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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)19361998
- 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
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)