3-7-77 was the infamous symbol of the Montana Vigilantes (Vigilance Committee

Vigilance committee

A vigilance committee was a group formed of private citizens to administer law and order where they considered governmental structures to be inadequate. The term is commonly associated with the frontier areas of the American West in the mid-19th century, where groups attacked cattle rustlers and...

) in Virginia City, Montana

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 was designated a National Historic Landmark District, the Virginia City Historic District...

. People who had the mysterious set of numbers '3-7-77' painted on their tent

Tent

A tent is a shelter consisting of sheets of fabric or other material draped over or attached to a frame of poles or attached to a supporting rope. While smaller tents may be free-standing or attached to the ground, large tents are usually anchored using guy ropes tied to stakes or tent pegs...

 or cabin

Log cabin

A log cabin is a house built from logs. It is a fairly simple type of log house. A distinction should be drawn between the traditional meanings of "log cabin" and "log house." Historically most "Log cabins" were a simple one- or 1½-story structures, somewhat impermanent, and less finished or less...

 knew that they had better leave the area or be on the receiving end of vigilante

Vigilante

A vigilante is a private individual who legally or illegally punishes an alleged lawbreaker, or participates in a group which metes out extralegal punishment to an alleged lawbreaker....

 justice. To this day the numbers appear on the shoulder patch of the Montana Highway Patrol

Montana Highway Patrol

The Montana Highway Patrol is the highway patrol agency for Montana, which has jurisdiction anywhere in the state. It was created to protect the lives, property and constitutional rights of people in Montana.-History:...

, who claim they do not know the original meaning of the symbol. It also appears on the flight suits of pilots of the Montana Air National Guard. Further, it appears under the bottle cap of certain varieties of Big Sky Brewing Company beer . Various theories have been put forth about its origin, among them:

• The oldest interpretation is that it meant that the criminal had 3 hours 7 minutes and 77 seconds to leave town.

• Another common interpretation is that the numbers represent the dimensions of a grave, 3 feet by 7 feet by 77 inches.

• The sum of the number 3+7+7+7 total 24, representing the criminal had 24 hours to leave town.

• That it was borrowed from California
  California
  California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
  
   or Colorado
  Colorado
  Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
  
   vigilance organizations where member number #3 and #77 were authorized to carry out executions.

• Frederick Allen, in his book A Decent Orderly Lynching, claims the number means one had to buy a $3 ticket on the next 7:00 a.m. Stagecoach
  Stagecoach
  A stagecoach is a type of covered wagon for passengers and goods, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, usually four-in-hand. Widely used before the introduction of railway transport, it made regular trips between stages or stations, which were places of rest provided for stagecoach travelers...
  
   to take the 77-mile trip from Helena to Butte.

External links

• Montana Vigilantes and the Origins of the 3-7-77