3-7-77 is a symbol originally used by the

Montana Vigilantes The history of vigilante justice and the Montana Vigilantes began in 1863 in what was at the time a remote part of eastern Idaho Territory. Vigilante activities continued, although somewhat sporadically, through the Montana Territorial period un ...

, a 19th century

vigilance committee A vigilance committee was a group formed of private citizens to administer law and order or exercise power through violence in places where they considered governmental structures or actions inadequate. A form of vigilantism and often a more stru ...

Virginia City, Montana Virginia City is a town in and the county seat of Madison County, Montana, United States. In 1961 the town and the surrounding area were designated a National Historic Landmark District, the Virginia City Historic District. The population was 2 ...

, United States.

Historic examples

When the numbers "3-7-77" were painted on a tent or cabin, it was a warning that the occupants could face

vigilantism Vigilantism () is the act of preventing, investigating and punishing perceived offenses and crimes without legal authority. A vigilante (from Spanish, Italian and Portuguese “vigilante”, which means "sentinel" or "watcher") is a person who ...

if they did not leave the area. In 1917, union organizer Frank Little was lynched, and a note pinned to his body read, "Others take notice, first and last warning, 3-7-77."

Modern examples

The numbers are used on the shoulder patch of the

Montana Highway Patrol The Montana Highway Patrol (MHP) is the highway patrol agency for the U.S. state of Montana, which has jurisdiction anywhere in the state over Montana Traffic law. History The Montana Highway Patrol was founded in 1935 after Montana led the nat ...

. The Association of Montana Troopers website says the patch: The symbol appears on the flight suits of pilots of the

Montana Air National Guard The Montana Air National Guard (MT ANG) is the aerial militia of the State of Montana, United States of America. Along with the Montana Army National Guard it is an element of the Montana National Guard. As state militia units, the units in the M ...

, and the flight patch of the Montana Army National Guard Medevac unit 1189th GSAB – Vigilantes. The symbol is the logo of

Big Sky Brewing Company Big Sky Brewing Company is a brewery and taproom located in Missoula, Montana. It is owned by three partners, Bjorn Nabozney, Neal Leathers, and Brad Robinson. It is Montana's largest brewery. It first opened its doors in 1995 on 120-A Hickory ...

Missoula, Montana Missoula ( ; fla, label= Séliš, Nłʔay, lit=Place of the Small Bull Trout, script=Latn; kut, Tuhuⱡnana, script=Latn) is a city in the U.S. state of Montana; it is the county seat of Missoula County. It is located along the Clark Fork ...

. Some floats in the Vigilante Day Parade in Helena, Montana, display the numbers 3-7-77.

Origin

Theories regarding the origin and meaning of the symbol include: *The numbers represent the date the Vigilante Oath was signed in

Bannack, Montana Bannack is a ghost town in Beaverhead County, Montana, United States, located on Grasshopper Creek, approximately upstream from where Grasshopper Creek joins with the Beaverhead River south of Dillon. Founded in 1862, the town is a National His ...

, the first seat of Justice in the state. This claim is perpetuated by a supposed oath, dated March 7, 1877, that hangs on the wall of the Masonic Lodge 3-7-77 in Bannack. * The numbers represent the dimensions of a grave, 3 feet by 7 feet by 77 inches. * Frederick Allen, in his book ''A Decent Orderly Lynching'', says the number meant the person had to buy a $3 ticket on the next 7:00 a.m. stagecoach to take the 77-mile trip from Helena to

Butte __NOTOC__ In geomorphology, a butte () is an isolated hill with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top; buttes are smaller landforms than mesas, plateaus, and tablelands. The word ''butte'' comes from a French word me ...

. * The number set may have something to do with the date March 7, 1877. The numbers may have been first used during that decade, but did not appear in print until the 19th century. The first

Masonic Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

meeting in Bannack, Montana is sometimes said to have taken place on March 7, 1877, but there is no historic evidence for this claim.Allen, Frederick, ‘Montana Vigilantes and the Origins of 3-7-77’, Montana: The Magazine of Western History, Vol. 51, No. 1 (2001) The same source (the Bannack State Park Guide) also claims that in 1874, realizing the need for a school, the Bannack Masonic Lodge 16 built a combination lodge building and school. However, this would mean that the first Masonic meeting in Bannack was held well before March 7, 1877. The Bannack Masons actually applied for a charter for a Masonic Lodge in 1863. Bannack Lodge 16 was chartered in 1871, and remained open until 1921, when it consolidated with the Dillon Masonic Lodge. Hence, the date theory does not stand. In 2000 Bannack Historic Lodge 3-7-77 was organized through the Grand Lodge of Montana.

References

Pre-statehood history of Montana Vigilantism in the United States American frontier Law enforcement in Montana {{US-hist-stub