their identical designs. This coloring led locals to name the new area “Rainbow City.”
that residents of a community were given an opportunity to vote their preference for the name of their town. The poll was conducted as a house-to-house canvass by the Panama Canal Review in collaboration with the International Boy Scouts. Ballots were distributed to each of the approximately 1,280 households in town.
Silver City’s residents were given six proposed names to vote on: Silver City, Rainbow City, Folks City, Manzanillo, Granada and Mindi. The majority voted for Rainbow City, the name given to the newest area of town for its colorfully painted houses. On May 1, 1952, the change of name to Rainbow City was made effective by Governor Newcomer.
In February 1954, a new two-wing addition to Rainbow City Elementary School was inaugurated, relieving previous overcrowding. This addition was based on the same design as the new elementary school for the US-rate town of Margarita
, which had also faced increased demand.
Rainbow City was the Canal Zone
’s largest civilian townsite. In the November 1954 census, Rainbow City’s population was counted at 4,845, of which 55% were children. There were more children in Rainbow City than the combined total populations of the white townsites of Margarita
and New Cristobal.
areas to be reverted to the Republic of Panama
in accordance with the 1977 Panama Canal Treaties. Even before the 1979 reversion, many of Rainbow City's residents began migrating to the United States
, particularly to New York City
. Many others also moved to Panama City
as economic conditions in Colón
worsened considerably and job opportunities with the Panama Canal
grew more limited.
After the 1979 reversion, the town’s name was changed to Ciudad Arco Iris, the Spanish translation of Rainbow City, and a name which the area retains to this day.
Colón, Panama
Colón is a sea port on the Caribbean Sea coast of Panama. The city lies near the Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal. It is capital of Panama's Colón Province and has traditionally been known as Panama's second city....
in the Republic of Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
. It was originally built as segregated
Racial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
housing for Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
employees and was developed into a proper town by the Canal Zone Government. During over a century of history, Rainbow City was home to some of the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
's hardest working men and women, including respected teachers, dedicated Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
workers, and admired athletes.
Early history
During the French canal construction era, in the 1880s, the area occupied by Rainbow City today showed up in maps as a little settlement called Guava Ridge.By the time the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
acquired the rights to build the Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
in 1904, the area included a settlement at Folks River (called “Fox” River up to 1915), which consisted of “small, portable houses put up by the French and in bad condition,” and “24 main buildings in three rows,” between the railroad shops and the main line. There was also a settlement on the shores of Limón Bay, overlooking Telfer’s Island. This area, which came to be known as Camp Bierd, included a few houses for families but mostly consisted of crowded one-story barracks for dock workers.
Canal construction era
In 1907, there were 2,439 men, women and children in the CristobalCristóbal
Cristóbal or Cristobal may refer to:Dominican Republic*Cristóbal provincePanama*Cristóbal, ColónSpain*Cristóbal, SalamancaChristopher Columbus...
District’s “silver” quarters. The segregated school, with an enrolment of 166, was the largest colored school in the Canal Zone.
Cristobal’s constant activity, particularly in port and railroad traffic, provided employment to most of Silver City’s men and guaranteed that the population of the segregated town continued to experience growth even as white settlements in the Canal Zone
Panama Canal Zone
The Panama Canal Zone was a unorganized U.S. territory located within the Republic of Panama, consisting of the Panama Canal and an area generally extending 5 miles on each side of the centerline, but excluding Panama City and Colón, which otherwise would have been partly within the limits of...
experienced sharp population drops as Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
construction drew to a close.
In 1915, soon after the Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
was inaugurated, a survey of housing needs throughout the Canal Zone
Panama Canal Zone
The Panama Canal Zone was a unorganized U.S. territory located within the Republic of Panama, consisting of the Panama Canal and an area generally extending 5 miles on each side of the centerline, but excluding Panama City and Colón, which otherwise would have been partly within the limits of...
was conducted, and urgent need for more quarters was clearly identified for Atlantic Side towns. At the time, the population of Fox River was 932 and Camp Bierd was 1,818. The survey found that 500 apartments were needed for married employees in Fox River and Camp Bierd and that the barracks in Camp Bierd were filled beyond their capacity. To meet the immediate silver quarters needs, the Canal acquired a huge structure of 140 rooms, known as the “Long Building” or Noah’s Ark.
