Plans for an extended Labor Day outing went awry, so we thought we'd take a jaunt around Central Montana, and place a few caches to increase the opportunity for others to gain a few SMILEYs. There is a well known local history of a faithful dog, whose master left by train for a short trip. The master died while away, and of course, the dog didn't know. For years this dog met the trains EVERY DAY, hoping his master would return to him. This faithfulness endured the dog to the townspeople to the extent that when the dog died, they erected a statue and buried him on a hill overlooking the train depot he visited every day. To this day, the statue sits on a bluff above the city of Fort Benton. The geocache we placed here is basically a small park and grab adjacent to the parking area. To find this area, take the road to the Fort Benton Golf course and Cemetery. Look / follow the small sign that reads: "SHEP's Burial Site". You do not need to walk the trail to the statue or the burial site itself, unless you want to explore further. The cache is hidden near the parking area. Bring your own writing appliance, as there is no scribble stick in the cache. These ARE the prairie lands of Montana, so be mindful of the possibility for "Snakes On the Plains" if you visit in the heat of spring / summer. While in the area, visit Historic Downtown Fort Benton just a few miles away. There are tons of history exhibits, a couple of museums, and a walking bridge across the Missouri River just to name a few of the attractions that await you. Lewis and Clark, and artist Charlie Russell, both had extensive ties to this area, and there are lots opportunities to learn their histories. You can also learn about the settlers to Central MT, and the Native Americans that inhabited the area long before the white man's encroachment on their lands. There are also further opportunities to find geocaches hidden by other cachers.
Cache On intrepid explorers!