Wibaux County ( ) is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

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 Columb ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 937, making it the fourth-least populous county in Montana. Its

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 ...

is Wibaux.

History

Wibaux County was created by the

Montana Legislature The Montana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Montana. It is composed of the 100-member Montana House of Representatives and the 50-member Montana Senate. The Montana Constitution dictates that the legislature meet ...

in 1914 from parts of Dawson, Fallon, and Richland Counties. The name comes from

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 ...

(1858–1913), a late 19th-century

cattle baron Cattle baron is a historic term for a local businessman and landowner who possessed great power or influence through the operation of a large ranch with many beef cattle. Cattle barons in the late 19th century United States were also sometimes re ...

and friend of

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 ...

whose ranch was just over the border (in

Dakota Territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of N ...

, later

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minnesota to the east, So ...

). According to legend, Pierre Wibaux's cowboys surrounded the town of Mingusville, and wouldn't let anyone enter or leave town unless they signed a petition changing the name of the town to Wibaux. Upon his death, his ashes were spread over a hill west of Wibaux. Today, a statue of Pierre Wibaux stands on that hill.

Geography

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 t ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.07%) is water. It is the third-smallest county in Montana by land area.

Adjacent counties

* Richland County – north * Dawson County – northwest * Prairie County – west * Fallon County – south *

Golden Valley County, North Dakota Golden Valley County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,736,} making it the fourth-least populous county in North Dakota. The county seat is Beach. The county should not be confused wi ...

– east *

McKenzie County, North Dakota McKenzie County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,704. Its county seat is Watford City. The county lies immediately adjacent to the Williston Micropolitan Statistical Area, although th ...

– northeast

Major highways

* Interstate 94 * U.S. Highway 10 (Former) *

Montana Highway 7 Montana Highway 7 (MT 7) is an state highway located in the eastern Montana extending south to north from Ekalaka to Wibaux. Route description Montana Highway 7 begins its southern end at the northern terminus of Montana Secondary Highw ...

National protected area

Lamesteer National Wildlife Refuge Lamesteer National Wildlife Refuge is an National Wildlife Refuge in eastern 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 t ...

Demographics

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 1,068 people, 421 households, and 287 families in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), 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 ...

was less than 1 person per square mile (1/km²). There were 587 housing units at an average density of 0.7/square mile (0.3/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.03%

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 o ...

, 0.19%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

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 ...

, 0.47% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.28% 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 0.84% from two or more races. 0.37% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties forme ...

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. 32.4% were of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

, 18.7%

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

, 13.3%

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

, 6.7%

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and 6.4%

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

ancestry. There were 421 households, out of which 29.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.20% were married couples living together, 5.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.80% were non-families. 29.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.02. The county population contained 25.80% under the age of 18, 5.80% from 18 to 24, 22.50% from 25 to 44, 24.30% from 45 to 64, and 21.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 92.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.20 males. The median income for a household in the county was $28,224, and the median income for a family was $34,265. Males had a median income of $22,750 versus $18,667 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 county was $16,121. About 8.60% of families and 15.30% 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 18.70% of those under age 18 and 12.60% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 1,017 people, 457 households, and 281 families in the county. The population density was . There were 538 housing units at an average density of 0.6/square mile (0.2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.6% white, 0.5% Asian, 0.4% American Indian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.3% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 46.3% were

, 13.7% were

, 13.4% were

, 12.1% were American, 9.5% were

, 8.0% were

, and 5.3% were

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

. Of the 457 households, 24.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.1% were married couples living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 38.5% were non-families, and 35.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.80. The median age was 49.0 years. The median income for a household in the county was $40,417 and the median income for a family was $51,354. Males had a median income of $43,438 versus $24,821 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,579. About 7.2% of families and 11.8% of the population were below the

, including 22.7% of those under age 18 and 12.8% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Wibaux County voters are reliably Republican. Since 1964 they have selected the Democratic Party candidate in only one national election (as of 2016).

Communities

Town

* Wibaux (county seat)

Unincorporated communities

* Carlyle * St. Phillip''St Phillip MT'' Google Maps (accessed January 7, 2019)
/ref> * Yates

References

{{Coord, 46.96, -104.25, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-MT_source:UScensus1990 1914 establishments in Montana Populated places established in 1914