Panama hat miners of the California Gold Rush traveled to California via the Isthmus of Panama and Pacific Mail Steamship Company. In 1906 , U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt visited the construction site of the Panama Canal and was photographed wearing a Panama hat, which further increased the hats' popularity. Although the Panama hat continues to provide a livelihood for thousands of Ecuadorians, fewer than a dozen weavers capable of making the finest "Montecristi superfinos" remain. Production in Ecuador is dwindling, due to economic problems in Ecuador and competition from Chinese hat producers. The tamsui hat was a straw hat made in Formosa
Panama sheep Panama sheep The Panama is a breed of domestic sheep native to the United States. Though its name is identical to the country of Panama, the breed was in fact named for the Panama–Pacific International Exposition where it was shown early on in its history. Panama sheep originated in 1912 in Muldoon, Idaho. Today Panama sheep are rare - largely unknown outside Idaho and Montana, and are one of only a few breeds which were started by private individuals in the United States. They were developed by James Laidlaw, a Scottish immigrant to the region who was seeking a large