Fort Benton in Chouteau County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)
Grand Union Hotel
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, August 14, 2019
1. Grand Union Hotel Marker
Inscription.
Grand Union Hotel. . This grandiose, three-story Italianate style hotel welcomed weary river travelers to the Gateway of the Northwest, offering guests a luxurious refuge before setting out for less civilized destinations. Its opening in 1882 came at the end of the steamboat era, when Fort Benton was still an unchallenged commercial hub. The very next year, however, the Northern Pacific transcontinental line was completed across Montana, diminishing the town’s position as a commercial center. Constructed of soft local brick with intricate corbelling and distinctive windows, the “Waldorf of the West” featured a saloon, dining room, a saddle room for cowboys to store their gear in winter, and a secret lookout room where guards could supervise gold shipments. A separate ladies’ stairway led to elegant parlors since women never entered rooms adjoining saloons. Each room had handsome black walnut, marble-topped furnishings and, originally, its own woodstove and fancy chimney. From its vantage point near the docks, the Grand Union presided over the arrival of everything from stamp mills to grand pianos, brought by steamboat and transferred to ox-team freight wagons. The fine design by architect Thomas Tweedy reflects a prosperous and optimistic town, unaware of the imminent coming of the railroad and its disastrous effects on the town’s economy.
This grandiose, three-story Italianate style hotel welcomed weary river travelers to the Gateway of the Northwest, offering guests a luxurious refuge before setting out for less civilized destinations. Its opening in 1882 came at the end of the steamboat era, when Fort Benton was still an unchallenged commercial hub. The very next year, however, the Northern Pacific transcontinental line was completed across Montana, diminishing the town’s position as a commercial center. Constructed of soft local brick with intricate corbelling and distinctive windows, the “Waldorf of the West” featured a saloon, dining room, a saddle room for cowboys to store their gear in winter, and a secret lookout room where guards could supervise gold shipments. A separate ladies’ stairway led to elegant parlors since women never entered rooms adjoining saloons. Each room had handsome black walnut, marble-topped furnishings and, originally, its own woodstove and fancy chimney. From its vantage point near the docks, the Grand Union presided over the arrival of everything from stamp mills to grand pianos, brought by steamboat and transferred to ox-team freight wagons. The fine design by architect Thomas Tweedy reflects a prosperous and optimistic town, unaware of the imminent coming of the railroad and its disastrous effects on the town’s economy.
Erected by
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Montana Historical Society; Department of the Interior, National Register of Historic Places.
Location. 47° 48.983′ N, 110° 40.096′ W. Marker is in Fort Benton, Montana, in Chouteau County. Marker is at the intersection of 14th Street and Front Street, on the left when traveling north on 14th Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 704 14th Street, Fort Benton MT 59442, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on December 19, 2020. It was originally submitted on November 1, 2019, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 207 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on November 1, 2019, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on November 22, 2020, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. 8. submitted on November 1, 2019, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.