Wibaux

History

The town originally had names such as Keith, Beaver, and Mingusville (named for Minnie and Gus Grisy, who ran the town's post office in the late 19th century). In 1895, the town was renamed for prominent local cattle rancher Pierre Wibaux, who had immigrated to the area from France in 1883. 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 great cattle drives of the 1880s often passed by Wibaux on their way from Texas to the northern ranges. 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 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.

Geography

Wibaux is located at Montana's border to North Dakota. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all land. Beaver Creek runs through the town and has been known to contain large walleye and Northern Pike. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Wibaux has a cold semi-arid climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Wibaux was on August 1, 1918, May 29, 1919, and August 7, 1949, while the coldest temperature recorded was in January 1916. |source 2 = National Weather Service }}

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  353
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  283
• Western Meadowlark

  Sturnella neglecta Audubon, 1844 · Aves
  274
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  265
• Common Grackle

  Quiscalus quiscula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  204
• Ring-necked Pheasant

  Phasianus colchicus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  173
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  166
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  156

Most recent

• M 2.6 — 2026-08-13
  2 km SE of Amidon, North Dakota
• M 2.6 — 2014-05-06
  12 km NNW of Knife River, Montana