2024 Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame Inductee
In the spring of 1944, with World War II in full swing, Durl Gibbs graduated from high school. By that fall he was inducted into the United States Army and shortly after, he was sent overseas to the Philippines. Durl was part of the Okinawan Campaign and while his unit was preparing to make the final assault on Japan, the Japanese surrendered.
Durl met Lucille Hofer shortly after being discharged from the Army in 1946. The couple married in June 1949. “I always wanted to come to Montana, and raise cattle,” he said. “So, we put an ad in the Montana Farmer-Stockman (for ranch hire).” After receiving a written invitation for hire, from Vern Watson, who owned the Green Ranch in Buffalo, Montana, they decided to accept.
The Gibbs, along with their two young sons, headed north on a cold January morning in 1956. In the summer of the same year, Durl met Bill Gaugler of Judith Gap, Montana. They bought registered Hereford cattle together and formed the partnership named Gaugler-Gibbs Herefords. By the fall, the family moved from Buffalo to a place one mile south of Judith Gap, where Durl was able to realize a dream of raising his own registered Hereford cattle. He began to build his reputable herd and sell registered bulls.
They had been at Judith Gap for seven years, when in November of 1963, Durl was given the opportunity to lease the Green Ranch. The family moved back to Buffalo where they managed their herd of 250 cows, mostly registered Herefords, farmed, and put-up hay.
While leasing the Green Ranch, Durl continued to develop his registered cattle operation. He was elected to the board of directors of the Central Montana Hereford Association and was an active member of the American Hereford Association. His study of beef cattle genetics led him to become a foundation breeder of Line 14 Herefords developed at Fort Keogh Research Station in Miles City, Montana. Durl was also a pioneer of artificial insemination in the Central Montana region. He was devoted to the betterment of seed stock cattle.
In 2011, Durl and his children traveled to Japan, to meet the daughter of a Japanese soldier he had faced in battle on the island of Okinawa in World War II. While in Japan, he was known as the American soldier with the white cowboy hat. Durl has been honored that over the past several years, he has been chosen to represent his fellow veterans by speaking at Veteran’s and Memorial Day events.