The first permanent town for “silver” workers was built in a landfill to the south and east of the Ark. The fill consisted of hard-packed dirt excavated from the U.S. Army’s construction of Fort Davis, north of the town of Gatun
Gatún
Gatun is a small town on the Atlantic Side of the Panama Canal, located south of the city of Colón at the point in which Gatun Lake meets the channel to the Caribbean Sea...
. This first town, built between 1919 and 1921, initially consisted of thirty-nine 12-family houses and ten 32-room bachelor barracks. For some time, this new town and its streets remained unnamed, but was referred to in Canal Zone files as Silver Town, Cristobal Silver Townsite, and “The Folks River End of Manzanillo Island.” Eventually, its residents took matters into their own hands and named it Silver City.
Silver City, CZ
The first reference to Silver City with a capital C appears in July 1921, when it was used on official correspondence. Silver City’s streets were initially numbered and lettered, but its residents eventually also named the streets on their own initiative, so it was only a matter of time before names like Alligator Street (now St. Kitts), Wall Street (now Jamaica Street) emerged. A 1955 article in the Panama Canal Review, reported that Wall Street was purportedly where more affluent Silver Citonians lived.Silver City continued to grow and in 1933 it acquired its first suburb—Silver City Heights. Though the difference in elevation is hardly perceptible, the new settlement’s name was also of local coinage. Most of the buildings in Silver City Heights were two-story 12-family quarters, designed primarily to accommodate the families still living in Camp Bierd. The remaining barracks were later used during the increased port activity related to the Third Locks Project and the Second World War, but after the war, many of Camp Bierd’s buildings were demolished, with sparse housing remaining in old Navy barracks which came to be known by locals as the “Vatican City”.
On the night of April 15, 1940, flames swept through the heart of Colón
Colón
Colón is a Spanish and Portuguese surname, comparable to the Italian and Portuguese Colombo . It may refer to:People:* Cristóbal Colón, the Spanish language name for the explorer Christopher Columbus...
, driving hundreds of families from their homes. Many of these families were Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
employees. Within a few days, 100 tents went up in a row just south of Silver City Heights to shelter Colón
Colón
Colón is a Spanish and Portuguese surname, comparable to the Italian and Portuguese Colombo . It may refer to:People:* Cristóbal Colón, the Spanish language name for the explorer Christopher Columbus...
’s refugees. A few months later, 36 cantonment-type quarters were built to provide more permanent shelter. At first, each house had 12 apartments. In the early 1950s, these quarters were remodeled to house only four or six families each and to extend their useful life.
The area of Camp Coiner was adjacent to Silver City, just across Randolph Road. It was originally known as Camp Randolph, but acquired it name in 1942 when it was occupied by the main offices of the Construction District of the Panama Engineer Division. The name was in honor of Lt. Col. Richard T. Coiner, Corps of Engineers, who died in August 1933 while serving as Department Engineer in the Canal Zone
Panama Canal Zone
The Panama Canal Zone was a unorganized U.S. territory located within the Republic of Panama, consisting of the Panama Canal and an area generally extending 5 miles on each side of the centerline, but excluding Panama City and Colón, which otherwise would have been partly within the limits of...
. In 1945, at the end of the Second World War, the U.S. Army transferred Camp Coiner to the Canal Zone
Panama Canal Zone
The Panama Canal Zone was a unorganized U.S. territory located within the Republic of Panama, consisting of the Panama Canal and an area generally extending 5 miles on each side of the centerline, but excluding Panama City and Colón, which otherwise would have been partly within the limits of...
and the area became Silver City’s second suburb. The Army buildings were replaced with more suitable buildings, including the first “experimental housing” for local rate workers.
