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The History of Rehberg Ranch
A.J. Rehberg |
"There
was some real cowboys up there. Ol' Calamity
Jane. Kid Curry, the only one of the wild
bunch that ever killed anybody. I liked him
pretty good. And of course, A.J. Rehberg.
Tough old guy. One of the guys that did a
damn good job of surviving."
Don Cooper
Billings resident,
Western Historian |
The Rehberg Ranch was founded
by AJ Rehberg, a man who did not suffer fools,
tenderfeet or braggarts. In 1882, at the age
of nine, AJ Rehberg left home by himself,
riding through the cowcamps of Montana, carrying
a bedroll and calling home any place he could
find work breaking horses or punching cattle.
But working someone else’s spread wasn’t
quite enough for AJ. It was only a matter
of time before this restless young man staked
a claim of his own.
He did just that, on a high stretch of rimrock
prairie land above Billings in a dramatic
collection of coulees mostly hidden from the
town below. So secluded and untraveled were
these mysterious draws that horse rustlers
and small-time bandits are thought to have
borrowed their shady overhangs for a night’s
refuge.
Modesty aside, AJ was a proud family man.
Come afternoon, the chores were dutifully
ditched in favor of a family picnic or a spell
on the porch watching over cherished grandkids
and great-grandkids. This is why, today, Rehberg
Ranch has been molded into a quaint rural
neighborhood with fine family homes. Back
country trails wind through gentle hills beneath
an evergreen canopy and wide-open sky, and
burst onto fields of wildflowers with views
as stirring as the day is long. But we don’t
mean to boast. AJ would have had none of it.
Suffice it to say, we offer his in the spirit
of a man who was proud of a precious few things;
his family, and the place that one generation
after another has quietly called home. Now
you can too.
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A Sunday family outing on the Rehberg
Ranch near the original cabin located close to the
Great Northern Railway, circa 1933.
Friends and family gathered for
Sunday celebration circa 1945. Usually following the gathering
of cattle and branding. On most Sundays you could find
friends of the Rehbergs at the ranch for picnics.
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Employees of Midland
Guernsey Dairy Farm started by A.J. Rehberg
in 1907 on Rehberg Lane. The location of Mayflower
Congregational Church is where Rehberg's registered
herd of Guernsey cattle was pastured on Sundays.
Poly Drive was a favorite street for families
out for a Sunday drive. |
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Al and Ada with one
of the collies that lived with them at the
ranch. |
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The porch at the ranch
house was a place to spot antelope, deer,
and birds and a special place for the grandchildren
to play. Often you could find both A.J. and
Ada there enjoying evening sunsets.
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Al getting ready to
ride his ranch. He rode his horses until he
was 85.
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A horse driven wagon
coming off the Rims using the road that was
built when the Great Northern Railroad came
through the ranch. It has since washed out.
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