Besides the management of the Metropole market, Mr. Estribou devoted much time to the raising of cattle and alfalfa, for which purpose he bought and improved a ranch two miles southeast of town, and there he built and now maintains a slaughter-house. In addition to raising cattle on the ranch he buys elsewhere, for his trade is large and there is a constant demand for beef of the finest quality. It is said that few men in Kern county excel him in judging the best points of stock and he shows especial skill in selecting cattle capable of being developed into the best quality of beef. In 1912 he sold his retail market, but continued the wholesale beef business and then started the Estribou delicatessen, in the Metropole block, from which place he manages his wholesale business. It is equipped with a modern refrigeration plant.

From early life Mr. Estribou has made his own way in the world, but the necessity of self-support, instead of proving a detriment, developed in him qualities of frugality, self-reliance and thrift and proved the foundation of ultimate success. During childhood he lived in Basses Pyrenees, France, where he was born June 16, 1865, in the village of Ogeu. The second child in the family and the only one to attain mature years, he was only five when death deprived him of the loving care of his mother, Marie (Fayance) Estribou, and later his father, Paul, spent some years in Buenos Ayres, South America, engaging there in the stock business until his death. The breaking up of the home threw the boy upon the world at an age, when he should have been in school, but in spite of this handicap he has acquired by self-culture a broad knowledge of the world. In boyhood he served an apprenticeship to the trade of butcher. Coming to California in 1882 and arriving in San Francisco, he worked at the dairy industry on the bay and also found employment in a laundry, as well as in other lines of business. During 1893 he came to Kern county and two years later opened the Metropole market at East Bakersfield. Since then he has erected on Humboldt street a substantial brick residence, said to be one of the finest homes in the place. This beautiful home is presided over by his wife, whom he married in San Francisco and who was Miss Sophie Laborde, a native of Basses Pyrenees, France. Five children blessed their union and the three youngest, Paul, Alfred and Denise, still remain to brighten the home with their presence. The eldest, Mrs. Jeanette Bryan, is living in Bakersfield, and the second, Frank, a graduate of Heald’s Business College at San Jose, is now a bookkeeper in the First National Bank of Kern. Besides being a leading member of the Board of Trade, Mr. Estribou has allied himself with other movements for the business and material upbuilding of his chosen place of residence. In politics he votes with the Republican party. Fraternally he holds membership with the Eagles, Druids, Woodmen of the World and Improved Order of Red Men.

History of Kern County, California, with biographical sketches
of the leading men and women of the county who have been
identified with its growth and development from the early days
to the present.

Publisher: Los Angeles, Cal., Historic record company, 1914