They call Montana Big Sky Country and I didn’t truly understand what that meant until I moved to the east and could see only as far as the dense vegetation would allow. As the picture above shows though, you can see forever in Montana.
Taken on the way to Fort Benton, Montana, this view of the Missouri River not only highlights the beautiful vistas in Big Sky Country but it also shows the agricultural heritage that is very abundant in Montana.
They call it dry land farming and it is how my . . .
grandma (the lady on the left in the above picture) grew up in the eastern part of Montana in a town called Wolf Point. When my grandma married, she moved to California but my great aunt moved to Fort Benton with her husband. My mom (the lady on the right in the above picture) remembers coming to the small town of Fort Benton during the summers when she was in high school.
My mom and her cousins would drive into town on this old bridge, which now is open only to foot traffic.
They would cruise the “strip” of Fort Benton that is maybe a mile long and populated on one side (the Missouri is on the other) with buildings like this . . .
and this. This house is called the I.G. Baker House and it is one of the oldest in Montana.
Fort Benton was quite the place back in its day. In fact, it boasts a block known that was known as the . . .
Who would have thought that this now, sleepy little town was once a place of so much action?
A famous canine even called Fort Benton home. Shep, who was forever faithful.
Remember that movie a few years ago with Richard Gere, Hachi? Well, this is not the same dog but pretty much the same story. Dog’s master rolled away on the train one day never to return and the dog lived out its remaining years near the train station always waiting for his master to come home.
The live dog there in the picture above is my mom’s dog, Moose.
So, if you ever venture out to Montana, Fort Benton is a cool little town to stop in, walk around and enjoy a nice lunch. We certainly enjoyed our day there.
Hope y’all have a great weekend!
Southern Adventuress 