Alligator Farms 33 Astounding Vintage Photographs

These surreal photos of alligator farms from the early 20th century capture the heyday of this bizarre trend that swept across the United States.

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1 of 34Alligator pen. Florida. 1948.State Library & Archives of Florida 2 of 34A man pets an alligator. Florida. Date unspecified. State Library & Archives of Florida 3 of 34Woman playacting with alligators. Florida. 1946.State Library & Archives of Florida 4 of 34Alligator going down a slide. Location and date unspecified.Wikimedia Commons 5 of 34Photograph of a uniformed man “tickling” an alligator at the Los Angeles Alligator Farm. Circa 1900.Wikimedia Commons 6 of 34Alligator climbing stairway to sliding board at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. 1948.State Library & Archives of Florida 7 of 34Alligator farm guide Jim Moulton poses with an alligator for spectators at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. 1980.State Library & Archives of Florida 8 of 34An alligator farm guide poses with an alligator for spectators at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. Date unspecified.State Library & Archives of Florida 9 of 34An alligator named Big Bertha is fed a hunk of beef at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. 1948.State Library & Archives of Florida 10 of 34A baby plays with young alligators at an alligator farm (possibly Los Angeles). Circa 1900.Wikimedia Commons 11 of 34People feeding fish to alligators at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. 1949.State Library & Archives of Florida 12 of 34Alligator farm guide Jim Moulton rubbing the belly of an alligator at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. 1980.State Library & Archives of Florida 13 of 34Alligator farm guide posing with an alligator for spectators at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. Date unspecified.State Library & Archives of Florida 14 of 34St. Augustine Alligator Farm. Date unspecified.State Library & Archives of Florida 15 of 34St. Augustine Alligator Farm. 1948.State Library & Archives of Florida 16 of 34A man “hypnotizing” an alligator on an alligator farm (possibly in Los Angeles). Circa 1900.Wikimedia Commons 17 of 34Jim Moulton rubs the belly of an alligator at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. 1980.State Library & Archives of Florida 18 of 34Jim Moulton poses with an alligator for spectators at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. 1980.State Library & Archives of Florida 19 of 34W. I. Drysdale and F. Charles Usina, co-owners of the St. Augstine Alligator Farm. 1948.State Library & Archives of Florida 20 of 34Florida. Date unspecified. State Library & Archives of Florida 21 of 34Alligators sunning themselves at the Saint Augustine Alligator Farm. Date unspecified.State Library & Archives of Florida 22 of 34St. Augustine Alligator Farm. 1948.State Library & Archives of Florida 23 of 34St. Augustine Alligator Farm. 1972.State Library & Archives of Florida 24 of 34Employees with alligators at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. Date unspecified.State Library & Archives of Florida 25 of 34An alligator farm guide opens an alligator’s maw at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. 1963.State Library & Archives of Florida 26 of 34An alligator farm guide opens an alligator’s maw at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. 1963.State Library & Archives of Florida 27 of 34An alligator in its pen at feeding time at an alligator farm (possibly Los Angeles). Circa 1900.State Library & Archives of Florida 28 of 34Alligator farm guide shows an alligator to a family. Florida. Date unspecified.State Library & Archives of Florida 29 of 34Jim Moulton displays a baby alligator at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. 1980State Library & Archives of Florida 30 of 34An incubator on an alligator farm (possibly California Alligator Farm). Circa 1900. Wikimedia Commons 31 of 34Baby alligators at the Gatorland theme park. Florida. 1985.State Library & Archives of Florida 32 of 34People observe alligators at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. 1980.State Library & Archives of Florida 33 of 34A woman tosses food to alligators. Homosassa Springs, Florida. Date unspecified.State Library & Archives of Florida 34 of 34Like this gallery?Share it:

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33 Unbelievable Vintage Photos From The Heyday Of Alligator Farms View Gallery

Back in the days when there was no internet, our ancestors found numerous ways to stay entertained. Some of these ways were much, much weirder than others.

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1 of 34Alligator pen. Florida. 1948.State Library & Archives of Florida

2 of 34A man pets an alligator. Florida. Date unspecified. State Library & Archives of Florida

3 of 34Woman playacting with alligators. Florida. 1946.State Library & Archives of Florida

4 of 34Alligator going down a slide. Location and date unspecified.Wikimedia Commons

5 of 34Photograph of a uniformed man “tickling” an alligator at the Los Angeles Alligator Farm. Circa 1900.Wikimedia Commons

6 of 34Alligator climbing stairway to sliding board at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. 1948.State Library & Archives of Florida

7 of 34Alligator farm guide Jim Moulton poses with an alligator for spectators at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. 1980.State Library & Archives of Florida

8 of 34An alligator farm guide poses with an alligator for spectators at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. Date unspecified.State Library & Archives of Florida

9 of 34An alligator named Big Bertha is fed a hunk of beef at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. 1948.State Library & Archives of Florida

