Connecting The World:The Panama Canal at 100 at the Mint

First Dredges Through the Gatun Locks by Alison Skinner Clark: Strolling over the locks

“The Eighth Wonder of the World.” “The Thirteenth Labor of Hercules.” “The Big Ditch.” The Panama Canal deserves all these titles as the exhibit now showing at the Mint Museum through clearly demonstrates. It is intriguing as well as unbelievable what human beings will do to achieve connectedness. 

Steam shovel bucket discovered sunk in mud. Weighing 75 tons it was used to widen the Canal in the 1930s.

Through science, organization, sheer willpower, and massive expenditure of capital, America made the Canal work. When the first ship passed through the Canal on August 15, 1914, history was made.

Dr. Jonathan Stuhlman, curator of the exhibit

Wells Fargo is the lead sponsor for the Mint Museum’s fascinating exhibit and like the Canal has linked the Atlantic and Pacific coast for 160 years.

In the Tropics by Frederick March Church: Artist's depiction of this exotic and wildly dangerous country

Our overall reaction to this exhibit was one of wonder and amazement. It’s a great history lesson allowing the viewer to see into a time without reservation. 

The locks attracted many tourists before completion

Described by some as a “volatile, invasive attack on the earth,” the canal raises many questions.  Can you hear the planet groaning? Do we have the right to invade the earth to such an extent? 

The shear enormity of what man is capable of to further our evolution and bring us closer to one another is depicted in this exhibit.

T.R in Panama by Edward Laning: Teddy Roosevelt visited Panama to see the canal in progress

Connecting the World: The Panama Canal at 100 is on display at the Mint Museum Uptown through Feb. 1, 2015. Visit  www.mintmuseum.org for more information.

Steve Plaxco, Exhibit Chief