Fort Cambell Marker in Fort Benton, Montana courtesy Fort Wiki
Fort Campbell, Montana, was first established by the Missouri Fur Company in 1845 on the south side of the Missouri River, just one mile from its rival, Fort Benton.
First housed in a log stockade, it was established in direct competition with the American Fur Company. The fort was operated by Alexander Harvey, the most infamous Indian trader on the Upper Missouri River, known to have been fearless, bold, vindictive, and quarrelsome. In 1847 it was moved to the north side of the river, and Harvey built an adobe building, the first of its kind in the area.
On July 20, 1854, Harvey died on a trip downriver to Fort William, North Dakota in a mackinaw boat and was buried at the fort. The Fort was sold to the American Fur Company in 1860. It was later was occupied as a Jesuit monastery for the Flathead Indians. It was later abandoned.
The site is located in Fort Benton, Montana’s Historic District, and is marked at River and 12th Streets.
By Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated February 2022.
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