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The
history of the West is a rich theme at Fort Benton. Known as the “Birthplace of Montana”, Fort Benton is a small town with a large heritage.
It lures history buffs, as well as canoeists wanting to
float the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument area.
Located along the Lewis & Clark trail and at the
westernmost navigable point along the Missouri, Fort Benton
gained fame as a robe trading post and inland steamboat port.
As the terminus for the 642-mile long Mullan Wagon Road,
which linked the Missouri with the Columbia River at Fort Walla
Walla, Fort Benton became a gateway to the west.
The
discovery of gold, in what was to become Montana and Idaho,
brought fortune hunters, outlaws, merchants, and madams to this
riverside town. For twenty five years Fort Benton was the hub
for freight handling for an area from Virginia City to The Great
Slave Lake and to Washington and Oregon.
The coming of the railroad years later signaled the end
of its boom era.
This
once-feisty outpost played such a vital role in the expansion of
the West. It is now a National Historic Landmark.
Not surprisingly, Fort Benton can boast Montana’s
oldest structure, an 1847 Blockhouse built during the fur and
robe trading era.
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