Cawston Ostrich Farm
Encyclopedia
Cawston Ostrich Farm, located in South Pasadena, California
, was opened in 1886 by Edwin Cawston. It was America
's first ostrich
farm and was located in the Arroyo Seco
Valley just three miles (5 km) north of downtown Los Angeles
and occupied nine acre
s.
to Galveston, Texas
. From there, the ostriches endured a treacherous train journey to South Pasadena, California. Out of the original fifty, only eighteen survived. Cawston bounced back from the loss of over half of his stock and the Ostrich Farm eventually boasted over 100 ostriches from the original batch.
line that came through from downtown Los Angeles
brought many tourists to visit the farm through the earlier part of the 20th century. Guests were able to ride on the backs of ostriches, be taken for ostrich drawn carriage rides and buy ostrich feathered hats, boas, capes and fans at the Ostrich Farm store that was connected to the factory. The ostrich farm feather products were shipped and sold throughout the world.
Most of the original brick structure of the factory and store remains today and is South Pasadena Cultural Landmark #18.
South Pasadena, California
South Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 25,619, up from 24,292 at the 2000 census. It is located in in the West San Gabriel Valley...
, was opened in 1886 by Edwin Cawston. It was America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
's first ostrich
Ostrich
The Ostrich is one or two species of large flightless birds native to Africa, the only living member of the genus Struthio. Some analyses indicate that the Somali Ostrich may be better considered a full species apart from the Common Ostrich, but most taxonomists consider it to be a...
farm and was located in the Arroyo Seco
Arroyo Seco
The Arroyo Seco, meaning "dry stream" in Spanish, is a seasonal river, canyon, watershed, and cultural area in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The Arroyo Seco has been called the most celebrated canyon in Southern California.-River course:...
Valley just three miles (5 km) north of downtown Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and occupied nine acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
s.
Founding
In 1885 Edwin Cawston charted a ship to take fifty of some of the best obtainable ostriches in the world from South AfricaSouth Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
to Galveston, Texas
Galveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
. From there, the ostriches endured a treacherous train journey to South Pasadena, California. Out of the original fifty, only eighteen survived. Cawston bounced back from the loss of over half of his stock and the Ostrich Farm eventually boasted over 100 ostriches from the original batch.
Tourism
The Cawston Ostrich Farm became a premier tourist attraction for many years. Its proximity to the trolleyTram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
line that came through from downtown Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
brought many tourists to visit the farm through the earlier part of the 20th century. Guests were able to ride on the backs of ostriches, be taken for ostrich drawn carriage rides and buy ostrich feathered hats, boas, capes and fans at the Ostrich Farm store that was connected to the factory. The ostrich farm feather products were shipped and sold throughout the world.
Most of the original brick structure of the factory and store remains today and is South Pasadena Cultural Landmark #18.