The early 1950s brought about improvements which made of Silver City a more complete, better served town. In March 1951, a new swimming pool, bathhouse and luncheonette were built in a playground area east of the town’s vocational school. The pool was 60 by 100 feet, built of reinforced concrete and lined with ceramic tiles. The luncheonette included a soda fountain, kitchen, merchandise and pastry cases and about ten tables, with a partial view of the pool.
In 1951, construction of an extension to Silver City was begun to increase housing for the town and to relocate the last remaining families residing in Camp Bierd. The large scale extension of 139 duplex-type houses was built in two phases. The houses were set at angles to take advantage of prevailing breezes and were painted different colors to make them more appealing given their identical designs. This coloring led locals to name the new area “Rainbow City.”
Rainbow City, CZ
In April 1952, Governor F.K. Newcomer authorized the Panama Canal Review to conduct a poll of the residents of Silver City, including the area of Camp Coiner, to determine the name of their town. This was the only time in the history of the Canal ZonePanama Canal Zone
The Panama Canal Zone was a unorganized U.S. territory located within the Republic of Panama, consisting of the Panama Canal and an area generally extending 5 miles on each side of the centerline, but excluding Panama City and Colón, which otherwise would have been partly within the limits of...
that residents of a community were given an opportunity to vote their preference for the name of their town. The poll was conducted as a house-to-house canvass by the Panama Canal Review in collaboration with the International Boy Scouts. Ballots were distributed to each of the approximately 1,280 households in town.
Silver City’s residents were given six proposed names to vote on: Silver City, Rainbow City, Folks City, Manzanillo, Granada and Mindi. The majority voted for Rainbow City, the name given to the newest area of town for its colorfully painted houses. On May 1, 1952, the change of name to Rainbow City was made effective by Governor Newcomer.
In February 1954, a new two-wing addition to Rainbow City Elementary School was inaugurated, relieving previous overcrowding. This addition was based on the same design as the new elementary school for the US-rate town of Margarita
Margarita
The margarita is a cocktail consisting of tequila mixed with orange-flavoured liqueur and lime or lemon juice, often served with salt on the glass rim. It is the most common tequila-based cocktail in the United States...
, which had also faced increased demand.
Rainbow City was the Canal Zone
Panama Canal Zone
The Panama Canal Zone was a unorganized U.S. territory located within the Republic of Panama, consisting of the Panama Canal and an area generally extending 5 miles on each side of the centerline, but excluding Panama City and Colón, which otherwise would have been partly within the limits of...
’s largest civilian townsite. In the November 1954 census, Rainbow City’s population was counted at 4,845, of which 55% were children. There were more children in Rainbow City than the combined total populations of the white townsites of Margarita
Margarita
The margarita is a cocktail consisting of tequila mixed with orange-flavoured liqueur and lime or lemon juice, often served with salt on the glass rim. It is the most common tequila-based cocktail in the United States...
and New Cristobal.
Rainbow City / Arco Iris, RP
Rainbow City was one of the first Canal ZonePanama Canal Zone
The Panama Canal Zone was a unorganized U.S. territory located within the Republic of Panama, consisting of the Panama Canal and an area generally extending 5 miles on each side of the centerline, but excluding Panama City and Colón, which otherwise would have been partly within the limits of...
areas to be reverted to the Republic of Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
in accordance with the 1977 Panama Canal Treaties. Even before the 1979 reversion, many of Rainbow City's residents began migrating to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, particularly to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Many others also moved to Panama City
Panama City
Panama is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Panama. It has a population of 880,691, with a total metro population of 1,272,672, and it is located at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, in the province of the same name. The city is the political and administrative center of the...
as economic conditions in Colón
Colón
Colón is a Spanish and Portuguese surname, comparable to the Italian and Portuguese Colombo . It may refer to:People:* Cristóbal Colón, the Spanish language name for the explorer Christopher Columbus...
worsened considerably and job opportunities with the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
grew more limited.
After the 1979 reversion, the town’s name was changed to Ciudad Arco Iris, the Spanish translation of Rainbow City, and a name which the area retains to this day.