Located in the rolling plains of north central Montana, Havre was founded more than 100 years ago. Havre, a rural agricultural city, is situated close to the Canadian border amidst the wide panorama of the open plains. Also a railroad town, it offers modern city conveniences in a remote setting, surrounded by unaltered and uncluttered plains. The economy is diversified with farming, ranching, hospital and health services, education, professional and retail businesses and the railroad.

Havre is surrounded by the Milk River, wheat fields and the Bears Paw Mountains at an elevation of 2,494 feet. Self-guided walking tours of historic sites and homes in downtown Havre are available from the Chamber of Commerce (265-4383). Also, Havre is the home of Montana State University-Northern.

Buffalo Jump & Archaeology Site (265-6417 or 265-4000) is one of the largest prehistoric Indian bison kill- and camp-sites. The site was frequently used from approximately 2,000 to 600 years ago. Discovered in the fall of 1961, the site, situated on county land, has been kept in its natural state. The walking tour provides a unique and unequaled view of the area’s cultural history.

Havre Beneath the Streets (Historical Underground Tour, 265-8888) is a re-creation of Havre’s history. Step back in time as far as 100 years ago, into the Sporting Eagle Saloon, a turn-of-the-century honkytonk where cowboys gambled, kicked up their heels and drank good old-fashioned frontier rot-gut. Saunter along the streets beneath Havre and the Sporting Eagle Saloon, and visit an opium den (one of three known to have existed in the early days), a Chinese laundry, bakery, barbershop, an ethnic restaurant, and of course, a bordello. They all look as they did at the turn of the century.

Enjoy a guided tour of a military post of yesterday. Historic Fort Assinniboine (265-4000 or 265-8336), a late 19th-century Army installation, is one of the oldest in existence and the largest in Montana. Previously the frontier home of battalions of American infantry and cavalry and the site of John J. Pershing’s first field assignment, the fort stands today as a monument to our state’s exciting past. Historic Fort Assinniboine, complete with preserved buildings, lies six miles southwest of Havre near the Milk River.

Located on the Holiday Village Mall, just west of Havre, the H. Earl Clack Museum (265-4000) gives an accurate picture of the history and development of Havre and the Hi-Line area. The museum features an archaeological excavation of a buffalo jump and a detailed explanation of a buffalo-kill. Four dioramas grace the museum, one by nationally known artist, Bob Scriver.

In the Bears Paw Mountains to the south is Beaver Creek Park. This 10,000-acre park, one of the largest county parks in the United States, features rolling grasslands, wooded groves, rocky cliffs and rushing streams. The Rocky Boy’s and Fort Belknap Indian reservations are nearby.