PANAMA HISTORY BITS In Quest of History Louie Celerier, Editor Tuesday, January 20, 2015 luis-celerier@sbcglobal.net http://www.panamahistorybits.com In Quest Of History Group: Dave Albritton, Barbara Baldwin, Alan P. Bentz, Bobby Brin, Louie Celerier, Robert Dille, Ricardo de la Espriella, Julius Grigore, Chuck Hummer, Eudoro Jaen, Bob Karrer, Jim Malcolm, Henry Mizrachi, Bruce Quinn, Paolo Sanfilippo, Stewart Redwood, Robin Richmond, Germinal Sarasqueta, Fred Sill, Paul Smith, Joe Wood, David Zemer. SPECIAL ISSUE El Valle As I Knew It 1938-2005 This issue carries the story of El Valle as I knew it while growing up. It is almost entirely based on my recollections, as foggy as they might be. In my SOURCES section I mention two, with the book by Father Jose Noto being most helpful in remembering names. Because of the length of this narrative and the amount of photos, I am not including any other information in this issue. On the next issue, however, I will include the stories some of you have sent to me pertaining to your experiences in El Valle. They are most interesting, as you will see. I hope you enjoy this narrative and that it brings you fond memories of that idyllic place. Louie Celerier New Members In 2014 we had two new members included in our "History Group". They were Bruce Quinn and Paul Smith, both residents of Panama. Bruce is still very active in the National Theater of Panama. Both he and Paul have much knowledge about the history of Panama and are willing contributors. This year, we just added two more. They are Charles "Chuck" Hummer, who is President Emeritus of "Friends of the Panama Canal Museum Collection at the University of Florida", and Joe Wood, President of "Friend of the Panama Canal Museum Collection at the U. of F". Both have been recent contributors in articles and I hope they will continue to provide new material. Welcome fellow "Questers"! [1]
BITS & PIECES El Valle As I Knew It 1938-2005 By Louie Celerier, January 2015 On the January 3, 2015, issue of The JUNCTION, I included a narrative on "How We Came To Know El Valle". This covered a period of 30 days from early February to early March in 1928 when, encouraged by the account of a fellow worker who had recently visited El Valle, my mother convinced my father that they should visit the place. Getting to El Valle in 1928 was not an easy matter. The Central Highway went no farther than Santiago and it was mostly a gravel road. Then, the road to El Valle only went from Las Uvas to Las Margaritas, roughly about half-way up into the mountains. And it could scarcely be called a road; just two ruts with the white "Tosca" as a top. The rest of the trip into El Valle (The Valley) had to be done on horseback. Finally, the cars in those days were also rather primitive. It promised to be quite an adventure and, as you may have read in The JUNCTION, it was. That was 1928. After that adventure, my parents settled back down to work, raise a family and buy a home. It would not be until 1938 that my parents, with my sister and I in tow, returned to visit El Valle and renew their fascination with the place. This narrative, then, is about that period of time in which I participated in the enjoyment of El Valle. Origins Of El Valle El Valle is located in the northeast corner of the Province of Cocle high in the range of mountains running the length of Panama. By road, it is about 58 miles on the Central Highway from Panama City to Las Uvas (The Grapes), a little town on the western side of San Carlos. Leaving the Central Highway, it is another 22 miles to El Valle, a total of some 80 miles from the capital. In the 1930s and early 1940s it would take us up to 7 hours, packed as sardines in a large chiva, to reach our destination. By car it would be roughly two 2-1/2 hours. en.wikipedia.org The valley is about 3 miles wide and 4 miles long and at first glance resembles a long dead volcano. There are no scientific studies to prove this (2); however, common belief is that it is indeed an extinct [2]
volcano and that the valley floor is actually the crater (1). If so, this would have been the largest volcano in Central America millions of years ago; it imploded bringing down the upper walls or rim of the original crater into itself and forming the ring of hills that we know today as Gaital, Cariguana, India Dormida, etc. This is why you have to climb up to 2500 feet and then down into the crater the floor of which has an elevation of 2000 feet. Other indicators of that it could have been a volcano are the thermal wells in the area known as Los Pozos. Soil surveys, however, do indicate that a lake existed there for some time. The middle of El Valle, for example, was still very swampy in the period of time I cover in this narrative. Indications are that the torrential rains of the period finally filled the lake to a level that it burst through the lowest rim located between the Cerro Iguana (Iguana Hill) and the Loma de la Cruz (Hill of the Cross) creating the water falls we know as Las Mozas (The Pretty Young Girls). That El Valle was inhabited by natives early in its history is evident by the hieroglyphics carved on the rocks at the area we know as La Pintada (The Painted One). Additional evidence of early native settlements can be found at the base of Cerro Iguana in the form of another marked rock named by Father Jose Noto as "El Potosi". Others similar were destroyed by later "civilized" settlers for use in construction (2). Key To Map: 1. Celerier house; 2. Pedro Gonzalez; 3. Floyd Baldwin; 4. David Azcarraga; 5. Julio Coronado (Jr.?);6. El Chorrito: 7. Javier & Juanita Hidalgo; 8. Fernando Carrillo; 9. Two houses, William and Mary Harrison and son Charles Harrison. William & Mary were grandparents of Joan Gibson Conover ;10. Hotel Valle (Hotel Del Greco); 11. Juana's bakery; 12. Esmeralda and El Cholo horse rentals; 13. Ernesto Sanchez bar; 14. Telegraph-Telephone office; 15. Masuk Gen. Store;16. Abraham Ali Gen. Store; 17. St. Joseph Church; 18. Julio Coronado (Sr.) orange farm; 19. Jose Noriega orange farm; 20. Encarnacion home; 21. La Pintada; 22. El Macho waterfall;23. Las Mozas waterfall; 24. Los Pozos thermal wells; 25. French Ambassador house; 26. Lum's Pan American Hotel; 27. Square Trees; 28. La Niña Lola farmhouse. (elvalle.com.pa modified by LRC) [3]
A Tropical Paradise (1938-1958) Views going up to El Valle and going down into it with El Gaital hidden by clouds. (1984) Coming up the mountain road from the town of Las Uvas one reaches one of the lower mountains on the rim of the valley to look down on an incredible sight. The land inside the rim is almost totally flat and almost in a perfect circle. On the north we see the highest mountain, El Gaital of 3887 feet, with Cerro Pajita on its left and Cerro Caracola on its right. In the 20-year period covered by this narrative, the valley was lush with beautiful flowers and vegetation; small rivers and creeks flowed from the north towards the only outlet at Las Mozas and, to the joy of us children, there were no bridges and the cars had to go into the water to cross them. The pedestrians, in most cases, had a log or two to use as a bridge. The place was very cool at night, requiring light blankets, and pleasant during the day so that some days we would wear light sweatshirts. Cars were few and carts non-existent with all local transportation by horse and on foot. Horses not in used were set to roam free and they did a beautiful job of mowing the lawns by the side of the roads and trails. Bajareque, a fine mist coming down from El Gaital, was a common occurrence day or night and not too welcome when caught far from home. Since there was no electricity, moonless nights were totally black and only lights seen were the dim gleam from a few kerosene lanterns in homes, fireflies, glowworms and beetles with two brightly glowing eyes resembling the headlights of a car. A full moon created a beautiful and peaceful soft light scenery. On these moonlit nights we would take walks on the main road as far as the Hotel Valle racing each other on the way back. Some nights we would sit on the porch and sing to the accompaniment of cousin Pedro's guitar or just tell stories, something at which Pedro was unique. [4]
During the day we would hike up the forested mountains leading one to clear water streams rushing down around moss-covered rocks, colored frogs, a wide variety of trees, wild flowers, bromeliads, orchids, colorful birds and beautiful small animals. And, of course, coral snakes. Once on top of a mountain, the panoramic views of El Valle as well as the Pacific coast would be breathtaking. This was my valley. Going up to La Silla (1984) and the view of the Pacific Ocean from it.(1984) L-R: Typical scene, Las Mosa, and more flowers.(two left photos from internet) The Return Of The Celerier Family 1938: The Return The year of 1938 marked the return of my family to El Valle. The family consisting of my father Louis, my mother Blanca, my older sister Mireille and me. It was the beginning of my association with El Valle. I was 6 years old. The Central Highway was now a narrow two-lane asphalt road from Panama City to David and the road from Las Uvas to El Valle had been completed and covered with that soft white gravel we called "tosca". It was mostly a one lane road, but when meeting other cars in the opposite direction, there was room to carefully pass each other. Tosca gave the road a base that, although not as good as gravel, was strong [5]
