▁has ▁been ▁written ▁about , ▁rom antic ized ▁and ▁chron ic led ▁in ▁personal ▁mem oir s , ▁bi ograph ies , ▁document ary ▁and ▁scholar ly ▁works , ▁film ▁and ▁fiction ▁for ▁well ▁over ▁a ▁century . ▁The ▁first ▁book ▁published ▁in ▁Mont ana ▁was ▁Thomas ▁J . ▁Dim sd ale ' s ▁ 1 8 6 6 ▁first ▁edition ▁of ▁The ▁V ig il antes ▁of ▁Mont ana , ▁which ▁was ▁compiled ▁from ▁a ▁series ▁of ▁newspaper ▁articles ▁he ▁wrote ▁for ▁the ▁Mont ana ▁Post ▁in ▁ 1 8 6 5 . ▁Historical ▁analysis ▁of ▁the ▁period ▁ranges ▁from ▁dis re put e ▁to ▁hero ism , ▁with ▁deb ates ▁over ▁whether ▁the ▁lack ▁of ▁any ▁function ing ▁justice ▁system ▁and ▁the ▁understanding ▁of ▁due ▁process ▁at ▁the ▁time ▁meant ▁the ▁vig il antes ▁acted ▁in ▁a ▁way ▁they ▁thought ▁was ▁best ▁for ▁their ▁communities ▁or ▁if ▁modern ▁standards ▁of ▁due ▁process ▁should ▁govern ▁analysis ▁of ▁their ▁actions . ▁ ▁B ann ack ▁and ▁Virginia ▁City ▁▁ ▁On ▁July ▁ 2 8 , ▁ 1 8 6 2 , ▁gold ▁was ▁discovered ▁along ▁Gr ass ho pper ▁Creek , ▁a ▁trib ut ary ▁of ▁the ▁Be aver head ▁River , ▁in ▁a ▁remote ▁part ▁of ▁eastern ▁Id aho ▁Territ ory , ▁leading ▁to ▁the ▁establishment ▁of ▁the ▁town ▁of ▁B ann ack . ▁B ann ack ▁was ▁a ▁gold ▁r ush ▁bo om town ▁that ▁was ▁the ▁first ▁territorial ▁capital ▁of ▁Mont ana ▁Territ ory ▁for ▁a ▁brief ▁period ▁after ▁the