Island Lane , Fort Benton, MT 59442(Chouteau County)

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HISTORY OF ROOSEVELT ISLAND

Ferdinand C. Roosevelt (a distant relative of both Presidents Teddy Roosevelt and Franklin D. Roosevelt) was a versatile man employed in many professions; accountant, miner, Wells Fargo agent, farmer, bookkeeper, clerk, merchant, business owner, mayor and county auditor (to name a few). It was his position as the first Wells Fargo agent in Fort Benton that brought him to Montana in 1867. This was during the period that Wells Fargo operated stages in Montana, and he was paid the handsome salary of $200 per month. Ferdinand used homestead rights to acquire parcels of land in Fort Benton, as well as a magnificent island located upstream from town. In late 1880 Ferdinand and his wife, Martha, had a two story brick home built on the island for the price of $1800. Ferdinand Roosevelt was among the first pioneer businessmen of Fort Benton and held several prominent positions there both during and after his employment with Wells Fargo. In 1881 the properties he owned in town were surveyed and platted as Roosevelt Addition to Fort Benton Town site, thus leaving his name as a part of the city of Fort Benton. He was an alderman when Fort Benton was incorporated in 1883, and was elected the city's second mayor in 1884. However, he resigned the mayor position in 1885 after it was determined that his home (on the island) was outside the city limits. Ferdinand's time in Fort Benton took a turn for the worse when in 1885 the furniture store he owned in town burned to the ground and was never rebuilt. Ferdinand farmed for a while, supplying the local market. In October of 1889 he sold an interest he had in the Conservatory Saloon, and less than a month later a fire partially burned the Roosevelt's home on the island. Ferdinand and Mrs. Roosevelt then vacated their residence and moved to Armington (near Belt, Montana) where he opened a hardware store. Ferdinand later moved to Great Falls, Montana, and in 1904 was elected to the post of Cascade County Auditor. He held that position until his death on December 10, 1923 at the age of 85.

It is said (but not confirmed) that Roosevelt Island was sold to a lumber company and was the site of a saw mill. Logs were supposedly floated down the Missouri to the island, where they would be cut into lumber. Since that time, the island has had many private owners, but it remains virtually unchanged since the early 1900's.

Today, the only evidence of Ferdinand Roosevelt's life on the island is exemplified by a few bricks and remnants of stone foundation which still remain from the home he once built there.

Lot Size: 61.4 Acres

Type: Lot/Land for Sale

River Frontage: over 3 miles