Fort Benton carries with it all the history and charm that you’d expect from Montana’s birthplace. Four museums walk visitors through the town’s timeline, from the dawn of the First Peoples to the homesteader era and beyond. The Missouri River, once the “World’s Innermost Port” and best route to Montana Territory, flows gently along Front Street.
At one time, Front Street (specifically, between 15th and 16th) was known as “the Bloodiest Block in the West”—an area so lawless that it had to be circled by a cavalry troop. Two centuries later, it is a quaint district, defined by its historic structures and diversity of local businesses. A person could easily spend a day shopping, dining, and enjoying the scenery in Fort Benton.