Cawston Ostrich Farm

Illustration of an ostrich's head on a white background.  Blue text in lower left-hand corner.

The Cawston Ostrich Farm is America's first ostrich farm and was located in South Pasadena, California. It opened in 1886 by Edwin Cawston after Cawston moved fifty ostriches from South Africa to Galveston, Texas. Once in Galveston, the ostriches were placed on a train and sent to California. Only eighteen ostriches survived the journey, but eventually the number of ostriches raised to over 100 while on the farm. The Farm became a tourist attraction for people visiting Los Angeles. Visitors had the opportunity to ride on the backs of ostriches, take ostrich drawn carriage rides, and buy hats, capes, and boas made out of ostrich feathers. The Farm closed in 1935.