Fort Benton, Montana served as the innermost port for shipping and human transportation thanks to the arrival and successful voyages of steamboats. The first steamboat made the journey in 1819. This history is rich, vast and, at times, hard to even imagine. The river remains largely unchanged since this time period (and before), and if you have had the privilege of floating the river, either by canoe, kayak or raft, you will find it absolutely puzzling how those behemoth vessels managed to make their way up the river and back to St. Louis, especially considering the massive amount of cargo and people they brought.

This page serves as a collection of gathered steamboat history and reference point for additional research and learning if you are interested. We will regularly be adding to this page as we collect more!