enough to support the weight of the vehicles and prevent getting stuck in the mud in the rainy season. Its disadvantage was that it could become slippery when wet and could be washed out by heavy rains if not maintained frequently. This slippery quality will be mentioned again in this narrative. In front of the early Hotel Valle; Mireille, Julia, me, Charles and Lloyd Smith. At a sugar cane mill: Charles, Julia, me, my mother Blanca and my sister Mireille. (1938) Typical pedestrian bridge. This one was over the Anton River next to the Hotel Valle. L-R: Mireille, Julia, me, my father Louis and my mother Blanca. (1938) Left: La Cuesta - The old road down. It was steep and with a vicious curve at the bottom. During rainy season several times children and women walked while the men helped push the overloaded chiva up this hill. Right: La India Dormida (The Sleeping Indian Girl). Foto Flatau. [6]
Our trips to El Valle in 1938 were with my mother's cousin Julia and her husband Charles Joiner. These were weekend excursions lodging at the Hotel Valle (later known as Hotel El Greco) owned by Vicente and Nieves Greco. This facility consisted of a rectangular cinder block building with a concrete floor and a tin roof without a ceiling. Inside the partitions were wood with a hall down the center all the way to the back door and small rooms on each side. The partitions were only eight feet tall, making privacy an unknown amenity. Each room was equipped with one unscreened window, that could be closed at night with a single wooden shutter; two small beds; a night table with a wash basin and a pitcher of water, and a kerosene lamp. The bath and laundry rooms were the Anton River flowing by while two outhouses served the other hygienic needs. A screened porch in the back of the hotel was the dining room. My guess is that the building had about eight guest rooms. These weekend trips were purely for the enjoyment of the place and, with the luxury of a car, we were able to reconnoiter many locations in the basin. I am sure my parents' minds were already beginning to plan for the future as they looked the place over. 1939: Year Of Exploration In January 1939, we went to El Valle for one month renting a room in the main house of the Javier and Juanita Hidalgo family compound. As seen in the drawing, this compound consisted of the main house, a kitchen, a little store, a one-room building and an outhouse. All were made of clay with dirt floors and tin or straw roofs. We were given the front room in the main house, which also had the luxury of a porch with concrete floor, but the disadvantage of facing north and the full force of the wind which came through every crack in the door and window. In those days the wind blew almost constantly in varying force, evidenced by the shape of the trees, and I witnessed roofs blown off on two occasions. The Compound and "El Chorrito" This compound was located on the left side of the road right after crossing the first creek, the Capirita, into El Valle. This same creek then turned and flowed behind the houses. El Valle was still fairly primitive and we had to bring our own canvass cots and much of the food we would consume while [7]
Juana provided the cooking and served our meals out on the porch. Our bathing and laundry were done across the creek up a little trail leading to a small stream flowing right out of the La Huaca mountain. A long piece of pipe brought the water to shoulder height so we could "shower", and a small pond under it, with big rocks, facilitated the washing of clothes. My father built a bench and a lean-to screen with logs and leafy branches for our convenience and protection from the cold wind. We called this place "El Chorrito". Left: La Cuesta, me at the hair-pin curve and on the road itself with natives coming down to El Valle to sell their produce. (1939) Pedestrian bridge and the Telegraph-Telephone Office. (1939) On top of El Pastoreo with my mother. Notice the view of El Valle. (1939) Since we did not own a car, we had to walk to anyplace we wanted to go. And walk we did visiting Las Mozas, El Pastoreo, the general stores of Masuk and Abraham Ali (El Arabe del Valle), up the deep forested hills behind the Cerro Pastoreo where we could buy delicious bananas, yuca, ñame and oto from La Niña Lola and her sister who lived up the mountain all by themselves and cultivated their own [8]
food. The trail to their place followed a creek into the mountain until arriving at a large rubber tree. Here we would leave the main trail and take the steep trail up to La Niña Lola and her isolated "farm". The rubber tree provided an interesting distraction for a 7-year old. We would tap into the tree and make a small channel, collecting about three ounces of the white sticky sap into a small container. Back home we would spread it into a piece of wax paper and allow it to dry for several days at the end of which I could roll it into a small ball (more like a small lump). We also walked to La Compañia to get "raspadura" and visit Encarnacion and his family, old friends of my parents from their first visit to El Valle in 1928. Mireille and me at the Encarnacion home at La Compañia and the Encarnacion family with him on the right. My parents had befriended this family on