Ft. Benton To Recapture Old Glory With New Nickel

May 15: Hats On To Stonewall Jackson, Defender Of Lexington
Apr 30: Beefcake of Roads: New Home For World’s Largest Muscleman
Apr 24: Join the Battleship NJ Gun Crew (Look Out, Philly!)
Apr 17: Muffler Men History: Moving Giants
Apr  8: The State vs. The Minister’s Tree House: Earthly Codes
Apr  5: Saloon Cowboy: A 21st Century Muffler Man

The folks of Ft. Benton, MT, are proud of both their dead dog, Old Shep, and their dead buffalo, Hornaday's Bull. Both are celebrities, but the buffalo's claim to fame, as the model for the Buffalo Nickel, hasn't had the same spark since 1938, when it was replaced with an image of Monticello.

But now, The US Mint is planning to do away with Monticello in favor of a design celebrating the bicentennial of both the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark expedition. The Lewis and Clark team travelled through Ft. Benton on their way west, giving the isolated town a new reason to cheer.

"This is a new century and the United States is in a renaissance of coin design," said Henrietta Holsman Fore, director of the U.S. Mint. President Thomas Jefferson will stay on the heads side. There are about 18.9 billion nickels in circulation.

[04/26/2003]

Museum Of The Upper Missouri

Address:: 21st St., Fort Benton, MT
Directions:: I-15 exit 280, then north on US Hwy 87 to Fort Benton. To Hwy 386/80/387, which turns into St. Charles St. Turn on 21st St. Cross Main St. The buffalo is in the Museum Of The Upper Missouri on the right, in the park, adjacent to the reconstructed old fort and blockhouse.
Hours:: Mid-May - late Sept. daily 10 am-5 pm. (Call to verify)
Phone:: 406-622-5316