Fort Benton, one of the oldest communities in Montana, is built at the head of navigation on the Missouri River. The town operated as a major trading post for the American Fur Co. between 1850 to the late 1880s and was the world’s innermost port.
Here supplies were unloaded and taken on freight wagons to gold camps in Helena, Virginia City, and other western locations within Montana. River rapids near Fort Benton prevented steamboats from going any further.
From 1860 to 1887, the town was known as "the toughest town in the West." Today it is the gateway for exploration of the Wild & Scenic Upper Missouri River.
The Grand Union Hotel, once the "finest hostelry between Seattle and the Twin Cities," was erected in 1882. This landmark hosted an array of guests who were stopping at the head of the Missouri, including Army officers, trappers, river captains, stockmen, missionaries and Indian agents. The hotel has been restored to its original grandeur for guests to enjoy today.
The lucrative trading diminished seemingly overnight when the Great Northern Railroad reached Helena in 1887. Ruins of the 250-foot square trading post and blockhouse still remain in the present-day tourist park; it is said that one wall on the back of the buildings was originally 32 feet thick. Many original buildings are still in use in Fort Benton.
Photo Gallery
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Bear Paw Battlefield 5 640x425
Bear Paw Battlefield 5 640x425
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Bear Paw Battlefield 6 640x425
Bear Paw Battlefield 6 640x425
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Bear Paw Battlefield 7 640x425
Bear Paw Battlefield 7 640x425
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Bear Paw Battlefield 8 640x425
Bear Paw Battlefield 8 640x425
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Bear Paw Battlefield 9 640x425
Bear Paw Battlefield 9 640x425
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Bear Paw Battlefield 10 640x425
Bear Paw Battlefield 10 640x425
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Bear Paw Battlefield 11 640x425
Bear Paw Battlefield 11 640x425
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Bear Paw Battlefield 12 640x425
Bear Paw Battlefield 12 640x425
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Bear Paw Battlefield 13 640x425
Bear Paw Battlefield 13 640x425
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Bear Paw Battlefield 14 640x425
Bear Paw Battlefield 14 640x425
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Bear Paw Battlefield 15 640x425
Bear Paw Battlefield 15 640x425
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Bear Paw Battlefield 16 640x425
Bear Paw Battlefield 16 640x425
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Bear Paw Battlefield 17 640x425
Bear Paw Battlefield 17 640x425
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Bear Paw Battlefield 18 640x425
Bear Paw Battlefield 18 640x425
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CMR Reserve 3 640x425
CMR Reserve 3 640x425
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Havre Undergound 7 640x446
Havre Undergound 7 640x446
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Havre Underground 1 640x447
Havre Underground 1 640x447
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Havre Underground 3 640x446
Havre Underground 3 640x446
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Havre Underground 4 640x446
Havre Underground 4 640x446
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Havre Underground 5 640x446
Havre Underground 5 640x446
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Havre Underground 6 640x451
Havre Underground 6 640x451
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Hill Statue Havre
Hill Statue Havre
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Lady of Lil Rockies 1 640x425
Lady of Lil Rockies 1 640x425
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Lady of Lil Rockies 2 640x425
Lady of Lil Rockies 2 640x425
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Lady of Lil Rockies 3
Lady of Lil Rockies 3
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Lady of Lil Rockies 4
Lady of Lil Rockies 4
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Lady of Lil Rockies 6
Lady of Lil Rockies 6
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Lady of Lil Rockies 7
Lady of Lil Rockies 7
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Lady of Lil Rockies 8
Lady of Lil Rockies 8
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Liberty County Museum 640x425
Liberty County Museum 640x425
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Little Rockies View 2 640x425
Little Rockies View 2 640x425
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Mission Canyon 1
Mission Canyon 1
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Missouri Breaks 1 640x480
Missouri Breaks 1 640x480
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Missouri Breaks 2
Missouri Breaks 2
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Missouri Breaks 3
Missouri Breaks 3
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Missouri Breaks 4
Missouri Breaks 4
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Missouri Breaks 5 640x480
Missouri Breaks 5 640x480
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Missouri Breaks 6 640x480
Missouri Breaks 6 640x480
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Missouri Breaks 7 640x480
Missouri Breaks 7 640x480
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Missouri Breaks 8 640x480
Missouri Breaks 8 640x480
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Missouri Breaks 9
Missouri Breaks 9
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Missouri Breaks 10
Missouri Breaks 10
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Missouri Breaks 11 640x480
Missouri Breaks 11 640x480
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Missouri Breaks 12
Missouri Breaks 12
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Missouri Breaks 13 640x480
Missouri Breaks 13 640x480
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Missouri Breaks 14
Missouri Breaks 14
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Missouri Breaks 15 640x480
Missouri Breaks 15 640x480
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Missouri Breaks 16 640x480
Missouri Breaks 16 640x480
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Missouri Breaks 17
Missouri Breaks 17
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Missouri Breaks 18
Missouri Breaks 18
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Missouri Breaks 20 640x480
Missouri Breaks 20 640x480
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Missouri Breaks 21
Missouri Breaks 21
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Missouri Breaks 22
Missouri Breaks 22
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Missouri Breaks 24 640x480
Missouri Breaks 24 640x480
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Missouri Breaks 25 640x480
Missouri Breaks 25 640x480
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Missouri Breaks 26 640x480
Missouri Breaks 26 640x480
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Missouri Breaks 30
Missouri Breaks 30
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Missouri Breaks 31 640x480
Missouri Breaks 31 640x480
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Missouri River Kipp Park 1 640x425
Missouri River Kipp Park 1 640x425
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Missouri River Kipp Park 2 640x425
Missouri River Kipp Park 2 640x425
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Missouri River Kipp Park 3 640x425
Missouri River Kipp Park 3 640x425
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Missouri River View 1
Missouri River View 1
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Missouri River View 2
Missouri River View 2
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Missouri River View 3
Missouri River View 3
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Our Lady of the Rockies 640x425
Our Lady of the Rockies 640x425
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St Paul Mission
St Paul Mission
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Wild Turkeys Landusky 2 640x425
Wild Turkeys Landusky 2 640x425
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Zortman Church
Zortman Church
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Zortman Jail 640x425
Zortman Jail 640x425