Edwin Cawston, English adventurer and world traveler, was one of the first to realize there was big money to be made ostrich farming in America. With nearby Pasadena winter tourism at an all-time high, he set a goal to attract large numbers of visitors to his extraordinary local attraction.
The ostrich feather “plume” is the basis of all products sold by mail order and at retail stores in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, and New York. Ostrich plumes were attached to hats and sewn into long flowing boas and hand-held fans.
The Cawston Ostrich Farm offered high-quality feather fashion to consumers at factory-direct prices. Mail orders were so plentiful Cawston once said his South Pasadena farm received more mail during the holiday than Santa at the North Pole.
Cawston feather products came with an unconditional one year guarantee. To emphasize the superior quality of his plumes, Cawston often referred to the many medals awarded to the South Pasadena farm.
Throwback Thursday is written and produced by Rick Thomas
