Fort Benton - Fort Macleod Trail National Historic Event
Coutts, Alberta
Historic photograph
(© Library and Archives Canada | Bibliothèque et Archives Canada, William James Topley, PA-043090)
Address :
Highway 4 south at the Canada-United States border, Coutts, Alberta
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
1938-05-19
Other Name(s):
-
Fort Benton - Fort Macleod Trail
(Designation Name)
Importance:
Until Canadian Pacific Railway built in 1882, main route from Missouri River to south Alberta
Plaque(s)
Existing plaque: Canada Customs and Immigration Building Coutts, Alberta
Until the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway across the prairies in 1882 and 1883 the most practicable route to southern Alberta was by the Missouri River to Fort Benton and thence northward along the Fort Benton Trail by mule and bull team, cart and covered wagon, to Fort Macleod. The Trail crossed the international border about seven miles west of Coutts. By it came most of the travelers, mail and supplies for the region.