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On the banks of the Missouri
River, in the city park, stands a square bastion and fragments of the walls of
old Fort Benton. The
ruins of this old American Fur Company post forms one of the points of greatest
historic interest
to be found between the Mississippi River and the Pacific coast.
Established in 1846 when work on the foundations began, the Fort
opened for trading the spring of 1847. Like
all the other trading posts of this region, Fort Benton was built
in a quadrangle. It
was over 150 feet square exclusive of the 20-foot square two story
bastions. Portholes in the bastion walls for both cannon and riflemen
commanded a shooting range on all four sides of the fort.
An adobe wall fourteen feet high connected all the
buildings and enclosed the quadrangle. By 1865 the fur trade
was dead and the American Fur Company sold the fort to the
military, ending its control of the Upper Missouri. The fort had already begun to crumble when the military
finally occupied it in 1869.
In 1875 the military abandoned the fort and for the next
few years private families occupied its buildings.
Finally abandoned by all but the rats in 1881, the
buildings continued to deteriorate and gradually collapsed.
By 1900 only the crumbling northeast bastion remained of the most
important fur post during the final years of the fur and robe
trade. In 1908 the
Daughters of the American Revolution with donated funds and $1500
received from the Montana Legislature took it upon themselves to
rescue this last remaining structure.
The oldest building in Montana is still standing today
because of their efforts.
The original North East Bastion or
Blockhouse has been restored and is open for viewing on an appointment
basis. The Fort is currently being reconstructed.
The Trade Store, Warehouse and Blacksmith - Carpenters shop have been
reconstructed
and exhibits and displays are now in place.
Tours
daily from May 23rd through September 28, 2008
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Monday through
Saturday
Tours are at 10:30
AM and 1:30 PM.
Sunday Tours are at 1:30
PM.
An admission fee
is charged.
Payment of the admission
fee entitles you to the guided tour of Historic Old Fort Benton, and
entry at the Museum of the Northern Great Plains, the Museum
of the Upper Missouri and the Upper Missouri River Breaks
Interpretive Center.
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