Old Forts Trails Visitors to the Hi-Line have a rare opportunity to trace the steps of settlers while viewing the trail of wagon wheels so deeply ingrained in the landscape they have stood the test of time and weather. The Old Forts Trail, an international historic trail, began at Fort Benton in Montana Territory. The eastern half of that trail, along the Benton-Walsh Trail, led to Fort Assinniboine and to Forts Walsh, Battleford and the Wood Mountain Post in Saskatchewan. The western branch along the Whoop-Up Trail connected Fort Benton with Forts Whoop-Up, MacLeod and Calgary in Alberta, Canada. The trail was an international pioneer roadway and a vital economic and military link in the development of the Canadian and American West. There are interpretive centers and museums at each of the sites along the Old Forts Trail. The nationally distributed American Road® magazine, which features locations on two-lane highways, featured the Old Forts Trail in their spring 2008 issue. The feature included seven illustrated pages on the history of Fort Benton, Fort Assinniboine, Bear's Paw Battlefield, Fort Walsh, Medicine Hat and beyond. For information on how to view the trail locally, call the Havre Area Chamber of Commerce at (406) 2654383 or H. Earl Clack Museum at 265-4000, or go online to oldfortstrail.com. 20