The park’s entrance was at Camino Real, about where the gates to Camino Gardens stand today.
All that is left is an asphalt pathway and the geyser base in the lake.
In the 1950s, people paid $1.25 to see herds of African gazelle, zebra,
giraffe and camels roam in Boca Raton.
Shirley Schneider, the founder’s daughter, takes
cheetahs Mojah and Mbili for a stroll.
An employee wears an authentic costume purchased in Africa.
Photos provided by Ginger L. Pedersen
By Ginger L. Pedersen
Boca Raton. The mere mention of the city’s name brings to mind high-end shopping, expensive homes and luxury cars. But to me, it evokes thoughts of giraffes, elephants and an old Jeep.
Back in 1951, when my grandfather, John P. Pedersen, purchased 300 acres in Boca Raton and created Africa USA, an African animal theme park, it was a tiny town known only for its Addison Mizner-built hotel and its all-but-abandoned Army air base.
Now, 55 years after the park’s closing, the story of how Pedersen created Africa USA remains as improbable as it is interesting.
The city was happy to sell the land, which it had taken back from Mizner decades before for unpaid taxes. But the plan my grandfather had for the land was one that no one could fathom: convert the pine and palmetto flatwoods to an African savannah, complete with herds of gazelle, zebra, giraffe and camels to re-create Africa right in Boca Raton.
Quite a fantasy for a country boy from Wisconsin. Pedersen, his wife, Lillian, and their two children, Jack Pedersen and Shirley Schneider, transformed the land through dredging lakes and planting thousands of exotic plants to create a fantasy land that included Florida’s largest waterfall and a geyser.
My father, Jack, flew to Africa and took part in safaris or purchased animals from preserves. The animals were loaded onto the freighter African Planet, which docked in Port Everglades to large crowds.
Africa USA opened for business in March 1953. The park’s entrance was at Camino Real, about where the gates to Camino Gardens stand today. Tourists paid the $1.25 admission to take a boat ride through the lagoon around Monkey Island, or ride aboard an open-air tram pulled by a Jeep. They were among the roaming African herds — no windows or screens between the guests and the animals.
African-American employees wore costumes my father purchased in Africa. One of the men was a former Japanese prisoner of war and spoke Japanese to the unsuspecting tourists, who thought it was Swahili. Sadly, none of those artifacts were preserved.
“Princess Margaret” was one of Africa USA’s most popular personalities. She was a trained chimpanzee who lived with my grandparents and was raised as if she were human. She loved to wear frilly dresses, ride her bicycle and mingle with the tourists. She ate in local restaurants, perched in her high chair just like a toddler.
The Pedersens also had dogs and cats; a tiny Chihuahua named Chico and two cheetahs named Mojah and Mbili. They were raised as cubs in Africa and starred in the feature film Quo Vadis. The two “cats” would sit in the front seat of my father’s convertible and tool around town to the turning heads of passing motorists.
As the 1950s came to a close, little Boca Raton was growing up. New housing developments began to surround the park, and many complained of the noise and traffic the park brought. In 1961, my grandfather sold the land to developers, and the animals were sent to zoos around the country, including Busch Gardens in Tampa, where many of the zebra descendants roam today.
Today Camino Gardens stands on the footprint of Africa USA. A crumbling asphalt pathway around the lagoon and the geyser base in the lake are the only physical remnants of the attraction.
For my aunt, Shirley Schneider, who turned 90 in February, the park still evokes fond memories. She loved meeting celebrities such as talk show host Jack Paar and character actors Dody Goodman and Hans Conried.
Shirley and I tell the story of Africa USA to community groups through stories, film, souvenirs, postcards and photos of an old-time Florida.
My favorite souvenir is a small teacup and saucer, rescued from a yard sale at a great-aunt’s house in Wisconsin. These small relics help tell a story of old-time Florida and its roadside attractions, a time long lost to concrete, asphalt and condominiums.
Ginger L. Pedersen lives in Boynton Beach and is an administrator at Palm Beach State College. She has written and edited several books on Florida history, including Pioneering Palm Beach: The Deweys and the South Florida Frontier and Legendary Locals of West Palm Beach. She maintains a history blog at www.palmbeachpast.org.
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