Fort Benton in Chouteau County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)
Old Fort Campbell
1846-1860 Fort Campbell
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, August 22, 2020
1. Old Fort Campbell Marker
On this site stood old Fort Campbell; it was the "opposition fort" to Fort Benton downriver. Fort Campbell was moved here by Alexander Harvey in 1847 and built of adobe.
Harvey was a fearless frontiersman, a character whom no one heedlessly crossed. It was he who turned a cannon on a Blackfoot trading party at For MacKenzie. Harvey never took a backward step before any man, but on his deathbed he wrote, "I die in peace and friendship with the world."
Men of the two forts bickered while Indians dickered for bargains. Like its competitor, Fort Campbell saw stirrings times during the robe trade, but business dwindled and the American Fur Company bought it in 1960. The crowning indignity was Andrew Dawson's loan of the old fort's buildings to Jesuit missionaries for use as a monastery - a sad come-down for a Blackfoot fur post.
Erected by Fort Benton Chamber of Commerce.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Forts and Castles • Religion & Religious Structures.
Location. 47° 48.827′ N, 110° 40.159′ W. Marker is in Fort Benton, Montana,
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Central Montana, in Missouri River Country, and specifically in Russell Country. It is also in the American Mountain West and in the Lewis & Clark Corridor. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once Ruperts Land and also the Louisiana Purchase.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Coulson's Steamboat Offices (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Nez Perce Fight (about 400 feet away); Upriver Businesses (about 500 feet away); Stage Lines (about 500 feet away); Great Northern Railway (about 500 feet away); Davidson and Moffitt Harness Shop (about 700 feet away);
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, August 22, 2020
2. Old Fort Campbell - 1846-1860 Fort Campbell Marker
Illustrations and layout of Fort Campbell 1860; Photograph of Father De Smet, Jesuit Missionary who took over the For as a monastery.
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, August 22, 2020
3. Old Fort Campbell Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on August 20, 2024. It was originally submitted on December 3, 2020, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 332 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 3, 2020, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.
