Tiny Travelogue...

A good place to look for dead rellies and explore the past if you have Montana roots is here if your people centered anywhere near Missouri. Ft. Benton is called the Birthplace of Montana, since so many immigrants came up the Missouri River by boat. It's a charming little farm town on the bank for the Missouri River. Most of the town is on the National Historic Register.


Apparently I visited at exactly the right point in time...I noticed it's 91.4 degrees in Fort Benton this morning...with NO air movement that's a wee bit too warm for my taste, but the three days I spent there this past week were absolutely splendid. The town has optimized grant money and historic status to make it a treasury of the past for anyone interested in exploring bygone days. Better yet the whole town is navigable on foot.


Even as interested as I was I missed the Interpretive Center, but I managed to soak up most of the museums and the library. The fee to cover entry to everything on offer is only $10...and covers 2 days worth. I stayed over an extra day, and still missed a lot.



When I toured the fort remains I was the only visitor, so really got the personal touch from the guide. It took two hours, and I was ready for lunch afterward. Bob's in the middle of town had Montana pot roast by the platter full, so I had a sumptuous lunch and made a sandwich of the leftovers to serve as my dinner. $10. The next day's lunch I ate fish n' chips at the Freeze (soft ice cream stand at the edge of the Ft ground park). $6.00. I sat on the grassy bank of the Missouri between the statue of Lewis & Clark and Sacajawea, and the Keelboat Mandan. The Mandan is a replica that was used in one of my favorite films of all time... The Big Sky...I took more pics of the Mandan than anything else.


THE place to stay in Fort Benton is the Grand Union, at the opposite end of the little town. I get their newsletter and knew it was too rich for my wallet, so was delighted to find the Pioneer Lodge...where rooms are roughly half the tariff at the Union.



During my stay in town I learned there is a nasty little rivalry between the two hotels...it's quiet, but common knowledge none the less. Personally I found the Pioneer Lodge perfect for my simple needs, and the owners bent over backwards to ensure my comfort. Winnie Appleby even had a cold beer in her fridge for my comp beverage...THAT was a first and welcome experience for me!


Being lucky enough to have a rich heritage wasn't enough...the first bar I visited, I stepped out of the car and found what I thought was a $5 bill that dropped from my pocket....I scooped it up and later found out it was $30 folded neatly...paid for all my food...thanks to whomever dropped it...hope it didn't ruin your holiday.

Best of all, I got 28.9 mpg for the nearly 800 mile trip...not bad at'all for the sporty old Cutlass SL.

I found almost everything I went to Montana for in the first place, and it was a great five day getaway. The weather was grand, and there weren't a bazillion tourists dawdle-gawking along. As a Solitary who shuns crowds this meant a lot to my comfort. It gave me all the time I wanted for my own dawdle-gawking. It was a super holiday, and it was very hard to come back.