Birthplace of Montana

Fort Benton was founded in 1846 as the premier Blackfoot fur post, but its existence has always been linked to the Missouri River. Fort Benton became the river's head of navigation just in time for the fold rush when the first steamboat arrived in 1860. Prospectors rush upriver. Along with some of the miners, the steamboat captain, merchants, saloon keepers, and teamsters struck it rich. When the placers ran their course, a new market opened in the Canadian North, establishing a permanent presence in the 1880s' new commercial center. There were brick buildings, families, schools, and churches. Until the railroad arrived, river trade and mercantile business thrived.

Cattle and sheep kept the town going until the turn of the century. The homestead boom of the 1920s brought a flood of people to claim the free land, and Fort Benton was the heart of Montana's richest wheat growing region for the next five decades. As the millennium begins, the vibrant community is confident that its rich history and beautiful treasure in the Wild and Scenic Upper Missouri will carry Fort Benton into the future as Montana's Birthplace.

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Address: P.O. Box 262Fort Benton, Montana 59442 USA
Phone: 406-622-5316
Website: http://fortbentonmuseums.com/product/birthplace-of-montana-a-history-of-fort-benton/