their first visit to El Valle in 1928. (1939) This is at the home of Masu, a girl that worked for one of our family members. These are her siblings. The location is up in the hills by the one known as El Leon (The Lion). Notice El Valle behind us. (1939) When not exploring, I would play in the creek behind the compound with the Hidalgo boys Beto and Tito. I was 7 and they were about a year and two older than me. I would take my shoes off, roll up my pants and, with a "motete" (straw woven basket) we would go fishing in the Capirita Creek. Once in the water, we would walk upstream placing the motete in the deeper water and scaring the little sardines into it. In this manner we would go up stream quite a ways before heading back. I never thought about snakes, which were prevalent in the area, so it is my guess that being with the local kids gave me a sense of security. Once we did make a haul worth cooking consisting of a "barbudo" (catfish) about 4 inches long, three sardines 2 inches long and a shrimp 3 inches long. We took our "catch" to Juanita who cooked it for us and we found it delicious. Only years later did I think about the fact that there was nothing large enough to gut so she cooked them whole and we ate the whole things. [9]
Another pastime was riding horses which we also rented from the Hidalgos. One was an old horse, not very big, named "Chaflan" for a Mexican movie comedian of the time and the other was an even smaller horse, but younger and frisky. I never liked riding much as, watching where the horses would run made me feel as if they were going to trip any minute. They did not have horseshoes, so rather than walk or run on the tosca covered road, they would do so on the turf next to the road. Then, when we would cross a stream, they would stop to drink and their head would totally disappear making me sure that the old saddle was going to break and plunge me into the river. And one time, while on Chaflan, the cinch did break and I fell to the ground saddle and all. Of course, if while riding you happened to point the animal anywhere close to the direction of its home, off it would go and nothing you did would stop that horse until it got to its stall. This was the first vacation that I really remember at El Valle and it was a wonderful time. It does not look by much, but this was the little horse frisckier than "Chaflan". On top of El Pastoreo and by a river in the forest. (1939 1940: We Commit The year of 1940 was significant. That year we returned to El Valle, not only to spend a month of vacation, but also with my parents set on the possibility of purchasing a place where they could build a little house so we would not have to rent. Their love for El Valle had been rekindled that much. Again, we rented from the Hidalgos, but this time they let us have one of the little houses (#5 in drawing) so that we could have more privacy. My parents studied and considered several locations and finally settled on a piece of land on the right hand side of the road just before crossing the Capirita Creek. The creek ran around the back and became a source of construction material such as sand and rocks of all sizes. They bought the property from Saba Villegas for $100, $10 down and $10 a month for nine months. The lot was a complete jungle so my parents had only been able to study the property from the road and the creek, thus the first order of battle was to clear some trails through the property to see what they actually had. This was done by hacking a trail on the east boundary from the road all the way to the creek in back. Then they hacked two trails from the original trail at 90 degrees straight to [10]
Capirita Area of El Valle. KEY: A- Celerier house; B- Pedro Gonzalez house; C- Floyd Baldwin house; D- Fred Humbert lot; E- David Azcarraga house; F- Julio Coronado house; H- Javier Hidalgo compound; J- Carrillo house; K- Abandoned truck skeleton where I played many times; L- William & Mary Harrison and son Charles Harrison houses; M- Hotel Valle (Hotel Del Greco); N- Juana's bakery; P- Lum's Hotel (now Campestre); R- French Ambassador's house; S- Conte house; T- Vallarino house; U- La Niña Lola house; V- Square trees. Having cleared the place for the house we made the foundation in a couple of days using rocks and sand from the Capirita Creek in the back. My father took these photos of Jose, me, my mother and Julio working. Mireille was in school in the Canal Zone and her summer vacation did not correspond with ours. (1940) the west and then cleared the land in between the two trails. Once they knew the layout of the land, they selected a building site and began construction of the house while continuing to clear the land. It was a busy month and we all worked on the project. A local young man, trained in the art of masonry and carpentry, had a crude block-making machine so we hired him to make blocks and build the house. His name was Julio Coronado and he, and his wife Vicenta and small son "Chichi", were related to the Hidalgo family. We poured the foundations and were soon erecting walls from sunrise to sundown so by the time we ended that summer vacation we had quite a bit done. From then on Julio was left in charge to continue the work as materials became available and we would come by as often as possible to check the progress and pay Julio and Jose Espinosa. Jose was a young man that came to work for us in 1941 and remained with us until my parents sold the house in 1959. He lived on the southern side of La Silla [11]
