in Animals

That California Used to Have a Crazy Alligator Park??

Photograph of a man leading an alligator via leash at an alligator farm (possibly the California Alligator Farm, Los Angeles), ca.1900. The man stands several feet away from the alligator, keeping the leash taut. The man and alligator appear to be in a courtyard filled with small trees. In the background a walkway cuts the distance between the trees and the buildings behind them.

by andrew 08.14.2015, 10:35

Long ago, there was an alligator farm in California that contained more than 1,000 alligators. It was opened by Francis Earned and Alligator Joe Campbell in 1907. At that time, it was very popular. In fact, people would pay $0.25 just to get into the park.

In California Alligator Farm, there were lots of things people could do with alligators. They could feed them and pet them. Some kids even rode on them. Basically, the reason the park was built was to let people interact with these giant reptiles.

In 1984, the attraction was shut down. It was because the number of visitors dropped to below 50,000 a year. However, all the remaining animals were relocated to a private estate somewhere in Florida.

Here are some photos that prove the California Alligator Farm was once a major tourist attraction: