After seeing the confluence and driving by Fort Union, we drove through more different geography, saw some more horses.
Stayed in an old remodeled store, one of the oldest buildings in town, said to be upgraded to a very quaint style with lots of character...not.
But the town does have a whole lot of history. The Corps of Discovery camped here in 1804 going west and 1806 going back east. The Missouri River is right across street from the Motel.
After Lewis and Clark opened the area up to trading, Fort Union, which we saw earlier was built in 1828, and others followed. Fort Benton was built in 1846, and named for Senator Thomas Hart Benton of Missouri. (Evidently not the poet?) It was not until the 1860s that people building a town around the fort.
So the Corps went right past this place going both ways. There is a replica of a keel boat adjacent to the motel. It is not a Lewis and Clark keel boat, but one built for the movie "The Big Sky."
We are going to have to stream that movie when we get back.
This sign describes the statue of Lewis, Clark and Sacajawea was placed here for the nation's bicentennial in 1976
It is very well done, and shows a lot of historically correct detail.
Gail liked the statue
And the little park it inhabits.
The most significant event of our stay in Fort Benton was an all day boat trip on the Upper Missouri River breacks through the White Cliffs.
After a pretty sunrise over the Missouri River, we gear up for the cruise and will tell you about that next time.
2 comments:
I noticed the quaint (and ubiquitous) chairs in front of the motel. Historic touch!
Thanks for the pics of the sculpture and the presence of Gail for perspective. The preceding photo shows some great detail.
We await your tax of the cruise.
Actually, we await your tale (autofill was quicker than I was!).
Post a Comment