Fort Benton Montana Map

About Fort Benton, Montana

Fort Benton is a locality in Chouteau County, Montana, United States. It has a population of approximately 1,474. The population density is 247.5 people per km². Fort Benton is located at 47.8183°N, 110.6674°W. It observes the Mountain Time (America/Denver) timezone. ZIP code: 59442.

Fort Benton, a sentinel on the Missouri River, surveys a landscape sculpted by wind and water, where the vast Montana sky presses down on rolling plains that stretch to the horizon. It lies 36.8 miles north-east of Great Falls, MT (from Great Falls, MT: bearing 53°T), and is situated 32.3 miles north-east of Malmstrom AFB. The air here carries the dry, sweet scent of prairie grass and the faint, metallic tang of dust, a constant reminder of the immense, open spaces. Sunlight, when it breaks through the often-dramatic cloud formations, washes the earth in shades of ochre and gold, illuminating the subtle undulations of the terrain. The Missouri itself, a broad, silty ribbon, flows with a quiet power, its banks edged with cottonwood trees that rustle like whispered secrets in the breeze. The character of Fort Benton is one of enduring resilience, a place that has weathered the elements and the tides of history with a stoic grace. This is a place where history echoes in the very stones of its buildings, a former vital hub for steamboat commerce that once plied these waters, bringing goods and people to the untamed West. Fort Benton was the head of navigation, a crucial gateway for trappers, traders, and settlers venturing into the northern territories. The local economy, once dominated by the fur trade and later by agricultural endeavors, now finds its strength in ranching and the enduring legacy of its past, drawing visitors eager to explore the historic Stockgrowers Bank or the old Benton Bridge. The river, though no longer a highway for grand steamboats, remains a central artery, a source of life and a quiet companion to the town's unhurried rhythm, a place where the past feels not so much gone as deeply ingrained, a living part of the present.

About This Fort Benton Map Page

This page provides an embedded street and satellite map of Fort Benton, Montana — switch between views using the small square in the bottom left-hand corner of the map. Coordinates: 47.818303, -110.667436. Live weather conditions are sourced directly from the National Weather Service, with current observations and a 7-day forecast also powered by Open-Meteo. Real-time local news and world news feeds keep the page current, while a Wikipedia summary or an editorially written description provides background on Fort Benton and Chouteau County.

Detailed location data for Fort Benton includes the ZIP code (59442), telephone area code (406), county seat of Chouteau County (Fort Benton), and school district assignment (Fort Benton Elementary School District). These are among the most commonly searched location details for any US city or town.

Location data is drawn from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) and cross-verified against 2020 US Census records by coordinate proximity — ensuring the correct Fort Benton is identified even where the name is shared across multiple counties or states. Population figures are sourced from the 2020 US Census.