Fort Benton Montana's Museums and Heritage Complex

Fort Benton, Montana likes to call itself "The Birthplace of Montana", and has a set of museums to back up that claim. Historic Old Fort Benton offers a visual and interpretative experience, providing an overview of the era of the early settlement of the Northern plains. The Museum of the Northern Great Plains documents the story of the thousands of homesteader families who came to settle on the vast short-grass prairie. The Hornaday/Smithsonian Buffalo and Western Art Gallery is home to the world famous Buffalo display, and also houses a small collection of western art by 19th Century artists. Homestead Village contains restored buildings relocated from abandoned homestead era towns. At the Museum of the Upper Missouri you can explore the history and legends of the Upper Missouri River. Finally, the Missouri Breaks National Monument Interpretive Center highlights the natural and cultural history of the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument.