3-7-77

Montana Highway Patrol patch

3-7-77 is a symbol originally used by the Montana Vigilantes, a 19th century vigilance committee in Virginia City, Montana, United States. When the numbers "3-7-77" were painted on a tent or cabin, it was a warning that the occupants could face vigilantism 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."

The numbers are used on the shoulder patch of the Montana Highway Patrol. The Association of Montana Troopers website says the patch:

Is emblematic of the first organized law enforcement in Montana. The Montana Highway Patrol, in adopting this early symbol, honors the first men in the Montana Territory who organized for the safety and welfare of the people.

It has been suggested the numbers represent the date the Vigilante Oath was signed in Bannack, Montana, 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 symbol also appears on the flight suits of pilots of the Montana Air National Guard, and the Flight Patch of the Montana Army National Guard Medevac unit 1189th GSAB – Vigilantes. Further, it appears under the bottle cap of certain varieties of Big Sky Brewing Company beer.

Origin

Various theories have been put forth about its meaning, including:

• 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.
• 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 appeared in print until the 19th century. The first Masonic meeting in Bannack, Montana is sometimes said to have taken place on March 7, 1877, but there is no historic evidence for this claim. 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.
• A more plausible explanation would have the first two numbers, 3-7, refer to the Gospel of Matthew 3:7 and the Gospel of Luke 3:7, which read, "O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" The last number, 77 may refer to a concept attributed to Saint Augustine whereby 77 stands for the last limit of a sin or transgression, being the product of 11 (the number representing sin or general transgression of the law) multiplied by 7 (the number of perfection). Beyond this, 3 and 7 are both considered to be perfect numbers, according to Hebrew tradition, and are significant in many ways in Freemasonry. The fact that the 77 in "3-7-77" follows another 7 is also curious because "777" is used in the Book of Revelations to signify the people chosen by God. The number 777 is an esoteric references used by the occult for the phrase "Ordo ab Chao" (Latin for "Order out of Chaos"), the motto of the 33rd Degree of Scottish Rite Freemasonry. The Jewish Gematria value for the phrase "Order Out Of Chaos" is also 777.