ORANGE COUNTY ALMANAC : Ostriches Barred
The area now known as Lake Forest almost became the ostrich capital of the Western world.
In 1891, pioneer Dwight Whiting paid $6,000 for a flock of 162 of the flightless birds. He planned to relocate them to the El Toro area, but legal roadblocks occurred. Whiting finally decided to take his flock to England instead.
Source: “Stories of the Saddleback Valley” by Joe Osterman
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