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Montana County
Chouteau County, Montana
Fort Benton - the birthplace of Montana and the world's innermost port - from Fort Benton's extraordinary history (Fort Benton on the Missouri River was the head of navigation for Missouri River steamboats - the farthest inland point reachable by steamboat in North America - making it the most important fur trade post and supply depot for the northern Great Plains from the 1840s through the 1880s - the old fort ruins, the levee where steamboats unloaded, and the Museum of the Northern Great Plains make Fort Benton one of the finest small-town heritage destinations in Montana) and the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument (the wild and scenic Missouri River corridor downstream from Fort Benton preserves the landscape Lewis and Clark described in their most lyrical journal passages).
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Office: Chouteau County Disaster & Emergency Services – PO Box 1204, Fort Benton, MT 59442 | (406) 622-3751 | Fax: (406) 622-3012; Coordinator Linda Williams.
Sheriff: Chouteau County Sheriff’s Office – 1215 Washington St, PO Box 459, Fort Benton, MT 59442 | Non-emergency (406) 622-5451 | Fax: (406) 622-3815; Sheriff Justin D. Smith, Undersheriff Adam Jacques. Serves Big Sandy, Carter, Floweree, Fort Benton, Geraldine, Highwood, Loma, and Square Butte; responsibilities include crime prevention/investigation, detention center administration, enhanced 911 dispatch, coroner duties, fire warden duties (burning permits), civil process/bailiff duties, and search and rescue. A state-of-the-art Law Enforcement Facility in Fort Benton houses the Detention Center and 911 Dispatch Center.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-87 serves Fort Benton, the county seat, in north-central Montana.
Notes: Chouteau County, established 1865 as one of Montana Territory’s original counties, is named for Pierre Chouteau Jr., a St. Louis fur trade magnate.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Chouteau County Planning Office – confirm current phone via co.chouteau.mt.us.
Notes: Fort Benton is genuinely known as the “Birthplace of Montana” – founded 1846-47 by Alexander Culbertson and the American Fur Company as the last fur-trading post on the Upper Missouri, it’s widely considered Montana’s oldest continuously settled community, retaining the state’s oldest structure (a bastion built circa 1847). During the steamboat era, Fort Benton was called the “world’s innermost port” – the farthest navigable point up the Missouri River from the Gulf of Mexico. The Fort Benton levee genuinely memorializes Shep, a sheepdog who waited at the town’s train station for years after his owner’s casket was shipped through in 1936, becoming one of the most famous loyalty stories in American animal history. The 1882 Grand Union Hotel, once called the finest hotel between St. Louis and Seattle, still operates on the riverfront. Fort Benton is the gateway to the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument – 149 miles of Wild and Scenic River including the White Cliffs, accessible mainly by float trip, retracing the route Lewis and Clark paddled in 1805.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Chouteau County Veterans Service – confirm current contact via co.chouteau.mt.us.
Federal: VA Montana Health Care System (Fort Harrison/Helena, accessible southwest).
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Schwinden Library – part of the Fort Benton Museums & Heritage Complex, alongside Old Fort Benton, the Museum of the Upper Missouri, the Museum of the Northern Great Plains, Homestead Village, and the Overholser Research Center.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument (White Cliffs, Missouri Breaks Interpretive Center), the Fort Benton Museums & Heritage Complex, and the Shep Memorial are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine “Birthplace of Montana” heritage and the story of Shep the loyal sheepdog are among the most distinctive local facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Chouteau County – confirm current contact via co.chouteau.mt.us.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Dedman Animal Shelter – serving Fort Benton and Chouteau County; confirm current phone via cityoffortbenton.com.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Chouteau County – confirm current contact via co.chouteau.mt.us.
