Fort Benton in Chouteau County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)

Mandan

2025 Mandan Keelboat Restoration

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, June 23, 2026

1. Mandan Marker

Captions: (left to right across the bottom) RKO publicity shot; Great Falls Premiere (poster); Mandan assembly on location, Mandan in 2021 prior to restoration.

Inscription. You are not looking at a historical keelboat preserved from the 1840's. You are looking at a movie prop from a 1952 movie, "The Big Sky". Based on the Pulitzer-Prize winning novel by Montana author, A.B. Guthrie, the star of "The Big Sky" movie was listed as Kirk Douglas. The true star was likely the Mandan keelboat.
RKO studios built 3 Mandan keelboats. One stayed in Hollywood for studio shots. The other two were disassembled and shipped to the Snake River for location filming. After filming the boats were donated to a California amusement park, a Colorado ski resort, and the Montana State Historical Society in Helena. The Helena boat ended up at Fort Benton after filming a 1964 NBC documentary on Lewis and Clark. Our Mandan has sat on the Missouri River levee for over 60 years. It is the last surviving Mandan keelboat movie star....

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Waterways & Vessels.

Location. 47° 49.181′ N, 110° 39.888′ W. Marker is in Fort Benton, Montana, in Chouteau County. It can be reached from Front Street near 17th Street, on the

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1714 Front Street, Fort Benton MT 59442, United States of America. Touch for directions.

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 Rupert’s Land

and also the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Keelboat Mandan (a few steps from this marker); The Montana Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); Mullan Wagon Road (within shouting distance of this marker); T.C. Power & Bro. (within shouting distance of this marker); T.C. Power Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Fort Benton – Fort MacLeod Trail (within shouting distance of this marker); Drowning of the Governor (within shouting distance of this marker); Thomas Francis Meager (about 300 feet away, measured

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, June 23, 2026

2. Mandan Marker

in a direct line). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fort Benton.

Keelboat Mandan image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, June 23, 2026

3. Keelboat Mandan

Credits. This page was last revised on October 21, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 21, 2026, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 5 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 21, 2026, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.