mountain, a long distance, but would always arrive shortly after sunrise. He helped Julio with the construction of the house and helped us clear the land until by 1948, it was all grassy and garden-like and which maintained in perfect trim. Working at a frantic pace from sunrise to sunset, we had the walls up in another few days. In the lower lefthand side photo you can tell how much has been doen in a few hours by the color of the fresh mortar. Meanwhile we had been clearing the land also. (1940) The basic needs allowed us to move in. (1941) Fortunately, my parents had purchased most the lumber required to make the first basic 30-foot by 24- foot house, because the war broke out and thereafter supplies were almost impossible to get. Nevertheless, by 1941 we had the basic building in which we could stay. That accomplished, our week- [12]
end trips to El Valle became more frequent and more enjoyable. Several family members chipped in by donating some items needed and we acquired much second hand or left over materials, such as some fixtures and tile for the flooring. Little by little we added the bathroom, then the kitchen, followed by partitions in the main building a dining area and finally a front porch 1941 through 1958 Once our house was completed were able to enjoy the valley with other members of the family and gatherings of the clan were frequent. Those were great days. One year, Jose made a dam across the Capirita Creek behind the property using limbs, rock and sand. The resulting pool, as seen in the photo, was shoulder deep at its deepest point... shoulder deep to a 10-year old. We had a great time that vacation. The creek was always a place were we spent long hours playing and the addition of the dam that summer made the creek almost a full time fun place. Our house became a wonderland where my cousins and I had many fun hours. They included Luis Carlos, Mary Lea, Toti, Frank, Chipi, Dickie, Cecilita, Marcela, Yvonne and Betilla. As time went by, my cousin Pedro Gonzalez and his wife Nimia bought the property next door and built a house, followed by my aunt Leita and her husband Floyd Baldwin, who bought the lot next to Pedro and built a house. Then my uncle David Azcarraga and his wife Ada bought the lot across the road from us and built a house. By 1945 we had a real family compound. We would hike, swim, ride horses, play games, sing at night, eat delicious local foods and enjoy Juana's fresh baked break in the afternoons. Our partially finished house. It has a bathroom a kitchen and front porch. On the left we can see Pedro's little 1932 Ford wagon with Isabel Azcarraga by the fence looking at Pedro's newly acquired property. On the right Mary Lea. me and Toti with Pedro and his wife Nimia in our front porch. (1943-44) The valley continued to be a beautiful, cool and enticing place for many years. In 1951 I went off to college and the frequency of my visits dwindled down considerably. I left Panama looking for work in November 1955 and expected a long stay away. However, Uncle Sam asked me to join him for a couple of years and, in June 1957, I found myself back in Panama with a home base at Fort Clayton (but living at home). As soon as I could, I had my new wife, Etheleen, join me there and I also had my car shipped down, at my expense because a mere private does not qualify for any help. Having the car proved to be a bonanza because we could now go to El Valle anytime we wanted to. For some 15 months we took advantage of every moment we wanted to enjoy the good life at El Valle. It would be the last time I [13]
would enjoy our house there. In 1959, shortly after Etheleen and I, with our new two-month old son Glenn, returned to the States at the end of September 1958, my parents sold the house because it had become almost impossible to find means of transportation there. Our porch now has a wall: L-R: My mother with Roberto Azcarraga, Alfredo Andrion and Mireille; Mary Lea and Nimia in front. Right Photo: L-R, Alfredo and wife America (my aunt), Chipi, my mother, Cecilita and Marcela Azcarraga with mother and father Cecilia and Roberto(my uncle), my aunt Maria Teresa and daughter Graciela. (1944) The year we dammed the creek: Mireille, Nimia and Mary Lea. On one of our hikes we rest on the bridge over the Anton River next to the French Ambassador's house: Mireille. Mary Lea, me and Toti.(1944) On same hike on top of El Pastoreo: L-R. Mireille, Toti. me and my father. On the top, my father, me, Toti and Mary Lea(David "Toti" was Mary Lea's younger brother). (1944) [14]
