the wandering chick
...Fort Benton
the Gateway to the Northwest
Welcome to Fort Benton sign

Fort Benton is proudly Montana's oldest continuously inhabited settlement. It owes a lot to the Missouri River, on which the town is located, having been a hot spot for transportation of goods to places as far away as Idaho, Washington and Alberta, Canada.

From a tourist's viewpoint, it was pure delight strolling the main street of Fort Benton, along side the river. The town has set up fact boards with information and pictures that bring to life both the good and bad, the lawful and the awful, of the town in its hey days in the mid- to late-1800s.

Grand Union Hotel
The Grand Union Hotel was established in 1882. It was the finest night's sleep between the Twin Cities and Seattle.
Grand Union Hotel
fact board
fact board
Fort Benton today
Sign of Shep's Vigil
Shep the dog statue
The Grand Union Hotel on the river
The Walking Bridge
The town's bridge was completed in 1888 and remained open until 1963. Closed to traffic, the town now calls it The Walking Bridge.
Lewis and Clark monument
A monument to Lewis and Clark with translator Sacagawea stands in Fort Benton on the bank of the Missouri River.
scenic overlook of the Missouri River outside Fort Benton
A scenic overlook offers this view of the Missouri River out the outskirts of Fort Benton, on Route 87 toward Great Falls.

Click a link below to see more Montana photos.

Around the Billings area

Around the Great Falls area

Bighorn Canyon and Little Bighorn Battlefield

Glacier National Park

Montana's backroads

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