Original Line Station: Empire

Empire was a town located in the center of the Culebra Cut (Gaillard Cut). Its history dates back to the time of the Spanish conquest, as it was a rest stop for horses and mules along the Gorgona trail, which connected to the Cruces trail a little further north. Later, with the construction of the railroad, the settlement became a well-organized town with political authorities. During the years of the French Canal construction, it was the location where the first excavations began in 1882.

At that time, the Universal Company of the Interoceanic Canal equipped the town with repair workshops for steam-operated equipment. Once the United States took over the construction of the Panama Canal, Empire was turned into the headquarters of the engineering division, where even the Chief Engineer, Colonel David du Bose Gaillard (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers), had his residence. At the peak of construction, the town had nearly eight thousand inhabitants.

By 1913, the works on the Culebra Cut had been completed, and its residents began to be relocated. Those who were part of the Canal company were transferred to newly formed towns such as Balboa, La Boca, Pedro Miguel, or Paraíso. Meanwhile, the native population was moved to an already existing town then known as Paja, which was later renamed Nuevo Emperador. This coincided with the relocation of the Panama Railroad line, and the area became virtually disconnected from the rest of the country by land.

Despite the relocation of its population, Empire was left with only abandoned buildings. These were not demolished immediately and were used by military companies until the early 1920s, when they were finally destroyed, and the area was repurposed as a training ground and shooting range. Today, in the exact location where Empire once stood, there is a lighthouse called Empire Reach, on the western bank of the Canal, across from the offices of the National Border Service.