Views from El Pastoreo(1944) Toti with my dog Jasper by a spring in front of our house. Me, Mary Lea and Toti on steps to spring and Mary Lea, me and Toti playing in the creek. (1945) L-R: The house of my cousin Pedro, the mountains behind our houses, the house of my aunt Leita.(1946) Techy Tejeira and me. L-R: Cuchungo Tejeira,?, Mary Lea, Joan Ferro, me,?, Betilla Azcarraga and Nimia Gonzalez. In front lying down are Frank Azcarraga and Techi Tejeira. (1946) [15]
More family gatherings in front of our house. On right photo are (L-R) aunt Leita, Alfredo (husband of aunt America) and my father.(1946-1947) L: Aide and my sister Mireille on top of Cerro La Huaca in front of our house. Hotel Del Greco and the houses of William and Charles Harrison can barely be seen on left edge of photo. Our hose would be a bit past the right edge of photo. R: Mary Lea, Betilla, grandmother "Mami" and Mireille in front of our house. (1947-48) L-R: Me with my father and mother. Ken Garrison by house and me in front yard. (1953) [16]
Left: Angela Azcarraga, me and Etheleen (Sept. 1957) Right: My father and mother with Etheleen, Glenn and me. (April 1958) Traveling To El Valle Traveling remained a problem until 1957-58. We traveled by all means available: chiva, station wagon, friends cars, panel trucks and trucks packed as sardines. The situation would be aggravated in the rainy season especially going up the winding hill leaving El Valle. The tosca road surface would become slippery and the overloaded vehicles would just spin their wheels. Many times it would be necessary to get out and walk up the last steep hill (called La Cuesta) while the grown up men helped push the vehicle up the hill. To add to our woes, owner of a big chiva we used many times, Ernesto Sanchez, was not very considerate of his passengers. Since he was from Chorrera and his mother still lived there, it was not uncommon for him to stop at her house to lunch and visit while we sat, packed tightly, for an hour or so. Trips in his chiva could take up to 7 hours and there were neither pit stops nor much wiggle room. May be that is the reason why in my old age I have developed claustrophobia. While the house was under construction, we made many trips under these circumstances leaving home at noon Saturday and arriving at dark only to return Sunday after lunch and arriving home at dark. Those were not pleasant weekends, but they were necessary to keep the work going. In 1957-58, I had my car there, as mentioned above, and we enjoyed the freedom of going when we wanted. After 1958 I saw El Valle again in February 1974, in February 1984 and in March 2005. In 1974, Etheleen, Glenn, my daughter Annette and I went to Panama for a visit. We made a week-end trip to El Valle staying at my cousin Pedro's house. In 1984, while my son was stationed at Howard Air Force Base as a lieutenant base engineer, I went for a 10 day visit and that included visits to El Valle. Glenn and I went for a week-end and stayed at my cousin's Cesar "Pachi" and Shirley DeSedas' house. Then, at the end of my Panama visit I returned for three more days with my cousin Floyd Baldwin and stayed at my cousin Luis Carlos and Rosita Azcarraga's house as I wanted to climb El Gaital one more time. It was a great moment full of memories of the time I climbed it with my father back in 1946. I visited one more time the much [17]
remodeled old homestead and choked up as I recalled those wonderful fun-filled years we had spent there with the large family gatherings and playing with my cousins David "Toti", Luis Carlos, Mary Lea, and Frank. Going to La Silla to meet Jose Espinoza. Right: Dimas, son of Jose, Jose, me and my son Glenn. (Feb. 1984) Left: Looking towards El Valle from La Silla, Right: Climbing El Gaital. Emilio and me.(feb. 1984) L-R: Dimas and Emilio. Half way up. Almost at the top in the clouds. Me and Dimas on the summit and in the clouds. (February 1984) [18]
My last climb of El Gaital. The first time was in 1946 at age 14, with my father and Julio Coronado. I went back to Panama for 18 days in March 2005 and visited El Valle for three days again and for the last time. It was now greatly commercialized with heavy traffic, lots of motorcycles and cars, full of buildings and people. The climate was definitely warmer and only the last night I spent there was there a cool breeze coming down from El Gaital. I actually has a big electric fan running at night and I was still warm. But the memories remain as long as there is life in this old body. El Valle was an extraordinarily exceptional place. El Valle from Cerro de La Cruz at midafternoon with El Gaital looming in the horizon. The ghosts of my youth roam the hills surrounding El Valle. (March 2005) [19]
