This farm, established in 1925, was located in El Monte and was considered a most unique tourist attraction. It covered 5 acres of ground and contained over 100,000 square feet of arenas and nine lion houses. It was a thrill to watch the lions bask in the sun amid beautiful trees, shrubs and flowers. Here, magnificent specimens of the King of Beasts were raised in large numbers to supply the increasing demands of motion picture studios, circuses and zoos in all parts of the world. One ton of fresh meat was fed to the lions daily, except Mondays. One of the main attractions at the farm was the large number of baby lions, some with their mothers, and others being fed by Mrs. Gay, who fed them with an ordinary nursing bottle. There were over 200 African lions on the farm. Mr. Gay conducted lectures every day for the visitors.
The farm closed in 1942 due to World War II and the shortage of fresh meat.
Please feel free to share, post, tweet and
Carol Libby and Karen Hou
spread the history!
Carol Libby & Karen Hou
Arcadia Historical Society