Wibaux ( ) is a town in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

Wibaux County Wibaux County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 937, making it the fourth-least populous county in Montana. Its county seat is Wibaux. History Wibaux County was created by the Montana Leg ...

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

, United States. It is the only incorporated town in Wibaux County. The population was 589 at the 2020 census.

History

The town originally had names such as Keith, Beaver, and Mingusville (named for Minnie and Gus Grisy, who ran the

Post Office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

in the late 19th century).100 Most Influential Montanans of the Century
The Missoulan
''The Missoulan'' In 1895, the town was renamed for prominent local cattle rancher,

Pierre Wibaux Pierre Wibaux (January 12, 1858 – March 21, 1913) was a French cattle owner and ranchman in Montana and North Dakota at the turn of the 20th century. He immigrated from his native France to seek business opportunities in America and was a ...

, who had immigrated to the area from

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

in 1883.Pierre Wibaux

''Ultimate Montana Atlas and Travel Encyclopedia'' Wibaux expanded his herds by buying stock from less fortunate ranchers. After Wibaux's arrival, the town became a major cattle shipping center for the

Northern Pacific Railroad The Northern Pacific Railway was a transcontinental railroad that operated across the northern tier of the western United States, from Minnesota to the Pacific Northwest. It was approved by 38th United States Congress, Congress in 1864 and given ...

, notably receiving some of the cattle from

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

Maltese Cross The Maltese cross is a cross symbol, consisting of four " V" or arrowhead shaped concave quadrilaterals converging at a central vertex at right angles, two tips pointing outward symmetrically. It is a heraldic cross variant which developed f ...

and Elkhorn ranches near Medora,

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...

.Theodore Roosevelt and the North Dakota Badland
Roosevelt the Rancher
'National Park Service'' The great cattle drives of the 1880s often passed by Wibaux on their way from

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

to the northern ranges.Theodore Roosevelt and the North Dakota Badlands
A Typical Cattle Drive
'National Park Service'' Theodore Roosevelt had a famous encounter with a bully at Nolan's Hotel in Wibaux (Mingusville, at the time) shortly after moving to the North Dakota Badlands in 1884. Arriving at the hotel late at night, Roosevelt was accosted by a drunk

sheep herder A shepherd or sheepherder is a person who tends, herds, feeds, or guards flocks of sheep. ''Shepherd'' derives from Old English ''sceaphierde (''sceap'' 'sheep' + ''hierde'' 'herder'). ''Shepherding is one of the world's oldest occupations, i ...

carrying cocked revolvers in both hands, and ordered to buy drinks for the crowd. Roosevelt pretended to move towards the bar, then punched the man three times in quick succession, causing the drunk to fire his revolvers as he fell. The future president then took away the man's guns before several other occupants of the hotel dragged him out into a shed. The

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

has three entries in Wibaux: The Pierre Wibaux House, St. Peter's Catholic Church, and the Wibaux Historical District.Montana: Wibaux County
State Listings
''National Register of Historic Places''

Modern day

Wibaux operates a state travel center at the town's exit from Interstate 94, the Pierre Wibaux House Museum, and the Centennial Car Museum, which was sent to the

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

World's Fair A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition or an expo, is a large international exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specif ...

in 1964. At the western end of town, there is a statue of Pierre Wibaux that he commissioned in his will to look over the sloping landscape. Each year the town holds a summer festival, called the Ski Fest as homage to its predominantly

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

roots. The 2002

Vin Diesel Mark Sinclair (born July 18, 1967), known professionally as Vin Diesel, is an American actor. One of the world's highest-grossing actors, he is best known for playing Dominic Toretto in the ''Fast & Furious'' franchise. Diesel began audition ...

movie,

Knockaround Guys ''Knockaround Guys'' is a 2001 American action crime thriller film starring Barry Pepper, Vin Diesel, Seth Green, John Malkovich and Dennis Hopper. It was filmed in locations in the U.S. and Canada including the small town of Delia, Alberta. Pl ...

, was based (although not filmed) in Wibaux.Knockaround Guys
Reel.com
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Geography and climate

Wibaux is located at (46.986991, -104.189848). It is the easternmost town in Montana along

Interstate 94 Interstate 94 (I-94) is an east–west Interstate Highway connecting the Great Lakes and northern Great Plains regions of the United States. Its western terminus is just east of Billings, Montana, at a junction with I-90; its eastern ter ...

and runs a rest stop/information center for motorists using the highway that is only open in the summer between May and September and is closed the rest of the year.Wibaux, Montana
TravelMT.com
''TravelMT.com'', retrieved 5 August 2007 According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the town has a total area of , all land. Beaver Creek runs through the town and has been known to contain large

Walleye The walleye (''Sander vitreus'', synonym ''Stizostedion vitreum''), also called the yellow pike or yellow pickerel, is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the Northern United States. It is a North American close relat ...

and

Northern Pike The northern pike (''Esox lucius'') is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus '' Esox'' (the pikes). They are typical of brackish and fresh waters of the Northern Hemisphere (''i.e.'' holarctic in distribution). They are known simply as a ...

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2010, there were 589 people, 278 households, and 153 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was . There were 308 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 96.4%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 0.5% Native American, 0.7%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.5% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.9% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 1.7% of the population. There were 278 households, of which 23.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.4% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 45.0% were non-families. 42.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.03 and the average family size was 2.76. The median age in the town was 50.4 years. 19.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 19.3% were from 25 to 44; 31.7% were from 45 to 64; and 25.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 47.4% male and 52.6% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 567 people, 239 households, and 139 families residing in the town. The

was 532.3 people per square mile (204.6/km²). There were 321 housing units at an average density of 301.4 per square mile (115.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.06%

, 0.35%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.53% Native American, 0.18% from

, and 0.88% from two or more races.

of any race were 0.71% of the population. There were 239 households, out of which 25.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.9% were

living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.8% were non-families. 39.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 3.00. In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.1% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 21.2% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 26.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 80.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $26,518, and the median income for a family was $36,250. Males had a median income of $25,893 versus $20,250 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $18,105. About 2.9% of families and 10.2% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 1.7% of those under age 18 and 14.6% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Wibaux Schools educates students from kindergarten through 12th grade. Wibaux County High School's team name is the Longhorns. Wibaux Public Library serves the area.

References

{{Montana county seats Towns in Wibaux County, Montana County seats in Montana 1895 establishments in Montana