The Norwegian engineer and graduate of the Royal College of Dresden, Germany, Toleff Bache Mönniche, came to Panama to participate in the design and construction of the Panama Canal locks’ emergency hatches and the gigantic docks in Colon at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1911 he traveled to the highlands of Chiriqui. He was looking for a place with clean, fresh air to rest and recover from his fourth attack of malaria contracted in the hot and humid lands of the Panama Canal. After sailing seven days in a little vapor boat along the Pacific shore and riding a horse uphill for many hours, he arrived in a unique spot: Finca Lerida, nestled alongside the lively skirts of Volcan Baru and the high ridges of the Central Range.