Diablo was one of many residential townships in the Panama Canal Zone. It was established in 1905 by William Luke Jenkins. It was one of the first townships to revert to Panamanian control after 1979 treaty. Moralist Panamanians attempted to rename the place "Altos de Jesus", but the name never really stuck. There had been an earlier attempt to change the name decades earlier, which also failed. History It was located directly across from the entrance to Albrook AFB, on a low hill overlooking the canal just past Balboa Harbor. Originally, Diablo Hill was much larger, but it was cut back to facilitate the relocation and rerouting of the Panama Railroad in the 1910s. It was reduced even further in the 1950s to accommodate new housing construction. In the late 1930s through early 1940s, Diablo was the headquarters for the 3rd locks project, it being located directly across the Canal from the Pacific side 3rd locks and approach excavation. The Engineering Division was headquartered here, and the Board of Local Inspectors (which investigated ship accidents) relocated here in the 1980s, using the old Diablo elementary school. The "Diablo Clubhouse" was a center for social activity, and included a cafeteria, vending machines, a movie theater, bowling alley, barber shop, beauty shop, seamstress, tailor, a store for Boy Scout and Girl Scout uniforms and supplies, and a number of other services. When the building reverted to Panamanian control on October 1, 1979, all those services were terminated. The building later housed one of the first Panamanian stores to set up shop in the former Canal Zone, a 24-hour convenience store aptly named "24 Horas", but the building remained for the most part vacant and neglected. In 1979, about half of the neighborhood became the property of the Republic of Panama, while the remainder continued to be held by the Panama Canal Commission (the new incarnation of the Panama Canal Company/government). Design The streets were named after engineers who built or worked on the canal including Alfred Nobel (and maybe a Canal Zone Governor or two). They were the finest quality concrete with perfectly formed curbs and sidewalks. There were many steep and long hills for skateboards, go-carts, and bicycles. Kids could be found sliding cardboard boxes down the steep grassy hillsides on a nice day. There were many fields of grass on which one would find kids playing football, rain or shine.