Panama hat mountain range. Hat weaving and wearing grew steadily in Ecuador through the 17th and 18th centuries. In 1835, Manuel Alfaro, a man who in many ways can be considered the grandfather of the Panama hat, arrived in Montecristi to make his name and fortune in Panama hats. He set up a Panama hat business with his main objective being exportation. Cargo ships from Guayaquil and Manta were filled with his merchandise and headed to the Gulf of Panama. His business prospered as more and more Gold Rush prospectors arrived and passed through Panama needing a hat for the sun. One
Adam Hats was the Adam Hats General Sales Manager. Abraham (Chippy) Levy was the Head Window Dresser in 1935. In the late 1940s, a successor to Levy was Irving Rubenstein. In the 1940s, the New York–based Adam Hats was a sponsor of radio broadcasts of boxing matches which were held at Madison Square Garden. The boxing matches were called by radio announcer Sam Taub. Adam Hats also sponsored a radio program, "The Strange Dr. Weird", on the Mutual Network from 1944 to 1945. Most of these programs, complete with the Adam Hats commercials, are archived. Adam Hats distributed a series of matchbook