The Gold Rush and the Panama Hat

The California Gold Rush began on 1848 when gold was discovered in California. By the beginning of 1849, word of the Gold Rush had spread around the world, and an overwhelming number of gold-seekers and merchants began to arrive from virtually every continent resulting in some 300,000 men, women, and children coming to California.

The largest group of forty-niners (as referenced in 1849) were Americans, arriving by the tens of thousands overland across the continent and along various sailing routes. Many came by way of the Isthmus of Panama, the easiest way in that time to reach California from the east. While passing through, they often bought straw hats on their way and spread the word about these fabulous Panama Hats in their destinations within California.

Gold seekers never knew that what they thought it was a Panama Hat was really a straw hat that was sold in Panama but that it was originally made in Ecuador. As a matter of fact, these straw hat should have been named Montecristi Hat because it is hand made by master weavers of a small town of Montecristi, in Ecuador.

Anyway, the Panama Hat gained popularity in California and in 1849, Ecuador exported 220,000 hats to California that protected gold seekers from the strong sun since in that time the gold was retrieved from streams and riverbeds using simple techniques, such as panning.

The effects of the Gold Rush were substantial. San Francisco grew from a small settlement to a boomtown, and roads, churches, schools and other towns were built throughout California. On the other hand, the greatest of all straw hats gained popularity within the USA as the Panama Hat. Still today, Panama Hats are more popular in California than any other state of the USA and most of the celebrities that wear them are Hollywood stars.

Where are the famous Panama Hats made?

This is a question that I've seen in the board game "Trivia Pursuit" and the famous TV show "Who wants to be a millionaire." The name obviously suggests that the Panama hat is made in Panama, but in reality this hat is exclusively produced in Ecuador. Panama Hats or Toquilla Straw Hats as they are also known have always been handcrafted by artisans from the towns of Montecristi on the coast of Manabi in Ecuador and use a very fine and thin straw called Toquilla Straw, which only grows in this region of the world.

The history of this hat name started when an Ecuadorean businessman named Manuel Alfaro who had his own plantations in Montecristi, decided in 1835 to hire several experienced weavers and build a hat business. His business prospered and when the Ecuadorian market got limited, he decided to extepand his business by exporting straw hats to Panama, since this country was becoming a major center for business. Shortly after he opening stores in Panama, he attracted the attention of many customers around the world that passed through Panama, which was already a major trading port.

Eloy Alfaro, son of Manuel Alfaro and later President of Ecuador took over the family and at the early 1900s, Ecuador was exporting thousands of hats to Panama, taking advantage that the Panama Canal was being built by many workers and American engineers who needed sun protection. The hat then was baptized by all foreigners in Panama as "Panama Hat" because it was linked to the country where it was bought. The popularity grew throughout the world when the world press published a photo of President Theodore Roosevelt using a Montecristi hat during his visit to the channel.

The truth is that since then on, this beautiful Ecuadorian Montecristi Hat it is now known as Panama Hat.

Wo gibt es die berühmten "Panama Hat" oder Panama-Hut?

Dies ist eine Frage, die ich in der berühmten Brettspiels gesehen haben "Trivia Pursuit" und der berühmten TV-Show "Wer wird Millionär". Der Name deutet offensichtlich, dass die von Panama Panama-Hut ist, aber in Wirklichkeit hat sich ausschließlich in Ecuador produziert. Panama Hut oder Strohhut, wie sie auch bekannt sind immer von Handwerkern aus den Städten Montecristi an der Küste von Manabi in Ecuador sind handgefertigt und sehr fein und dünn Stroh verwendet werden, Stroh Toquilla, der nur in diesem Region der Welt.

Die Geschichte des Namens gestartet, wenn ein Geschäftsmann ecuadorianischen Manuel Alfaro und die ihre eigenen Plantagen in Montecristi hatte, beschlossen im Jahr 1835 benannt, um mehrere erfahrene Weber mieten und ein Geschäft von Hüten zu bauen. Sein Geschäft florierte und sah, daß der ecuadorianischen Markt beschränkt war, erstreckt sich das Geschäft ausführenden Strohhüte in das Land Panama, da dieses Land eine wichtige Drehscheibe für Geschäfts wurde immer. Kurz nach der Eröffnung von Filialen in Panama, die die Aufmerksamkeit vieler Kunden auf der ganzen Welt, die durch Panama zu diesem Zeitpunkt bereits ein wichtiger Handelshafen übergeben angezogen.

