Chan family Panama Cafe collection, circa 1936-1948, 1976-1998

Overview of the Collection

Title
Chan family Panama Cafe collection
Dates
circa 1936-1948, 1976-1998 (inclusive)
Quantity
.45 cubic feet (1 box and 1 oversize folder)
Collection Number
5515 (Accession No. 5515-001)
Summary
Collection of menus and papers pertaining to the Panama Cafe (Victoria, B.C.) and other restaurants in Canada during the World War II years
Repository
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu
Access Restrictions

Open to all users.

Languages
English, Chinese

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Chan Dun landed in Victoria, B.C., in the 1880s, making the Chan family one of the oldest Chinese families in the city. With the help of eight sons and four daughters, the Chans owned and operated several restaurants in Victoria, ending with the Panama Cafe. This western-style eatery on Government Street served the working class of the city through the depression and the war years. Despite several sons leaving for military service, the Panama Cafe remained in operation from around 1930 until 1967. In 1996, grandson Anthony B. Chan directed a documentary about the Panama Cafe called The Panama.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The Chan Family Panama Cafe Collection contains menus, papers and records pertaining to the Panama Cafe and other contemporary restaurants of Victoria and Vancouver, B.C. Menus include those of Chinese cafes, Canadian Pacific hotel restaurants such as The Empress, and the B.C. Coast Steamship "SS. Princess Maquinna" (circa 1936-1946). Pamphlets, newspaper issues, and fliers of the Wartime Prices and Trade Board provide information about food, labor, and price regulations in Canada during World War II (1938-1948). Also included are souvenir programs of the National Convention of Hoy Sun Association of Canada and papers of the Chin Wing Chun Tong Society of Canada (1976-1998).

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Alternative Forms Available

The collection includes three compact discs provided by the donor with scanned images of the menus.

Restrictions on Use

Creator's literary rights not transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

Arranged into three series:

  • Menus and pamphlets
  • Wartime papers
  • Chinese-Canadian association convention programs and papers

Acquisition Information

Source: Anthony B. Chan, 4/21/2007

Processing Note

Partially processed in 2008

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

 

Menus and pamphlets, circa 1936-1946Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
1/1
Breakfast menu
undated
1/2
Canton Tea Garden Cafe menu
undated
1/3
Central Cafe menu
undated
1/4
Hollywood Cafe (Vancouver, B.C.) menu
undated
1/5
Liberty Cafe menus
1935
1/6
Model Cafe menu
1934
1/7
New England Cafe menu
undated
1/8
O.K. Cafe menu
undated
1/9
On Lok Yuen Co. price list
undated
1/10
Panama Cafe menus and papers
1939-1946
1/11
Poodle Dog Cafe menu
undated
1/12
Province Cafe menu
1943
1/13
Hotel Strathcona Cafe menu
undated
1/14
Virginia Cafe menu
undated
1/15
Empress Hotel menus
1936-1938
1/16
Empress Hotel banquet menu
1938
1/17
Hotel Vancouver's "Spanish Grill" menu for SS. Princess Maquinna
undated
1/18
SS. Princess Maquinna menus
undated
1/19
Vancouver Island Hotels pamphlet
undated
1/26
Compact discs of digitized images of menus in this collection

Wartime papers, 1938-1948Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
1/20
Canadian wartime papers
1941-1942
1/21
Panama Cafe wartime papers
1939-1944
1/22
Panama Cafe financial records
1939-1948
folder:oversize
Folder
Army and Navy Times, Victoria, B.C.
May 31, 1940; June 14, 1940; January 27, 1941
Folder
The Labor Leader, Toronto, Canada
March 25, 1938
Folder
Wartime Prices and Trade Board Food Bulletin, Ottawa, Canada
April 15, 1943; April 26, 1943
Folder
Wartime Prices and Trade Board Retailer's Bulletin, Ottawa, Canada
October 19, 1942; December 8, 1942

Chinese-Canadian association convention programs and papers, 1976, 1989-1998Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
1/23
5th National Convention of Hoy Sun Association of Canada program
1989
1/24
6th National Convention of Hoy Sun Association of Canada progam
1992
1/25
Chin Wing Chun Tong Society of Canada papers
1976, 1998

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Personal Names

  • Chan, Dun

Corporate Names

  • Panama Cafe (Victoria, B.C.)

Family Names

  • Chan family

Geographical Names

  • Victoria (B.C.)

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Personal Papers/Corporate Records (University of Washington)