At the west end of Main Street, Fort Benton's old bridge — one of the oldest still standing on the whole Missouri River — carries foot traffic now instead of wagons and cars, and its approach and railing catch drifting snow the same way they've caught river wind for well over a century. Fort Benton Chamber of Commerce keeps that walkway clear through the winter months, along with the sidewalk in front of the Grand Union Hotel a block up, so the handful of visitors who do come through in January can still walk the stretch of town most people come to see. The Missouri runs slate-gray and half-iced past the bridge's pilings on the coldest mornings, throwing enough cold off the water to keep that walkway icy longer than the rest of downtown. Fort Benton calls itself the birthplace of Montana, and keeping its most-photographed corner walkable through the off-season is a small way of keeping faith with that claim. Few visitors are around in January to notice, but the walk stays clear anyway, for the town's own sake as much as theirs.