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Birthplace
of Montana
A History of Fort Benton
John G. Lepley
Soft Cover $17.95
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It
began in 1846 as the premier Blackfoot fur post, but Fort Benton's
existence has always been tied to the Missouri River. When the
first steamboat arrived in 1860, Fort Benton became the river's head
of navigation just in time for the fold rush. Gold seekers rush
upriver. Steamboat captain, merchants, saloon keepers and
teamsters struck in rich, along with some of the miners.
When the placers played out, new market opened in the
Canadian North establishing a permanency in the new commercial center
of the 1880's. Brick buildings, families, schools and churches
appeared. River trade and mercantile business flourished until
the coming of the railroad.
Cattle and sheep sustained the town until after the turn
of the century. In the 1920's the homestead boom brought a flood
of humanity to claim the free land, and for the next five decades Fort
Benton was the heart of the "Golden Triangle," Montana's
richest wheat growing region.
As it heads into the next millennium, the vibrant
community is confident that its rich history and its beautiful
treasure in the Wild and Scenic Upper Missouri will carry Fort Benton
into the future as the Birthplace of Montana.
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