Some folks will say it’s 5 o’clock somewhere. Well, Fort Benton’s Chouteau County courthouse has been a step ahead of Jimmy Buffet for quite awhile. For many years it really was 5:05 in Fort Benton all the time!
When the stately courthouse was built money was too tight to put a clock on the clock tower. A painting of a clock was put there and the hands were positioned at 5:05.
Local artist Brian Morger did a stunning painting of the Chouteau County structure, harkening back to the era in which it was built. The title of the painting is appropriately “Five After Five”.
This photo shows Brian’s brother Randy pointing to the clock tower and sharing the story after a meeting in the Ag Museum in Fort Benton.
The painting is beautiful – the story behind the courhouse makes it even better!