Distinctly Montana Magazine

84 D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A M A G A Z I N E • S U M M E R 2 0 2 6 Roosevelt stepped up to the man and knocked him out. Just an- other day in old-time Wibaux. Wibaux's wealth was substantial. When he died in Chicago in 1913, his estate was valued at more than $515,000—well over $17 million in modern purchasing power, depending on the in- flation measure used. His wife and son lived and died in Paris and were buried at Père Lachaise, as were Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde, Chopin, Edith Piaf, and many other famous celebrities. Wibaux, however, left instructions that tied him permanently to Montana. His ashes were placed beneath or near the statue that still looks over the town bearing his name. His legacy was not only financial. He was a benefactor in France, especially in Roubaix, where his philanthropy supported public and charitable works. In Montana, his most visible gift is St. Pe- ter's Catholic Church in Wibaux, still one of the town's defining landmarks. Wibaux Park in Miles City (Custer County) also car- ries his legacy. The town of Wibaux itself began under other names, including Beaver and Mingusville, before taking the cattleman's name. Its location near the North Dakota line helped make it the "Gate- way to Montana," but the railroad made it matter. Stockyards, shipping pens, hotels, stores, and saloons once served ranchers, railroad workers, homesteaders, and travelers. The town's his- tory is inseparable from cattle, rail, and the people who came through with hopes of making a living on the plains. Today Wibaux is quieter, but it has not lost its sense of identity. The town's historic district, St. Peter's, the Pierre Wibaux Muse- um, and the statue west of town all help preserve the story. So do newer businesses, including Beaver Creek Brewery, established in 2008 in Wibaux's historic district. Housed in a remodeled 1914 building, the brewery is a good example of new rural enter- prise built inside an old town's bones. Other Wibaux County communities did not fare as well. Carlyle, Yates, and St. Phillip appear on maps and in local memory, but they no longer function as the centers they once were. Like many eastern Montana places, they grew around post offices, schools, rail access, churches, or nearby ranching and farming popula- tions. As transportation changed and rural population declined, their public life faded. What remains are cemeteries, scattered buildings, road names, and stories. Agriculture remains the county's economic foundation. Cattle ranching is still important, fitting a landscape better suited to grass than dense settlement. Dryland grain farming, hay pro- duction, and related agricultural services also matter, though moisture is always the limiting factor. The county's economy has never been large, but it has been persistent. Recreation here is not organized around big, developed parks so much as open country. Hunting draws people for deer, antelope, and upland birds. Wildlife watching, backroad drives, photog- raphy, and quiet exploration are part of the appeal. Lamesteer

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