The Benton record. [volume] (Benton, M.T. [Mont.]) 1875-1879, 1875-02-15

ble feet tripped merrily, and Joyous voices
in the bursts of joyial song.
At last, in the midst of this rousing
carnival, the tall form Of Major Culbert-
son was seen to rise and signal silence.
When the uproar had subsidized sufficiently
to permit his voice to be heard, he ad
dressed the assembly in a little speech,
in which he recounted the noble qualities
of one of Americas distinguished sons !;
dWelt particularly upon his services Q few
years before il behalf i the American
Fur Company, when he rescued it from
a ruinous litigation that threatened its
complete overthrow; and proposed that
il his honor the post, then in process OF.
construction in adobe, should from that
time forward be known as Fort Benton.
With loud cheers his audience slgn1fied
their appreciation, the yiolins struck up a
lively air, the dancing was renewed with
increased yigor, and, passing from lip to
lip Of the hilarious assembly, the name OF
Fort Benton went forth to the world, and
is now recorded in millions Of maps from
one end Of civilization to the other
This was the first christening OF the
embryo city at the head Of Missouri River
navigation, and SO we'll was it done that
It was reasonable to expect that no other
would be deemed necessary. But, pres
to, cbangel No more do we see Fort
Benton q remote, isolated trading post
ii d broad wilderness wholly possessed
bv the red savage. Gold has been found
IA Montana. thousands of stalWart men
gather ii her gulches, and the vast sup
plies thus rendered necessary find their
Wav to the mines mainly through the
Missouri River. 4 new and extensive
business is created at Fort Benton, and
under the walls Of the old fort . town
begins to spring up, and presently comes
j band Of surveyors, who trail their chains
awhile in the river valley, and then, by
silly trick Of words, call the few scat
tered buildings, and the many vacant
SQUARES they have laid out, Benton
City,
Ye gods! what an outrage was THIS!
What an insult to the old fort that for
years had looked down grimly upon the
ground thus desecrated, sole lord Of It
all! How could propriety stop short OF
preserving the sonorus old name, the
centre of so much interesting history IN
this newborn village-this city, i you
will, bet still desperately cramped III the
confning limits Of it's sWadding clothes?
This was the second christening, but
the good sense Of its population caused
| it to meet with little favor. The town
| is still known as Fort Benton, the post
Office is Fort Benton, freight is still con
SIGNED to Fort Benton, and when some
times cut short in the pronunciation by
its inhabitants, it is always done as an
an abbreviation, with the whole symme-
trical name in the background OF the
speakers mind But now we come TO
the consideration Of the most formld-
able attack upon the old name that It has
vet received. We now boast a neWspa-
per. The initial number is before Us,
! and It is a creditable production. It ls
pleasant to reflect that our town now has
J worthy champion against all future 'ad-
verse journalism = Can this paper, this
champion, this advocate Of our interests,
Be robberin disguise that would deprive
us of aught valuable2 It would seem So
for is it not despoiling US Of our gooo
name. even in the sense we use 1t, one o.
the first of measures? Wefnd by the paper
itself that it is the Be12t0r RECORD, pub
lished in Benton, NJ. T., and every time
It alludes to our town 1t IS as Benton
not once as Fort Benton.
Oh, l[r. Editor and proprietor Of fh'
ppeaen uouId that YOU had looked Ii
f. I.innIacott,s Gazetteer Of Geography
before you did this thing Let ne fel
your readers what you would have foune
There. You would have found thaf
within tie limits of the United States
there are already f1iffttF-tWo geographlca
localities ID possession Of the name 9
BENTON. while there is but q single on
called Fort Benton. andl-thatIs our town