After the U.S. military established Camp Cooke west of the Judith River in 1866, Fort Benton merchant Thomas C. Power built a trading post nearby to supply soldiers and area Indians. When Camp Cooke closed in 1870, Power renamed the post Fort Clagett and hired James Wells as manager. Through the 1870s, steamboat traffic and trade with Indians decreased, while cattle ranching grew. Wells moved the post east to this more advantageous river crossing in 1880, installed a cable ferry, opened the Judith post office, and started raising cattle. Although Wells’ health was failing, he and a carpenter spent six months building this sandstone and granite store/warehouse, which was completed in December 1882. Iron-clad doors fortified the store's entrance on the north wall, and teamsters could unload large quantities of beans, oats, whiskey, and other staples directly into a cellar door (removed) on the east wall. The store supplied the ranching community until 1934, when the building was converted into a barn by the PN Ranch. The original front façade collapsed in 1975, after high water undercut the north wall.
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