Vigilantes: A Chronicle of the Rise and Fall of the Plummer Gang of Outlaws in and About Virginia City, Montana, in the Early '60's (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781026069837)

"Vigilantes" is a gripping historical chronicle that details the lawlessness and eventual frontier justice of the Montana Territory during the early 1860s. The work meticulously follows the rise and fall of the notorious Plummer Gang, a band of outlaws led by the charismatic yet treacherous Henry Plummer, who served as a local sheriff while secretly orchestrating a wave of robberies and murders across the region. Hoffman Birney provides a vivid account of the social chaos that gripped Virginia City and the surrounding gold camps, where the lack of established legal systems forced citizens to take matters into their own hands.

The narrative explores the formation of the Montana Vigilantes, a group of determined settlers who organized to dismantle Plummer's criminal empire through swift and often brutal retribution. By examining the tension between outlaws and those seeking to establish order, "Vigilantes" serves as a seminal record of the American West's transition from a violent frontier to a structured society. This account remains an essential resource for those interested in the history of the gold rush, the reality of frontier life, and the complex morality of vigilante justice during one of the most turbulent periods in American history.

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Author: Hoffman Birney
ISBN-10: 1026069831
ISBN-13: 9781026069837
Publisher: Tradd Street Press
Language: English
Published: 02/14/2026
Pages: 356
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.48lbs
Size: 9.21h x 6.14w x 0.81d