Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Puglia Italy - Matera
Italy • 8 days, 7 nights
Southern Italy: Castles, Caves & Coastal Treasures in Puglia
from
Turkmenistan Gates of Hell Darvaza crater
Turkmenistan • 10 days, 9 nights
Turkmenistan & the Gates of Hell
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Pinal Airpark
Note the chrysanthemum crests.
Hachiman Bridge
Clarendon War Memorial.
Clarendon War Memorial
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Chefs Aruss Lerlerstkull and Atcharaporn Kiatthanawat lean into regional traditions.
Charmgang
The khao soi at Gedhawa comes with a rich, coconutty broth.
Gedhawa
At Nai Mong Hoi Thod, the oyster omelet is worth waiting for.
Nai Mong Hoi Thod
In this deceptively simple dish, top-quality ingredients are paramount.
Kor Panich
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Haleakalā National Park’s summit region, shrouded in the pre-dawn fog.
Beware the Legends Behind These National Park Souvenirs
4 days ago
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
How Can National Parks Be Made Accessible to All? AO Wants to Know.
4 days ago
Podcast: Finding ‘The Great Gatsby’ in Louisville
5 days ago
Here’s which treats you can safely lug home without risking a fine.
Dear Atlas: What International Food Can I Legally Bring Into the U.S.?
6 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Montana Fort Benton Shep Memorial

Shep Memorial

A small Montana town commemorates the dog who waited at the train station every day for his owner to return.

Fort Benton, Montana

Added By
oskiea74
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Old Shep looks over the Missouri River.   oskiea74 / Atlas Obscura User
Old Shep looks over the Missouri River.   oskiea74 / Atlas Obscura User
Memorial to Shep on the Fort Benton waterfront.   Trevor Mork
Sheps grave on the north side of town   biodieselbarry / Atlas Obscura User
A sign nearby the memorial tells Shep’s story.   Montanabw
Shep the Sheepdog.   Montanabw
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

A statue of Old Shep, Fort Benton's unofficial mascot, stands watch in the center of town, waiting for a cowboy who will never return.

In the summer of 1936, a Montana sheepherder fell ill. He was transported to the St. Clare Hospital in Fort Benton and followed by his faithful sheepdog, Shep. As the man lay dying, the old dog remained at his side, fed scraps by sympathetic nurses. When the cowboy died, his family requested that he be sent back East. Even then, Shep the sheepdog followed the cowboy's casket out to the train depot. He whimpered as he watched his master's body loaded into a cargo car and carried away.

For the next five-and-a-half years, Shep returned to the train station to wait for his owner to return. Four times a day, without fail, Shep would trot up to the station and scan the disembarking passengers for the man. Though at this point a stray, he became a beloved fixture of the little town and was looked after by the train station employees.

Word of the loyal dog in Fort Benton spread, and Shep became something of a Depression-era celebrity. He was featured as an oddity in early Ripley's Believe It or Not! syndicated panels. Train travelers would take massive detours to see him at the station. Children sent him Christmas presents. Some of them even tried to adopt him, but Shep never took more than a passing interest in any of his admirers. He was a one man dog. 

Ultimately, it was his unending dedication that killed him. On the morning of January 12, 1942, he waited as usual for the 10:17 train. His hearing had failed, his limbs were riddled with arthritis, and he was struck by the arriving train.

Shep was buried atop a hill overlooking the train depot. His pallbearers were a local troop of Boy Scouts, and hundreds attended the ceremony. The Great Northern Train Company paid for a wooden effigy of Shep and a cutout of his name to be placed atop the hill for all to see. 

Over the years, interest in "Forever Faithful" Shep waned, and his gravesite fell into disrepair. But in the 1980s a group of local historians and civic organizations cleaned it up. Fort Benton restored its pride in its mascot, and demonstrated their love for Shep by installing a new memorial to him in 1994. This steel representation of the faithful sheepdog stands on a railroad trestle in the center of town, looking expectantly over the Missouri River. His memorial is surrounded by an octagonal patio, paved with bricks dedicated to other beloved lost animals.

Related Tags

Dogs Animals Statues Fauna Memorials

Know Before You Go

Memorial is right next to the Missouri River.

Community Contributors

Added By

oskiea74

Edited By

Molly McBride Jacobson, biodieselbarry

  • Molly McBride Jacobson
  • biodieselbarry

Published

April 20, 2017

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/4367
Shep Memorial
Front St
Fort Benton, Montana
United States
47.816568, -110.667715
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Roe River

Great Falls, Montana

miles away

Sip 'n Dip Lounge

Great Falls, Montana

miles away

Havre Beneath the Streets

Havre, Montana

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Montana

Montana

United States

Places 66
Stories 20

Nearby Places

Roe River

Great Falls, Montana

miles away

Sip 'n Dip Lounge

Great Falls, Montana

miles away

Havre Beneath the Streets

Havre, Montana

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Montana

Montana

United States

Places 66
Stories 20

Related Stories and Lists

The Quirkiest Local Landmarks in Small-Town America

List

By Meg Neal

Related Places

  • Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

    Statue of Sallie Ann Jarrett

    The beloved, war-tested mascot of a Union regiment graces their battlefield monument.

  • Bum.

    Edinburgh, Scotland

    ‘A Canine Connection’

    This sculpture commemorates Edinburgh's sister city and their respective celebrity dogs.

  • Alresford, England

    Grave of Hambone Jr.

    This grave remembers the beloved canine companion of soldiers far from home.

  • Odate, Japan

    ‘Homesick Hachiko’

    Another statue of Japan's most famous dog stands in his hometown.

  • Red Dog Grave Memorial

    Cossack, Australia

    Red Dog Grave Memorial

    This site pays tribute to the life of an iconic local dog.

  • Sergeant Stubby giving a salute.

    Middletown, Connecticut

    Sergeant Stubby Statue

    This statue honoring the most decorated dog of World War I stands in a Connecticut park.

  • Big Fella Sculpture

    Silloth, England

    'Big Fella'

    One man and his dog, immortalized in a giant statue.

  • The great auk statue

    Iceland

    Great Auk Sculpture at Valahnúkamöl

    This five-foot-tall bronze bird is a memorial to a species that was hunted out of existence.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.