NOTES: Chouteau County is the second county in the Montana v2 A+ sourced redo’s second batch. The genuine “Birthplace of Montana” heritage of Fort Benton and the story of Shep the loyal sheepdog are among the most distinctive local facts in this project. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of early August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Chouteau County
Chouteau County is the birthplace of Montana – Fort Benton was the world’s innermost port, the farthest inland steamboat destination in North America, and the supply depot that opened the northern Great Plains to settlement, and the wild Missouri River Breaks downstream preserve the landscape Lewis and Clark described in their most lyrical journal passages.
Fort Benton (the county seat, population ~1,400) is one of Montana’s most historically significant small towns – the riverfront levee, fort ruins, and outstanding heritage museums define a community punching far above its size.
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Chouteau County Assessor (Montana Dept. of Revenue) at 1308 Franklin Street, Fort Benton, MT 59442, phone 406-622-5151.
Courts & Legal
Chouteau County District Court at 1308 Franklin Street, Fort Benton, MT 59442, phone 406-622-5131, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK AND RECORDER
1308 Franklin St., Fort Benton, MT 59442
(406) 622-5151
COUNTY CLERK (Elections)
1308 Franklin St., Fort Benton, MT 59442
(406) 622-5151
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Chouteau County Clerk of District Court (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Fort Benton, the county seat, is one of Montana’s oldest settlements, historically a key Missouri River steamboat port.
Local societies
No dedicated Chouteau County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Chouteau County Clerk of District Court, Probate Division 1308 Franklin Street, Fort Benton, MT 59442 (406) 622-5024
Chouteau County is in north-central Montana, seated in Fort Benton, one of Montana’s oldest settlements on the Missouri River.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Montana adopted the Uniform Probate Code (UPC), codified at Title 72 of the Montana Code Annotated (MCA). Probate is handled by the District Court in the county where the decedent resided.
Collection of Personal Property by Affidavit (MCA § 72-3-1101) – available when the value of the probate estate, less liens and encumbrances, does not exceed $100,000. At least 30 days must have passed since the death, and no application or petition for appointment of a personal representative may be pending or granted anywhere. The affiant presents the sworn, notarized affidavit (with a certified death certificate) directly to whoever holds the property to collect it – skipping probate court entirely. Must be used within 3 years of death.
Summary Administration – a streamlined court process for estates valued at $100,000 or less; unlike the affidavit procedure, this still goes through the court, just with reduced formality.
Informal Probate – the most common path for uncontested estates. An application can be made to the clerk of district court no sooner than 120 hours (5 days) after death, with minimal court involvement.
Formal Probate – required when there’s no will, when a will’s validity is contested, or when there’s disagreement over the personal representative or distribution. Handled by a district court judge.
Supervised Administration – formal probate with ongoing court oversight of the personal representative.
Step 2: filing for formal or informal probate
File an application (informal) or petition (formal) with the Clerk of District Court in the county where the decedent resided, no sooner than 120 hours after death.
The court or clerk appoints the personal representative and issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
The personal representative publishes notice to creditors and gives direct notice to known creditors. Creditors generally have 4 months from the date of first publication to file claims.
The personal representative inventories and appraises the estate’s assets.
After debts, taxes, and expenses are paid and the creditor claim period expires, the personal representative distributes the remaining assets and closes the estate.
What it costs
Montana does not set statutory percentage-based fees; personal representative and attorney fees are generally “reasonable compensation” based on time and complexity.
Montana has no state estate tax and no state inheritance tax. Only the federal estate tax could apply, and only to very large estates.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
1308 Franklin St., Fort Benton, MT 59442
(406) 622-3731
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Elections)
1308 Franklin St., Fort Benton, MT 59442
(406) 622-5151
ELECTIONS
1308 Franklin St., Fort Benton, MT 59442
(406) 622-5151
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Chouteau County Health Department – 1020 13th Street South, Fort Benton, MT 59442 | (406) 622-3771 | Fax: (406) 622-3848; contact Angel Johnson, FNP/RN.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Fort Benton
Population: 5,600
Area: 3,972 sq mi
Established: 1865
Tier: 3
Public Records
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