Ubet, Montana facts for kids

Ubet (sometimes spelled U-Bet or U-bet) was once a busy stop for stagecoaches in what is now Judith Basin County, Montana. It was about 3 miles (4.8 km) west of Garneill, which was another well-known stagecoach station in the old Montana Territory.

What Was Ubet?

Imagine traveling across Montana in the 1800s. There were no cars or planes, only stagecoaches pulled by horses. These long journeys needed places for travelers to rest, eat, and change horses. These places were called "stage stops," and Ubet was one of them. It was a very important spot on the route between Fort Benton and Billings.

How Ubet Began

Ubet was started in 1880 by a man named A. R. Barrows. He was a lumberman, meaning he worked with wood, and his family was among the first white settlers in the Judith Basin area. The story goes that when someone asked him for a name for the new settlement's post office, Barrows simply replied, "You bet!" And that's how the name Ubet came to be.

Life at the Stage Stop

Ubet was more than just a place to stop. It grew into a small community. At one time, it had a two-story hotel made of logs where people could stay. There was also a barn for the stagecoaches and horses, a post office to send and receive mail, an icehouse to keep things cold, a saloon where people could relax, a blacksmith shop to fix metal tools and horse shoes, and a stable for the horses.

For travelers, Ubet was a welcome sight because there were very few other places to stop between Ubet and Billings. Mrs. Barrows' cooking was especially famous and loved by everyone who passed through.

Famous Visitors to Ubet

Some interesting people visited Ubet. One was a frontiersman named Liver-Eating Johnson, who was known for his adventurous life. Another famous visitor was a local cowboy named Charlie Russell. He later became a very well-known artist, famous for his paintings of cowboys and the American West.

Why Ubet Changed

Ubet's importance began to fade when railroads came to the area. Trains could carry people and goods much faster and more efficiently than stagecoaches. As a result, stage stops like Ubet were no longer needed as much, and the settlement slowly disappeared. Even though Ubet itself withered away, the railroad stops at Garneill and Judith Gap were actually first named "Ubet" too.

Ubet Today

In 1934, A. R. Barrows' son, John, wrote a book about his childhood memories of Ubet. It was called Ubet and was later reprinted as Ubet: A Greenhorn in Old Montana. This book helped keep the memory of Ubet alive.

By 1939, only one or two of the original log buildings remained at Ubet, and they were used by sheepherders. Today, most of the old settlement is gone, but there is still a Ubet Cemetery (also called Ubet-Garneill Cemetery) where some of the early settlers are buried.