10 of 34A baby plays with young alligators at an alligator farm (possibly Los Angeles). Circa 1900.Wikimedia Commons

11 of 34People feeding fish to alligators at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. 1949.State Library & Archives of Florida

12 of 34Alligator farm guide Jim Moulton rubbing the belly of an alligator at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. 1980.State Library & Archives of Florida

13 of 34Alligator farm guide posing with an alligator for spectators at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. Date unspecified.State Library & Archives of Florida

14 of 34St. Augustine Alligator Farm. Date unspecified.State Library & Archives of Florida

15 of 34St. Augustine Alligator Farm. 1948.State Library & Archives of Florida

16 of 34A man “hypnotizing” an alligator on an alligator farm (possibly in Los Angeles). Circa 1900.Wikimedia Commons

17 of 34Jim Moulton rubs the belly of an alligator at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. 1980.State Library & Archives of Florida

18 of 34Jim Moulton poses with an alligator for spectators at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. 1980.State Library & Archives of Florida

19 of 34W. I. Drysdale and F. Charles Usina, co-owners of the St. Augstine Alligator Farm. 1948.State Library & Archives of Florida

20 of 34Florida. Date unspecified. State Library & Archives of Florida

21 of 34Alligators sunning themselves at the Saint Augustine Alligator Farm. Date unspecified.State Library & Archives of Florida

22 of 34St. Augustine Alligator Farm. 1948.State Library & Archives of Florida

23 of 34St. Augustine Alligator Farm. 1972.State Library & Archives of Florida

24 of 34Employees with alligators at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. Date unspecified.State Library & Archives of Florida

25 of 34An alligator farm guide opens an alligator’s maw at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. 1963.State Library & Archives of Florida

26 of 34An alligator farm guide opens an alligator’s maw at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. 1963.State Library & Archives of Florida

27 of 34An alligator in its pen at feeding time at an alligator farm (possibly Los Angeles). Circa 1900.State Library & Archives of Florida

28 of 34Alligator farm guide shows an alligator to a family. Florida. Date unspecified.State Library & Archives of Florida

29 of 34Jim Moulton displays a baby alligator at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. 1980State Library & Archives of Florida

30 of 34An incubator on an alligator farm (possibly California Alligator Farm). Circa 1900. Wikimedia Commons

31 of 34Baby alligators at the Gatorland theme park. Florida. 1985.State Library & Archives of Florida

32 of 34People observe alligators at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. 1980.State Library & Archives of Florida

33 of 34A woman tosses food to alligators. Homosassa Springs, Florida. Date unspecified.State Library & Archives of Florida

34 of 34Like this gallery?Share it:

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33 Unbelievable Vintage Photos From The Heyday Of Alligator Farms View Gallery

33 Unbelievable Vintage Photos From The Heyday Of Alligator Farms

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Take alligator farms, for example. Crowds would gather at these huge tourist attractions to watch alligators be fed with live chickens and to hold baby gators in their own hands.

Such entertainment largely started with the first alligator farm to open in the United States, Florida’s St. Augustine Alligator Farm, which first opened its doors in 1893. Not long after opening, this farm became a must-see attraction for tourists and locals alike.

Naturally, news of this curious, albeit very popular, farm spread all over the country and men with entrepreneurial talent were soon opening up their own alligator farms.

Two such crafty men who saw great opportunity in alligator farms were Francis Earnest and Joe “Alligator” Campbell. The pair soon opened up the Los Angeles Alligator Farm, which proved extremely popular — perhaps due to the fact that one could ride a saddled alligator around the farm or the fact that the farm was also home to a gift shop that sold alligator skin shoes, wallets, and other consumer goods.

However, those that lived near the Los Angeles Alligator Farm were less than thrilled to have these creatures as their neighbors. The alligators’ nocturnal screeches were a nuisance but the noise was nothing compared to finding an alligator in your backyard after a rainstorm flooded the nearby reservoir and spilled into the farm, giving the gators a chance to escape. As a result, in 1954, the farm moved further from residential neighborhoods to Buena Park, California.

However, the farm’s popularity dropped and it was closed down in 1984. In the ensuing decades, many alligator farms have faced allegations of animal abuse and incurred the wrath of activists who are infuriated at the thousands of alligators killed each year in order to make luxury items.

Nevertheless, the St. Augustine Alligator Farm is still in business today and is now home to venomous snakes, ostriches, and other animals as well. Nowadays, however, the farm is nowhere near as fun as it used to be — provided that riding around on a saddled alligator is your idea of fun.

Next, why not check out other entertainment options that were available to our ancestors, such as vintage circus and freak shows.

These surreal photos of alligator farms from the early 20th century capture the heyday of this bizarre trend that swept across the United States.#

These surreal photos of alligator farms from the early 20th century capture the heyday of this bizarre trend that swept across the United States.