Source Material Relating to Tewkesbury’s trips to the Darien in 1939 and 1940 – Tewkesbury in publicity – controversial material

              e 0 P Y (made Nov. 13, 1941, from dbssier loaned by E. W. James)
Mr. E. W ... T&mes
Bureau of Public Roads,
Washington, D. C.
Dear Mr. James:
Hotel Martinique
Eroadw~ at 32d St. p
!~ew York C1 ty
. B-JIL- \
}rovemb~r 5. 1940
Yesterday I had a long talk with Mr. L. S. Ross , Director of Pan
American Highway autocades, regarding an article published in the Prul
American Highway ·System - Travel Division, Pan American Union.
The article states that no white man hal:l ever traveled beh'seE
Central and South America overland. This is wron~.
In 1937 I formed an expedition in Panama to cross the divide through
the CUlla Indian country. The party was made up of Mr. and~. James Moore.
Henry Dyer (Mrs. Moorets brother) and myself.
We left Panama, R.P. via Pearl Islands (Pacific side of Isthmus)
and to the Gulf of San Miguel- here we entered the Tuira River to El Real
de Santa Marfa. Darien Province.
Here I contacted Pablo Othan, Senator from the Darien Province,
and Othon got two dugouts and negroes to .take us to the village of
<P Boca. de Cupe.
From here (:Boca de CUpEn we took a smaller dugout because of rapids
and proceeded up the Tuira to the Pucro River and to the first Guna
Indian Village t Pucro by name. We were a little uneasy because of the
wild rumors we had heard of the Indians, however I had. had experience
with the same tribe on the upper reaches of the Chucunaque River.
We arrived at Pucro in the early afternoon and were invited to
stay in the Chief's house. (His name is Castilla.) The Chief was no"t
at home and did not arrive until the following late afternoon. I tried
to get packers to leave the following morning after arrival there~ , but
the Chief's sons~ daughters and wife would not help us to get the neces­sary
ten packers we needed. I found out later that the reason they
would not help us was because they wanted Castilla to see ·our white
woman (.AI ice Moore).
Castilla turned out to be very friendly and helpful; he got ten
packers for us. among them a Cuna woman who became attached to .Alice Moore.
He would not take any silver money - only a few presents, cloth and beads. etc.
We left Pucro after two days of rest for Paya. This is about 2~1/2
to 3 hours walking. However~ it took us all day. Our head guide took
us by way of Goya to show our Alice off to the \Yomen of his town. The going
WB-S fair, not too many hills between Pucro and Payat but one creek and
small river after another.
(James L. Price)
We spent five days in Pucro t delving into their religious and
every day mode of life. etc. The Indians here (Paya) seem to be more
shiftless and not helpful at all. They gave us a house to live in and
Ipdians by the dozens came from all directions to see our white woman.
1.1e did not realize how easy the going had be.en until we reached
Tubum mountain, .. We spe~t _,several days with ou:r; aoses a1.most::against
the mountain, climbing up and down. following the "hog back"of the
Tubum. We found thrown up maraca palm shelters every afternoon at the
end of a day's work - put there by the Indians.
At the top of Tubum mountain we cut away small trees to see to
both sides- here we saw the Atrato River flowing to the Atlantic and
the Tapalisa and Paya Rivers below us rambling over the rocks to the
Pacific or rather to the Tuira which flows into the Pacific.
On down to the Atrato we came upon a number of workmen building
thatched houses for some of the Panama and Colombia engineers, who
were at tha.t time working on the Panama-Colombia. Limit Commission (fix­ing
the Panama-Colombia Border).
The engineers were at Ungula. Colombia - a Just negro village about
10 miles from the Atrato River. we were told by the workmen. Vie finally
reached Arquia. a Cuna Indian village on the Colombian side. Rere we
met a Catholic priest &lld four sisters who live in this village (Arquia).
They seemed to be very poor. collecting chickens and other food from -
the Indians. The priest is house was very dirty and so was the priest •.
However, I had a long talk with him and obtained valuable information ..
from him regarding religion and. hab! ts of the Cunas. He had never been
over the divide.
After the most horrible night fighting mosquitos we left Arquia.
for the negro village of Unguia - here I asked for the chief eng;ip.eer
of the Panama border commi ssion. and was shown a house where th:!y' had
offices. I walked into the house and to my surprise saw one of my gest
Panameno friends. Dr. Jua.Yl Galindo. who is an engineer working now in
Panama Ci ty.
We spent one night in Unguia. Dr. Galindo gave us two boatmen and
we proceeded to the Atrato River to a place called Palo Blanco (and there
is a large white celba tree there and nothing else) through a canal that
was buil t about 50 years ago. It took us all da.v to reach the !~rato. a
distance of not more than 10 miles.
We arrived about 7 o'clock at night and boarded the motor yacht
I!DaboI'ah. II Here we spent seven dtVs - go.1ug to Sal.iktata and to the mouth
of the Rio Sucio where it flows into the Atrato. The lII)eborah", Capt.
Surgeon owner. brought us back to the Farnel~ mouth ~d here we boarded
a banana. boat owned bya Mr. Hamilton in Colon, Panama. We speDt four
days with 001. Luis Hernandez in Pox-venir Island. San IHas Islands, and
then ended our trip at Colon and Panama City.
(James L. Price)
.. 3 -
It is my belief that the proposed route Pan American Highway
should be moved over toward the Pacific after crossing the Tuira or
GhicoRi vel" in Darien. It seems that the road cbuldbe built much
cheaper through the Marea and Sambu valleys and over the divide and
down the Pacific slope of Colombia rather than through the Atrato
Valley which is one lagoon and s\'1amp after another.
I have just finished a book "Jungle Jimn. published by Doubleday
~ . .
Do:r;p. It will be on sale in January. I speak or write of our trip
through the Darien and over the divid.e.
My business now is escorting tours to out of the way places. This
past summer I,toOk some women school teachers as far 'Up as the Yapi
River in Darien Province. Panama. I am leaving December 28th with a
party to Honduras. Nicaragua and Guatemala. Pve lived in the tropics
off and on for t~e past 21 years.
There were quite a number of newspaper liwriteupsll about our trip
through.
It was kno',rm as a IIJungle Jim" expedition. "Jungle Jimll being wished
on me several years agoe
Rene Belbenoit, the Devil's Island escape, who wrote "Dry Guillotine !~
dld some smuggling over the divide from Panama to Unguia. but they
finally made it pretty hot for him and now he cant show his face in
Colombia.
If at any time I can be of any help to you, please call on me.
I believe that I know every trail from the N. coast of Honduras to
the Rio 5uc10 in Colombia.
! hope this will interest you and that I have not bored you.
Sincerely,
James L. (tlJungle Jim") Price
The Indians (Gunas) now call the tra.il over the divlde. Alicia Trail -
after the first and only white woman to ever cross over.