Mojah the Cheetah at Africa USA.

Africa USA was an African wildlife tourist attraction that was open from 1953 until 1961. The park was located in Boca Raton, Florida on 300 acres of land near U.S. 1. Africa USA was truly a theme park before its time, with animals allowed to roam free. Even though Animal Kingdom in Disney World was hailed as a new concept, the idea had existed some 45 years prior in South Florida. Walt Disney was a frequent visitor to Africa USA and considered purchasing it. In fact, Africa USA was chosen over Disneyland to grace the cover of the August 1, 1960 issue of LIFE Magazine. World map showing location of Africa A satellite composite image of Africa Africa is the worlds second_largest continent in both area and population, after Asia. ... 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1953 calendar). ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... Boca Raton is a city located in Palm Beach County, Florida. ... Official language(s) English Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Area  Ranked 22nd  - Total 65,794 sq mi (170,451 km²)  - Width 162 miles (260 km)  - Length 497 miles (800 km)  - % water 17. ... Theme Park is a simulation computer game designed by Bullfrog Productions, released in 1994, in which the player designs and operates an amusement park. ... See Animal. ... Cinderella Castle, at the center of the Magic Kingdom, is Walt Disney World Resorts most recognizable icon Introduction Owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company, the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, USA is home to four theme parks, three water parks, several resort hotels and golf courses... Location of metropolitan area in the state of Florida Major cities Miami, Florida Fort Lauderdale, Florida West Palm Beach, Florida Area  - Total  - Water 15,896 km² (6,137 mi²) 2,621 km² (1,011 mi²) 16. ... For the company founded by Disney, see The Walt Disney Company. ... Disneyland Park, which used to be simply referenced as Disneyland from 1955-1998, and has always unofficialy been called Walt Disneys Magic Kingdom, is a theme park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, USA, 28 miles from Downtown Los Angeles, and is owned and operated by The Walt... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... A cover of Life Magazine from 1911 Life has been the name of two notable magazines published in the United States. ...

Africa USA - The Beginning

Africa USA was built by John P. Pedersen. A true Florida entrepreneur, Pedersen always dreamed of building a wild animal park in Florida, together with his wife Lillian and children Jack and Shirley. Official language(s) English Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Area  Ranked 22nd  - Total 65,794 sq mi (170,451 km²)  - Width 162 miles (260 km)  - Length 497 miles (800 km)  - % water 17. ... Official language(s) English Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Area  Ranked 22nd  - Total 65,794 sq mi (170,451 km²)  - Width 162 miles (260 km)  - Length 497 miles (800 km)  - % water 17. ...

In the 1950's, Pedersen made his dream reality. As Jack and mother Lillian were driving in Boca Raton, Florida they came across some grasslands dotted with pine trees and sabal palmetto that looked like an African savannah. Pedersen looked at the land and the tiny town of Boca Raton and commented "This is the deadest town I have ever seen. I am going to wake up this town." Pedersen purchased the 300 acres in 1950 from the City of Boca Raton and Palm Beach County Commission. Boca Raton is a city located in Palm Beach County, Florida. ... Official language(s) English Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Area  Ranked 22nd  - Total 65,794 sq mi (170,451 km²)  - Width 162 miles (260 km)  - Length 497 miles (800 km)  - % water 17. ... This article deals with the tree; for the e-mail client see Pine email client Species About 115. ... Binomial name Sabal palmetto (Walt. ... A savanna or savannah is a grassland dotted with trees, and occurs in several types of biomes. ... Boca Raton is a city located in Palm Beach County, Florida. ... This article is about the unit of measure known as the acre. ... 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Boca Raton is a city located in Palm Beach County, Florida. ... Location of county in the state of Florida County Seat West Palm Beach, Florida Area  - Total  - Water 6,181 km² (2,386 mi²) 1,068 km² (412 mi²) 17. ...

Safari in Africa

Capturing a zebra in Kenya.

