Distinctly Montana Magazine

73 w w w. d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m was disputed land, claimed by both the U.S. and Great Britain. In 1841, when Fa- ther DeSmet founded St Mary's Mission and John Owen built Fort Owen, they were both in Oregon Country, but years before the creation of Oregon Territory. Similarly, when Pierre Chouteau built Fort Benton in 1847, he built in unorga- nized territory what became Nebraska only in 1854. Dakota Ter- ritory was split off from Nebraska in 1861, then Idaho Territory united both sides of the Divide in 1863, and Montana Territory gave us the boundaries we now recognize in 1864. By that time, Fort Benton was a thriving community, located as far upstream on the Missouri as it was possible to navigate. For an excellent description of early day Fort Benton, I recommend Doug Ste- vens' excellent article "Fort Benton: A Town Born of the River" in the Summer 2023 issue of Distinctly Montana Magazine. The 1880 US Census counted 1,618 residents in Fort Benton, a number that dropped precipitously over the next ten years, then grew gradually to a high of 1,887 in 1960. Since then, the town's population has de- clined with each succeed- ing census until the 2020 Census counted 1,449 folk living in the town. The town has made the most of its history, and anyone interested in Mon- tana's past can easily spend days on a visit. The town is consid- ered a National Historic Landmark and the National Register of Historic Places has 10 listings in town, plus another eleven scattered around the county. Of special note is the Chouteau County Courthouse. Built in 1883, to replace the original courthouse destroyed by fire that year, today the building is the second oldest courthouse still serv- ing the state of Montana. Only the Madison County Courthouse in Virginia City is older. St. Paul's Episcopal Church is the oldest church of that denomination in Montana, and the Grand Union Hotel, completed in 1882, still serves travelers visiting the town— although today's guests most likely did not arrive by water. All three are in the National Register, as is the Fort Benton Bridge across the Missouri, the old fire Engine House, the Masonic

• Cover