The iconic Chiquita Banana Pier (Muelle) has been a focus of downtown Puerto Armuelles since 1936. Here is a photo when The pier was being used to load bananas for export (unknown date). Here is the pier today 2019….
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March 2019 marks the 65 year anniversary of Colegio San Antonio (San Antonio High School) in Puerto Armuelles. The school is a Private Catholic Education institution, founded by Father Jaime Gleason in 1954. The school is located next to the…
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In the summer of 1932, with savings of about $300, I went on vacation, flying to Panama City and taking a Company ship from Cristobal, via Kingston, Jamaica, where it loaded bananas, to New York. The ship was filled up…
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I missed the exciting life on the woodland farm but with the ‘untouched jungle’ so close to town I could still enjoy the pleasures of nature with weekend walks into the forest. Just looking out of a second-story window alone…
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Part 6: Move to Puerto Armuelles By this time Puerto Armuelles had become the division headquarters and, like all company towns, it included most of the amenities for a comfortable home and family life for the employees living there. The…
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Part 5: The Transition in 1929 Just as I was finishing the planting of Guacimo farm in late 1929 the railroad arrived in Esperanza and that was the end of the “good life” on a woodland Farm. ***If you missed…
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There are some great old photos of Puerto Armuelles in this video from 100% Porteños. Pictures from the old banana fincas, railroads, and many of the old buildings, some of which can still be seen around town. Enjoy a glimpse into Puerto’s…
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This post is contributed by Puerto resident, David Dell, after interviewing the Blair House manager of over 50 years, Fernando Carrera Rodriguez. I look forward to David being a regular contributor to our History section since he is an avid…
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If you missed the previous installments: Coming to Puerto Armuelles in 1928: Part 1 Coming to Puerto Armuelles in 1928: Part 2 Coming to Puerto Armuelles in 1928: Part 3 Part 4 – Esperanza But there came a time later…
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In part 3, Mark Trafton Jr. describes how the banana farms were started and a little more about daily life on the fincas, as well as the duties of the Woodland Overseer. If you missed the previous installments: Coming to…
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