Jack Pedersen flew to British East Africa to begin the process of animal collection. Working with Dr. Cecil Cade and his son Richard, Jack spent seven months in Africa collecting rare Grevy's zebra, ostrich, cranes, wildebeest, zebra, and gazelle. Special permission was granted to capture the Grevy's zebra as they are almost extinct in the wild. Jack endured many illnesses while in Africa including malaria and tick fever. The animals were loaded onto the African Planet steam ship as a modern day "Noah's Ark." The ship left the port of Mombassa and sailed nine weeks across the Atlantic to Port Everglades, Florida. British East Africa was a British protectorate in East Africa, covering generally the area of present-day Kenya and lasting from 1890 to 1920, when it became the colony of Kenya. ... Africa is the worlds second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia. ... Binomial name Equus grevyi Oustalet, 1882 The Grevys Zebra (Equus grevyi), sometimes known as the Imperial Zebra is a species of zebra. ... Binomial name Struthio camelus Linnaeus, 1758 The ostrich (Struthio camelus) is a flightless bird native to Africa. ... A crane can be any of the following things: A crane is a piece of industrial machinery used for working on tall buildings or for lifting containers onto and off of ships in port. ... Species Connochaetes taurinus Connochaetes gnou Connochaetes taurinus cooksoni Connochaetes taurinus albojubatus Connochaetes taurinus johnstoni The wildebeest, also called gnu (pronounced or ), is a large hooved (ungulate) mammal of the genus Connochaetes, which includes two species, both native to Africa: the Black Wildebeest (), and the Blue & White-bearded Wildebeest or Blue... Species Equus zebra Equus quagga Equus hartmannae Equus grevyi Zebras (members of the horse family), are native to central and southern Africa. ... Species Several, see text A gazelle is an antelope of the genus Gazella. ... Binomial name Equus grevyi Oustalet, 1882 The Grevys Zebra (Equus grevyi), sometimes known as the Imperial Zebra is a species of zebra. ... Africa is the worlds second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia. ... Malaria (Medieval Italian: mala aria — bad air) and formerly called ague or marsh fever in English, is an infectious disease which causes about 350–500 million infections in humans and approximately 1. ... A painting by the American Edward Hicks (1780–1849), showing the animals boarding Noahs Ark two by two. ... Mombasa is the second largest city in Kenya. ... The Atlantic Ocean is Earths second-largest ocean, covering approximately one_fifth of its surface. ... Port Everglades, in Broward County, Florida, is one of the United Statess top container ports with more than 5,400 ships at call in a year, a major petroleum storage and distribution hub, and a United States Navy liberty port. ... Official language(s) English Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Area  Ranked 22nd  - Total 65,794 sq mi (170,451 km²)  - Width 162 miles (260 km)  - Length 497 miles (800 km)  - % water 17. ...

Florida Senator George Smathers was instrumental in getting permission for the animals to arrive at Port Everglades. It was the largest shipment of animals ever to leave Africa aboard one ship. The crates that held the ostrich had to be constantly rebuilt to allow for the fast-growing creatures. The unloading of the animals was quite a media event and the animals were transported to their new home in Boca Raton. A senate is a deliberative body, often the upper house or chamber of a legislature. ... George Smathers George Armistead Smathers (born November 14, 1913) is an American lawyer and politician who represented Florida in the United States Senate for eighteen years, from 1951 until 1969, as a member of the Democratic Party. ... Port Everglades, in Broward County, Florida, is one of the United Statess top container ports with more than 5,400 ships at call in a year, a major petroleum storage and distribution hub, and a United States Navy liberty port. ... Africa is the worlds second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia. ... Binomial name Struthio camelus Linnaeus, 1758 The ostrich (Struthio camelus) is a flightless bird native to Africa. ... Boca Raton is a city located in Palm Beach County, Florida. ...

Africa USA Opens to the Public

Sign at the entrance to Africa USA.