Eloy Alfaro, der Sohn von Manuel Alfaro und später Präsident von Ecuador hat der Familienbetrieb seit den frühen 1900er Jahren war Ecuador ausführenden Tausende von Hüten nach Panama, nutzt er diesen Jahren war der Bau des Panama-Kanals und hatte viele Arbeiter und US-Ingenieure benötigt Sonnenschutz. Der Hut wurde dann von allen Ausländern in Panama als Getaufte "Panama Hat" oder Panama-Hut, weil sie verband es mit dem Land, wo Sie es gekauft haben. Die Popularität wuchs in der ganzen Welt, wenn die Weltpresse ein Foto von Präsident Theodore Roosevelt mit einer Montecristi Hut bei seinem Besuch in den Kanal.

Die Wahrheit ist, dass seitdem diese schöne Montecristi Hut sollte vielleicht so genannt haben, ist es nun, wie Panama-Hut bekannt

Où sont les fameux "Panama Hats" ou Chapeaux Panama?

C'est une question que j'ai vu dans le célèbre jeu de société "Trivial Pursuit" et la célèbre émission "Qui veut être millionnaire. Le nom suggère évidemment que le Panama est en provenance du Panama, mais en réalité ce chapeau est exclusivement produite en Équateur. Chapeaux Panama ou des chapeaux de paille car ils sont également connus ont toujours été faits à la main par des artisans des villes de Montecristi, sur la côte de Manabi en Equateur et l'utilisation d'une paille très fine et mince, appelé Toquilla Paille qui n'est que dans cette région du monde.

L'histoire de ce nom a commencé quand un homme d'affaires équatorien nommé Manuel Alfaro et qui avaient leurs propres plantations à Montecristi, a décidé en 1835 d'embaucher plusieurs tisserands expérimentés et à bâtir une entreprise de chapeaux. Son entreprise a prospéré et voyant que le marché équatorien a été limitée, en étendant son activité d'exportation des chapeaux de paille vers le pays de Panama, puisque ce pays devient une plaque tournante importante pour les entreprises. Peu après l'ouverture des magasins au Panama, qui a attiré l'attention de nombreux clients à travers le monde qui sont passés par le Panama à l'époque déjà un grand port de commerce.

Eloy Alfaro, fils de Manuel Alfaro et plus tard Président de l'Équateur, a pris la famille depuis le début des années 1900, l'Equateur exporte des milliers de Chapeaux de Panama, en profitant de ces années, il a été la construction du canal de Panama et avait de nombreux travailleurs et Les ingénieurs américains ont eu besoin de protection solaire. Le chapeau, puis a été baptisé par tous les étrangers au Panama comme "Panama Hat" ou de Chapeau Panama parce qu'il l'a lié au pays où vous l'avez acheté. La popularité a grandi à travers le monde lorsque la presse mondiale a publié une photo du président Theodore Roosevelt en utilisant un Chapeau Montecristi lors de sa visite à la chaîne.

La vérité est que depuis lors, ce beau Chapeau Montecristi peut-être aurait dû être appelé ainsi, il est maintenant connu sous le Chapeau de Panama.

Onde está feito o famoso "Panama Hat" ou chapéus Panamá?

Esta é uma pergunta que eu vi no The Game bordo famoso "Trivial Pursuit" e do famoso programa de TV "Quem quer ser milionário". O nome, obviamente, sugere que os Chapéus Panamá são do Panamá, mas na realidade esses chapéus são produzidos exclusivamente no Equador. Chapéus Panamá ou chapéus de palha que eles também são conhecidos têm sido sempre à mão por artesãos das cidades de Montecristi, na costa de Manabí, no Equador e usar uma palha muito fina e fina, chamada Palha Toquilla é somente neste região do mundo.

A história do nome começou quando um empresário equatoriano chamado Manuel Alfaro e que tiveram suas próprias plantações em Montecristi, decidida em 1835 para contratar vários artesãos experientes e construir um negócio de chapéus. Seu negócio prosperou e vendo que o mercado equatoriano foi limitada, estendendo a sua actividade através da exportação de chapéus de palha Panamá desde que o país estava se tornando um importante pólo de negócios. Logo após a abertura das lojas no Panamá, o que atraiu a atenção de muitos clientes ao redor do mundo que passaram pelo Panamá na época já um porto comercial importante.

Eloy Alfaro, filho de Manuel Alfaro e mais tarde presidente do Equador, assumiu o negócio da família desde 1900, o Equador estava exportando milhares de chapéus de Panamá, aproveitando esses anos ele estava construindo o Canal do Panamá e tinha muitos trabalhadores e engenheiros americanos proteção solar necessário. O chapéu, em seguida, foi batizado por todos os estrangeiros no Panamá, como o "Panama Hat" ou Chapéu Panamá, porque eles foram pensados para se originam a partir do local de compra. A popularidade cresceu em todo o mundo, quando a imprensa mundial publicou uma foto do presidente Theodore Roosevelt usando um chapéu Montecristi durante sua visita ao canal.

A verdade é que desde então este belo chapéu Montecristi talvez deveria ter sido chamado assim, é agora conhecida como Chapéu-Panamá.