The United States assumed responsibility for completing a canal through the isthmus of Panama in 1904.
Earlier efforts by French companies had halted in 1889 due to the devastation of malaria.
The United States acquired the assets of the French syndicate under President Theodore Roosevelt.
https://history.state.gov/milestones/1899-1913/panama-canal
(The political negotiations around this effort, including the competing engineering assessments of Nicaragua, are a fascinating bit of US political lore.)
The Panama Canal was completed in 1914, and was acclaimed by Civil Engineers as one of the “Seven Wonders of Modern Engineering”.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama_Canal
Control of the Panama Canal and the Canal Zone was returned to Panama in 1979.
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Not long ago, we saw a postcard photograph of lovely cottages in the Panama Canal Zone:
“The Spanish Consul is Adorable” (1923)
That postcard was mailed by a traveler on a cruise ship to California.
Today’s postcard appears to have been collected by one who appreciated the delights of a Beer Garden in a warm climate.
The Atlas Beer Garden was a fixture of the Canal Zone, especially in the 1930’s and 1940’s.
From Google:
“Atlas beer was introduced following the creation of the Atlantic Brewing and Refrigerating Company (founded in July 1926 in Colón, Panama) by Jan Henry.
By the 1930s, major local breweries in Panama City established open-air beer gardens on the Pacific side of the area. The Atlas Beer Garden was affiliated with the Atlantic Brewing Company…”
During World War II, soldiers had a curfew of 11 PM and were faced other restrictions on visiting the Atlas establishment.
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On the postcard face, we see a vast parking lot surrounding a building reflecting architectural styles of Latin America.
A large red-tiled roof shades a patio with café tables.
Many other tables are available under bright umbrellas in open-air patios.
The structure has several floors, and may host indoor seating areas.
I could not spot the large statue of the mythological “Atlas” for whom the garden was named.
The postcard photograph was published by I. L. Maduro, Jr. who appears to operate a substantial store in Cathedral Square of Panama City.
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This postcard was not mailed; there are no personalities connected to it.
We cannot know if the postcard was obtained in Panama, or was purchased through the vast international trade in postcards.
Whatever the case, the advertisement for the Atlas Beer Garden was preserved in very good condition for a century.