On March 10, 1953 Africa USA opened its doors to the public. The admission to the gardens areas was free, and the Jungle Train Tour was 95 cents. Many major newspapers did full-page write-ups because of the uniqueness of the park - a zoo with no cages where the visitors could safely interact with the animals. Many animals were added by purchasing animals from other zoos such as camels, elephants and giraffe. The herds began to grow as the animals adapted to the South Florida climate. 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1953 calendar). ... Giraffes in Sydneys Taronga Zoo Free monkeys islands at the São Paulo Zoo Panda enclosure at Chiang Mai Zoo Visitors feeding and petting tamed marmots at the Parc Animalier des Pyrenées Sea lions at the Melbourne Zoo For other uses of the term Zoo, see Zoo... For other uses, see Camel (disambiguation). ... Genera and Species Loxodonta Loxodonta cyclotis Loxodonta africana Elephas Elephas maximus Proboscidea is an order including only one extant family, Elephantidae or the elephants, with three species: the Savannah Elephant and Forest Elephant (which were collectively known as the African Elephant), and the Asian Elephant (formerly known as the Indian... Binomial name Giraffa camelopardalis Linnaeus, 1758 The giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all land-living animal species. ... Location of metropolitan area in the state of Florida Major cities Miami, Florida Fort Lauderdale, Florida West Palm Beach, Florida Area  - Total  - Water 15,896 km² (6,137 mi²) 2,621 km² (1,011 mi²) 16. ...

Africa USA Celebrities

Many animals were very popular at Africa USA. The cheetahs Mojah and Mbili, the giraffes Moneybags and Champ, but above all Princess Margaret. Margaret was a baby chimpanzee adopted by the Pedersen family and raised in their home like a child. Margaret was most famous for kissing people. Pedersen trained her to do this by first having her kiss picture in magazines. She appeared many times on the Jack Paar show. She learned her cue - "Kiss the pretty lady" and Margaret would kiss the women first. During the day, Margaret had her own "house" in the Africa USA administration building. Another famous celebrity who got her start at Africa USA was the pinup queen Bettie Page. Her most famous photo shoot with the cheetahs Mojah and Mbili is idolized even today. Binomial name Acinonyx jubatus (Schreber, 1775) The Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is an atypical member of the cat family (Felidae) that hunts by speed rather than by stealth or pack tactics. ... Binomial name Giraffa camelopardalis Linnaeus, 1758 The Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) is an even-toed ungulate mammal and the tallest of all land living animal species. ... Type Species Simia troglodytes Blumenbach, 1775 Species Pan troglodytes Pan paniscus Chimpanzee, often shortened to chimp, is the common name for the two extant species in the genus Pan. ... Jacques Harold Paar (May 1, 1918 – January 27, 2004) was an American radio and television talk show host. ... Bettie Mae Page (born April 22, 1923), sometimes known as Bettie Page, was an American model and pin-up girl, active mostly in the 1950s. ... Binomial name Acinonyx jubatus (Schreber, 1775) The Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is an atypical member of the cat family (Felidae) that hunts by speed rather than by stealth or pack tactics. ...

Princess Margaret.

The Closing of Africa USA

As the 1950s continued. Africa USA became more and more popular as a tourist attraction with 300,000 visitors a year. John Pedersen had succeeded, perhaps too well, on putting Boca Raton on the map. Housing developments such as Boca Isles began to spring up around the Africa USA property. Many residents complained about the noise and traffic to which Africa USA contributed. Africa USA was sold and closed its doors on September 4, 1961. The animals were auctioned to zoos around the country. Pedersen was 65 years old at the time and tired of fighting city hall. The Africa USA era had come to an end. The Pedersens retired to Lake Worth. Lillian Pedersen died in 1984 but John Pedersen reached the age of 98. The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... Boca Raton is a city located in Palm Beach County, Florida. ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... Lake Worth is the name of several places in the United States: Lake Worth, a city in Florida Lake Worth, a lake in Florida Lake Worth in Texas This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Africa USA Today

The property that was Africa USA is now the Camino Gardens development. Much of the lagoon is intact with the geyser base still visible. A plaque celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Africa USA opening is displayed at the lagoon in the Camino Gardens development. Clepsydra Geyser in Yellowstone A geyser is a type of hot spring that erupts periodically, ejecting a column of hot water and steam into the air. ... This mid bay barrier in Narrabeen, a suburb of Sydney (Australia), has blocked what used to be a bay to form a lagoon. ...

Africa USA Plaque.

External links

• Africa USA Website
• Boca Raton Historical Society
• City of Boca Raton History