Fort San Lorenzo

---

Leaving Gatun Locks, Oriana docked at port of Cristobal rather than heading directly out to sea to enable passengers time to visit Colon. At this time, Cristobal was in the American Canal Zone, Colon in Panama. (I liked the way the twin communities together were "Cristobal Colon" . Someone had been clever!) Family friends met us at the dock to show us around the Atlantic side of Panama and "the Zone". I can't now remember exactly who the couple was. I believe they were descendants of people my grandparents had known during the time they lived in Panama (1910-1918). In any case, they were very nice and drove us around in their car. We saw Colon, the principal city on the Caribbean side of Panama. Then, we drove out to see the ruins at Fort San Lorenzo. Fort San Lorenzo had been constructed by Spain in the 16th century to defend against incursions by its enemies. It defended the Atlantic entrance to the Rio Chagres, the principal means to begin a journey to Panama City and the Pacific side before the advent of the railway. The fort had indeed come under attack during its colorful history by such personages as Sir Francis Drake and the pirate Henry Morgan. In its later years it was used as a prison until 1821. The couple took us to dinner at the yacht club in Cristobal, overlooking the port. One could see Oriana all lit up in the evening. After dinner, we said our goodbyes, reboarded, and later that evening Oriana sailed for Nassau.

---

Photos

Docking in Cristobal
Docking in Cristóbal. The warehouses carry the date 1913. This is a container port today.
Panama021

Avenida Balboa, Colón
Avenida Balboa in the Casco Antiguo (Old Quarter) of Colón, Panama, in 1965. The commercial structures featuring multilevel wrap-around balconies date from the early 1900s.
Note El Corte Inglés and the Pan Am-PANAGRA airline ticket office. In 1965, the Pan American Airways city ticket office in Colón was listed as 1002 Calle 11 (Esquina de Avenida Balboa y Calle 11).
Panama036

Fort DeLesseps
Canal Zone housing in Cristobal at Fort DeLesseps. Named for French canal builder Ferdinand de Lesseps (1805-1894).
Panama026

Fort San Lorenzo Timeline
Fort San Lorenzo Interpretive Marker.
Panama022

Ruins of Fort San Lorenzo
Fort San Lorenzo had been constructed by Spain in the 16th century to defend against incursions by its enemies. It defended the Atlantic entrance to the Rio Chagres, the principal means to begin a journey to Panama City and the Pacific side before the advent of the railway. The fort had indeed come under attack during its colorful history by such personages as Sir Francis Drake and the pirate Henry Morgan. In its later years it was used as a prison until 1821.
Panama023

Ruins of Fort San Lorenzo
Fort San Lorenzo had been constructed by Spain in the 16th century to defend against incursions by its enemies. It defended the Atlantic entrance to the Rio Chagres, the principal means to begin a journey to Panama City and the Pacific side before the advent of the railway. The fort had indeed come under attack during its colorful history by such personages as Sir Francis Drake and the pirate Henry Morgan. In its later years it was used as a prison until 1821.
Panama056

Mouth of the Chagres River
View from Fort San Lorenzo. Panama024p1

Panama Highway
Road to Fort San Lorenzo.
Panama054