Fort Benton

Lewis and Clark Memorial

Fort Benton Montana turned out to be quite the little gem.  The initial decision to spend a week there was due to there being a lot of historic things around.  All expectations were exceeded.  It turns out that Fort Benton was the first established town in Montana.  It was the furthest point up the Missouri River that a boat could go before getting to the cliffs and great falls.  It became the main transportation point to the entire northwest including Canada.  There are several museums and a walking path along the river with lots of interesting signs (with old pictures) that tell the story of the role that Fort Benton played in the old west.  It was very interesting and very well done.

Buffalo that was the model for the
Buffalo nickel and other famous
symbols

Just 10 miles to the north was a historic point in the Lewis and Clark expedition.  It is where the Marias River joins the Missouri and it took them 10 days to decide which way to go.  It was pretty cool to go there and stand on the knoll where they stood 206+ years ago (to the day) trying to make the decision.

Old bridge across the Missouri River

Grand Union Hotel - 1882

Decision point - Lewis and Clark
Confluence of Marias and Missouri
Rivers