The founding of St. Labre Indian School in 1884 was one of the first efforts to care for Native Americans who had been displaced as a result of
homesteading. George Yoakum, a former soldier who had been stationed near
Miles City, Montana, recognized the hard times experienced by the Northern Cheyenne. He contacted
John Brondel,
Bishop of Helena, and told him of Native American people who were roaming the
Tongue River Valley without homes or land—a reservation had not yet been set aside as their land. Land was purchased by the Bishop, and on March 29, 1884, St. Labre Indian School, named for
St. Benedict Joseph Labre, became a reality. The school is located in
Ashland, Montana, a primarily white community which did not exist at the time of the founding of the school. Ashland has a K to 8th grade school serving its residents available to the students at St. Labre School. St. Labre offers a Catholic education as well as a curriculum similar to other Rosebud County schools. St. Labre also has a high school while the public school ends at eighth grade. Ashland Elementary students often continue their education at Colstrip High which is an hour commute. ==Controversy==