Benson's Wild Animal Farm

Benson's Wild Animal Farm was founded by John Benson in 1924 as an animal-training center in Hudson, New Hampshire. After opening to the public two years later, with animal exhibits and a miniature train, Benson's was expanded in the early 1930s to include a permanent Wild Animal Circus and a "Jungle Train" that ran from Boston to Hudson on Sundays. By the end of its time as a zoo, Benson's had a wide variety of animals, including trained lions, llamas, bears, elephants, monkeys, many species of birds, and, of course, Colossus the gorilla!