FORT BENTON, MONTANA—The Great Falls Tribune reports that an archaeological dig is underway to determine where the southwest blockhouse of Fort Benton stood so that it can be rebuilt. The fort, which was established in 1847 by the American Fur Company to provide access to the local fur trade, originally had two blockhouses, or defensive towers, that stood at opposite ends. The fort was sold to the Northwest Fur Company in 1865, and it was taken over by the United States Army four years later. The fort’s northeast blockhouse is thought to be the oldest building in Montana, but the southwest one was dismantled upward of 120 years ago, and its bricks were used to build nearby houses and buildings. When floods came in 1908, its remaining pieces were used to help build a levee. The blockhouses were equipped with slits to fire through and thick walls for protection, though the fort was in a relatively safe spot compared with others on the frontier. To read more, go to “Letter from Montana: The Buffalo Chasers.”
