It’s a crisp morning in Fort Benton, a small town nestled on the banks of the Missouri River. The smell of burning sage trickles into the fresh summer air as people begin arriving.
Michelle Hernandez begins the celebration with a blessing and introduction
"I am from Fort Hall, Idaho and I’m here representing my great grandmother Minnie Burton."
Hernandez and nearly 100 visitors, descendants and locals are sitting in white chairs facing a new mural commissioned by Destination Fort Benton to honor the team.
The Fort Shaw Indian School Girls Basketball Team navigated boarding school and forced assimilation while becoming a team of skilled athletes and artists. They played exhibition games throughout the state before eventually debuting at the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904.
Among the event’s speakers is Linda Peavy who co-authored a book on the history of the team. It took over a decade to write.
"That’s sort of how this story happened, and it keeps having a life of its own," Peavy says.
She says the spirit of the story lives on, in part, through preservation.
Attendees filter up to the second floor of the Fort Benton Pharmacy. Wood floors creak under the visitors. Old masonic designs stretch along faded red walls. Here the girls played a game exactly 123 years ago to the day.
The day wrapped up in the town’s agricultural museum. Here stood a backdrop of belongings, photos and historical records about the team, including a buckskin dress made by one of the players.
Outside, Hernandez looks at a large photo of her great-grandmother Minnie.
"What an honor to bless this place," Sanchez says. "It brought tears to my eyes thinking my grandmother played here."
She says the legacy lives on through days like this.
