Carter is a few miles southwest of Fort Benton, near the Missouri River at a spot where a ferry operated for many years. The town was originally called Sidney, but in 1905 the Great Northern Railroad changed the name to honor a US Senator Thomas Carter, who was also Montana’s first congressman. (from Cheney’s Names on the Face of Montana, Mountain Press Publishing Company) Carter County was also named after this senator when it was created in 1917 from parts of Fallon County.
Today, this small community still features a ferry that crosses the Missouri River and provides fishing access to the river at a Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks site. Farms surrounding the Carter community are noted for their wheat and barley production. The community is located adjacent to US Highway 87.