Stay at Montana’s Oldest Hotel: The Grand Union in Fort Benton
The Grand Union Hotel is a meticulously well-preserved slice of Montana history. It’s the state’s oldest operating hotel, and stands as a landmark along the banks of the Missouri River in Central Montana.
Key Info on the Grand Union:
- Opened in November, 1882 (7 years before Montana became a state)
- Billed as the “finest hotel between St. Louis and Seattle”
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places
- A multi-year, multi-million dollar renovation was completed in 1999
- The current owners took over the hotel in 2022
The Grand Union Rooms & Amenities
The Grand Union has 26 fully-restored rooms, many of which have views of the Missouri River.
Options include:
- Deluxe Single (queen)
- Deluxe Double (two queens or two fulls)
- ADA Accessible Deluxe (queen)
- Junior Suites (all river-view; some with jetted tubs)
- Master Suite (the former Ladies’ Parlor) with double claw-foot tub + separate shower.
Most of the original pieces in the hotel were sold at an auction in the 1980s to satisfy the owners’ debts. The current furnishings are modeled after the originals from the 1880s.
Stepping into the lobby is like stepping back in time:
The Hotel Restaurant (Union Grille)
The “farm-to-table” menu at the Union Grille highlights Montana producers. Think: Missouri River trout to Montana beef tenderloin.
The dining room is spacious and elegant.
In warm months, you can dine on the patio, steps from the river.
Reservations are recommended, and note that the restaurant often closes for the month of January. The hours vary by season:
Summer
- June – September
- Monday – Sunday 5pm – 9pm
Fall/Winter/Spring
- October – May
- Wednesday – Sunday 5pm – 9pm
Happy Hour
- Monday – Friday
- 4pm – 5pm
The Grand Union’s Saloon
After dinner, it’s nice to retire for a nightcap at the saloon adjacent to the restaurant.
Above the saloon bar hangs a striking conversation piece: a petrified buffalo skull pulled from the Laramie River at the base of Wyoming’s Snowy Mountains.
Petrification is a process estimated to take around 10,000 years. The Grand Union’s skull is a unique fusion of an ancient cranium and more recent horns, creating a one-of-a-kind work of art.
The Waldorf of the West
When it opened in 1882, the Grand Union Hotel welcomed travelers who’d taken steamships up the Missouri River. It offered a luxurious stopover for guests who planned to then venture into the wilderness of the American West.
Built from local soft brick with ornate corbelling and distinctive windows, the “Waldorf of the West” offered lodging, a saloon, a formal dining room, and a saddle room where cowboys stowed their gear for the winter.
The cost of the original hotel with all of its furnishings? $200,000.
The Grand Union’s fortunes quickly ran out, as the Northern Pacific and Canadian Pacific Railways diverted visitors away from Fort Benton.
Two years after it opened, the hotel was sold at auction.
The hotel had various owners through the decades, as they faced challenges from wars, prohibition, crop failures, the depression, and other hardships. Most of the original pieces were sold at an auction in the 1980s.
In the mid-1990s, James & Cheryl Gagnon bought the property and spent years (and a fortune) renovating the Grand Union into the beautiful property it is today. The renovations and repairs will never end on this kind of historic property, which the current owners, Colette and Tony Longin, can attest to!
About Fort Benton, Montana
Nicknamed the “Birthplace of Montana,” Fort Benton grew around an 1846 fur-trade post. It later became the head of steamboat navigation on the Missouri.
Relics from the past are well preserved at the museums in town.
You’ll find local shops, restaurants, and saloons (with very friendly and welcoming bartenders).
Outdoor enthusiasts can float or fish the Missouri River, and explore the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument.
Weather by Season
Fort Benton is lovely in the summer and fall, and cold in the winter (as you’d expect).
Winter (Nov–Feb)
Winters are cold and windy. Daily highs are usually in the 30s, with lows in the teens. December is the snowiest, and the area sees an average of 42 inches of snow per year.
Spring (Mar–May)
Daily highs in spring range from the 40s in March to the 60s in May. Rainfall gradually increases, with May the wettest month.
Summer (Jun–Aug)
Highs in June are in the 70s, and they climb into the 80s for July and August. Rainfall is moderate.
Fall (Sep–Oct)
Autumn is crisp and enjoyable, though rainfall is moderate. Highs slide from the 70s in September to the 50s in October.
What Makes the Grand Union Special
If my normal job didn’t keep me tethered to a TV news studio for hours a day, I could see myself spending time as a digital nomad, relaxing (and working) from the Grand Union.
➡️ Click Here to Book the Grand Union
Summers are ideal, weather-wise. Winters are cold and snowy, but even in a storm, you can walk everywhere you’d need to go for necessities.
The hotel is blocks from Fort Benton’s restaurants, museums, the Old Fort, and the Missouri Breaks Interpretive Center.
There are plans to give the walkway along the river a major overhaul and expansion, which would make the Grand Union an even more inviting getaway.
Make sure to leave them a note on the beautifully antiqued paper notebook on the front desk!