SOURCES 1. Gary Barrelier, letter, December 2014. 2. Historia del Valle de Anton, por Father Jose Noto, 1985 3. All other information is based on personal recollections 4. All photos, except where noted, are from my personal collection. Selected Memories. In early 1943 I spent about three weeks in El Valle with my mother and my cousin Luis Carlos Azcarraga. My father stayed in the city because my sister was going to American schools which had a different vacation time, but would come with her on the weekends. This vacation was a memorable one because we were 11 and 12 years old and allowed to do some exploring on our own with machetes. Also an older relative, Manuelito, was spending a short vacation next door in Pedro' house and he would take us on longer excursions. We found some vines up in the mountain and he cut them for us in a manner that we could swing out over the precipice and back. Now I try not to think what would have happened if the vines had broken. We also spent hours playing in the sandy creek with my toy soldiers, the last time I would play with such toys. It was a wonderful summer. I remember El Maestro Noboth Smart, a fellow teacher of my father at the Artes y Oficios School who used his talents as a shop teacher to install the first electric lights in his house using a windmill and batteries as the source of power. I was fascinated by the assortment of large batteries and the special windmill he had designed and built. In 1953 we went to El Valle a couple of times with Ken Garrison who worked that summer with me at the 15th Naval District. On one occasion we went hiking up stream of what is now called El Macho Waterfall. We parked by the road and then hiked following the creek to the waterfall. Then we climbed the face of the waterfall getting wet in the process. At one point, halfway up the fall, I found myself slipping on the moss covered rocks with no place to go. Ken reached over and gripped my hand and helped me get out of that spot. I had never felt so in danger before or since. Walking on the trail to the region where the French Ambassador had a house we came upon a large cluster of yellow flowers. Mary Lea, who was then about 13 or 14, ran towards then shouting, "Oh, look at the daisies!", only to find herself confronted with a large coiled snake which also thought the flowers were a nice place to take nap. I have never seen anyone jump back so fast, while the snake crawled slowly into the woods. While in El Valle in 1948 someone discovered a waterfall with a nice swimming hole under it. It was located in an area below La Margaritas. So we all piled up in all available cars and drove to the place. Leaving the cars on the road, we had to walk for about a mile over some grass covered hills. Being dry season, the grass was very dry. For some reason, my uncle David thought it would be a good prank to set the grass on fire. It was not long before the kids, Mary Lea, Toti, Frank and me, who were walking separately from the adults, found ourselves chased by fire. Running from it we found ourselves blocked by a steep and deep cliff. Turning around, we optioned to run through the flames to safety. At the time we did not know how such a fire could have started and had been surprised and puzzled. Then David confessed and caught h--- from all the other adults. But we never made it to the falls. Instead we all went back to El Valle. Rolando Martini and his wife Lina were friends in El Valle whom we met through my uncle Francisco "Kico" Azcarraga and his wife Berta. Sra. Martini, as we knew her, always stayed with Berta, even after Kico's death, when she visited the city of Panama. They were Italians who had resettled in El Valle with dreams of a chicken and egg business in the mid area of the valley. Their optimism had been so high that they had started construction of a large house made of concrete blocks. They had finished all the [20]
outer walls and the partitions, but they ran out of money and they never put up windows or doors, yet they lived in the place along with the chickens which ran free but had specific places in which to lay their eggs. They were hard working people but never seemed to be able to get ahead. Their place was off the main road in what we called the Central part of the valley near the Ali and Masuk general stores and we used to walk there to buy eggs from them. Before the war, Sr. Martini was very pro-mussolini and he and my father would carry on lively conversations. When the war began, he showed his disapproval of the Fascists and Nazis by avoiding the subject of Mussolini. Little by little the Martini couple faded away from our lives and I do not know whatever became of those fine people for whom fortune never seemed to smile but yet seemed happy in El Valle. Louie Celerier Longview, Texas January, 2015 "Los Nances". The Celerier residence in El Valle, 1941-1959 [21]