Monkey Island

Monkey Island. Roger Williams Park. , In the early days of Roger Williams Park many animals, like monkeys, were located in habitats throughout the park's landscape. During the warm months you would see the agile members of Monkey Island feasting on peanuts and popcorn thrown to them by their adoring populace. The island was home to Sooty Mangabeys and was a leading feature of entertainment in the park at the time., Today, primates are housed in multiple exhibits throughout Roger Williams Park Zoo where they are given indoor and outdoor access and a prime opportunity for guests to observe their natural behaviors., The laser-cut, mechanical monkeys hanging out on Monkey Island now, were designed and developed in collaboration with The Steel Yard and are funded by the Providence Parks Department and the Roger Williams Park Conservancy., Did you know? , Of all the animals kept at Roger Williams Park, the monkeys staged the most escapes. They would sometimes be spotted in random places in the park and throughout the city., [Captions:] , Clockwise from upper left, postcards from the 1900s showed off one of the most popular attractions at Roger Williams Park. A photograph of the Monkey Island. A 1936 map of Roger Williams Park; note the highlighted area showing "Floral Island," the original location of Monkey Island. , Information and photos courtesy of the Roger Williams Park Museum of Natural History archives, RWP Conservancy, RWP Zoo, the National Register of Historic Places, Providence Journal, and "The Jewel of Providence" by David Marshall.