Gay's Lion Farm #11

Lions-11, a photo by bucklesw1 on Flickr. At its peak, Gay's Lion Farm reportedly had more than 200 adult lions. During World War II, rationing made it impossible for the Farm to get the ton of horsemeat it required daily and it closed in late 1942. (Most of its lions were loaned out to zoos around the country.) By the time the war ended in 1945, Charles Gay was in poor health and the Farm never reopened. Part of the site where the Farm once stood is now occupied by an Interstate 10 overpass. At one time, a life-size bronze lion statue marked the Farm’s location. An even larger lion statue from the Farm now stands in front of nearby El Monte High School, which had renamed its athletic teams “Lions” in honor of the Farm