In the late 19th century women's fashions decreed that a lady had to have an ostrich trimmed bonnet. Since ostriches are native to South Africa, clever farmers set up ostrich farms for the production of feathers.Because leander, the favorite food of the ostrich, grows easily in the Klein Karoo area around Oudtshoorn, it was natural that the ostrich farms sprouted up in that area. Hundreds of farms raising the huge bird popped up almost overnight. Millions of rands were made with feather trade and the new millionaires built opulent mansions that because the money to construct them came from the feather trade were called feather palaces..
When we arrived at the farm, I had no idea what a feather palace was. When the guide told us we were going to visit the feather palce, in my mind I pictured a fairy tale palace made of real feathers so the actual building, no matter how beautiful, was bound to be a big disappoint to me.
About the time of World War I the ostrich feather hat style fell by the wayside and the income from feathers dropped like lead. Overnight farmers struggled to find ways to make a living with their formerly prized ostriches since no one wanted feathers. Most of the farms were forced to close operations and the owners straggled out across the country in search of a new way to make a living.
Today only four of the farms are still in existance, and they make a living by attracting tourists to visit and by selling items made out of the feathers and skin of the ostrich.
We visited one of the four, and the one we visited was unique in that its feather palace was still standing. It also had a restaurant and the ubiuitous gift shop.
We had lunch at the Osrich Farm and the waittresses serrenaded us with a couple of local songs. The meal consisted of an appetizer of ostrich eggs and a main dish of ostrich steak. The meat is dark, like beef, but it has very little fat.
