5 Must-See Historic Forts In Montana

Many of Montana's forts started as trading posts where Native tribes exchanged buffalo, bear, and beaver pelts for guns, ammunition, blankets, and metal goods. Some are gone now; others, like Fort Missoula, are well preserved. Fort Benton has been substantially rebuilt through research and archaeological work to recover its 1860s look. The five forts below are open to the public, with original or reconstructed structures and museums or interpretive stations to back them up. Admission and tour times listed below are as of April 2026.

Fort Benton

In 1846, Alexander Culbertson, the agent of the American Fur Company at Fort Lewis, received a request from the Blackfeet Tribe to move the fort and trading post across the Missouri River. Logs were dismantled from the fort and floated downstream to the new site. Culbertson later switched to adobe construction. The trade store was the last major structure of the adobe fort to be rebuilt and was completed in 1860. By 1900, the adobe had deteriorated under harsh Montana weather. Donations and a small grant from the state legislature funded the restoration of the original fort's last remaining building, based on findings from archaeological excavations.

The reconstructed fort is open from Memorial Day weekend through September 30 (admission fee). The Museum of the Northern Great Plains and the Museum of the Upper Missouri River are nearby; a $15 combination ticket covers all three. Inside the fort, you can see the trade store stocked with buffalo robes, beads, blankets, and other trade goods, plus the warehouse, blacksmith shop, carpenter shop, and the period-furnished Bourgeois House.

Fort Missoula

Fort Missoula was established in 1877 near the Bitterroot River after local settlers requested military protection during conflicts in western Montana. Soldiers from Fort Missoula joined Colonel John Gibbon's column from Fort Shaw at the Battle of the Big Hole in August 1877; Captain William Logan, second in command at Fort Missoula, was among those killed. In the years that followed, Fort Missoula served as a military training center, the Northwest Regional Headquarters of the Civilian Conservation Corps, an internment camp for Italian and Japanese American men during World War II, and a military prison.

The fort's complex of over 20 buildings (some original) is now part of the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula. Most can be toured via a self-guided walking tour from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend. Hours: Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. A fee applies for visitors aged 6 and up who are not Missoula County residents.

Fort Assinniboine

Built in 1879 near Havre, Fort Assinniboine hosted Buffalo Soldier units (the 10th Cavalry, later the 24th and 25th Infantry). Under the command of Lt. John J. Pershing, troops from the fort captured nearly 600 Cree and returned them to Canada in 1896, one of the largest forced relocations in U.S. history. Fort Assinniboine was the largest fort in Montana, with over 100 buildings by 1883. It operated like a small city, with stores, barbershops, and bakeries.

Many buildings are gone, but the Fort Assinniboine Preservation Society has restored portions to interpret the fort's history. The site is open from June 1 through Labor Day weekend, with guided tours Thursday through Sunday. Tour prices: $15 adults, $14 military veterans or seniors, $10 children ages 6 to 12.

Fort Owen

Established in 1850, Fort Owen served as a trading post, an Indian agency for distributing annuities to the Salish, and an agricultural center. Father DeSmet had founded the first Catholic mission in the region (St. Mary's) on this site in 1841. John Owen purchased the mission in 1850, and the property expanded to include the state's first sawmill, gristmill, cattle herd, and irrigation system.

The fort sits inside Fort Owen State Park. Visitors can see the East Barracks, the original well, and the root cellar; exhibits and interpretive signs describe the fort's history. The park is ADA accessible, pets are allowed on the grounds, and Montana residents who paid the park fee with their vehicle registration get free admission. Other Montana residents and nonresidents pay $8 per vehicle or $4 per bicyclist, bus passenger, or hiker. Park hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., March 1 through October 31.

Fort Shaw

About 24 miles west of Great Falls, Fort Shaw was established in 1867 as a military post protecting the Mullan Road and regional travel routes. The site once held four military barracks, officers' quarters, stores, a hospital, weapons rooms, and a jail. The fort was abandoned in 1891. In 1892 it became a federal Indian boarding school. These boarding schools were controversial because they aimed to force Native children to abandon their language and culture. Despite that, a girls' basketball team from Fort Shaw became famous at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, defeating all comers and being declared world champions.

A commemorative arch stands at the entrance to Fort Shaw in honor of the basketball team; memorabilia from their championship is at The History Museum in Great Falls. Self-guided tours of the remaining structures are available during daylight hours, with guided tours on Fridays in August. Admission is free.

Forts Explain Montana's Early History

Montana's forts trace the path of fur traders, settlers, and the Native peoples whose lives the forts shaped (often violently). Fort Missoula and Fort Benton are the best places to start, both with original structures and reconstructed ones built from careful archaeological work. The associated museums and interpretive materials add the layers the buildings can't show on their own.