Selected Books for Sale

The Myhre Book Store in Virginia City carries a selection of Montana and Western history books. Some of the titles which might be of interest to visitors to this site are listed below. If you wish to order a book, please follow these ordering instructions.

Scandal of the West: Domestic Violence on the Frontier, R. E. Mather, with an Introduction by Louis Schmittroth $15.95
Paper Back 1998 (1st edition) autographed.
Click here for a description, an image of the front cover, and an excerpt.
Vigilante Victims, Mather & Boswell $24.95
Hard Cover 1991 (1st edition) autographed.
Mather and Boswell relate the gripping stories of twenty-one lynchings that took place in the gold fields of Montana. Montana's 1864 turmoil, the authors contend, was no simple combat between good and evil, but a struggle for power.
Hanging the Sheriff, Mather & Boswell $24.95
Hard Cover 1987 (out of print) autographed.
The authors present accurate biographical details of Plummer's life as well as information on the life of Electa Plummer, his wife. The book represents an enormous amount of meticulous work, and the authors boldly declare Plummer's innocence of all crimes attributed to him.
Gold Camp Desperadoes, Mather & Boswell $24.95
HardCover 1990 (1st ed.)autographed.
The authors tell five stories that explore the rash of robberies and murders which plagued the mining frontier during the 1850's and 1860's. The stories profile Charley Forbes, Cherokee Bob, Bill Mayfield, Jack Cleveland, George Ives, and others.
The Trial of Henry Plummer, Weber $15.00
Transcripts 1993. Described in Mark Webers biography.
Montana, The Gold Frontier, Cushman $21.95
Hard Cover 1973 (1st edition) autographed.
Dan Cushman, author of over 60 books including Stay Away Joe which became a broadway play and later a movie starring Elvis Presly. Cushman, now 92 years old, is a native Montanan. He writes that the actions of the vigilates were politically motivated, that there was no decrease in crime after the 1864 hanging spree, and that there could not have been an organized gang of road agents.
Perilous Passage, Purple $15.95
Paperback 1995
A narrative of the Montana gold rush written by one of the participants, Edwin Purple. Purple tells of his association with Henry Plummer, the politics of the day, and the general confusion caused by a gold strike.
Vengeance! The Saga of Poor Tom Cover, Thrapp $29.95
Hard Cover 1989
Thomas Cover was one of the original discoverers of gold in Virginia City Montana. His short tenure there included becoming a member of the Montana Vigilantes. This book tells his incredible story and sheds light on one of the vigilante victims, Boone Helm.
Vigilante, the Rise and Fall of Frontier Justice, Weber $19.95
Video 1996
This half hour video takes a look at Montana's golden past and the role of the vigilante in the settling of the West. Features Mike Malone and Montana Governor Marc Racicot.
Vigliante Days and Ways, Langford $14.95
Paperback 1996
Written by Nathaniel Langford in 1890, reprinted in 1996 by American World and Geographic Publishers. Langford was a member of the Vigilantes of Southwestern Montana. He did not write his version of the story until 26 years after the extra-legal activites of the Vigilantes. For a more modern appraisal of Langford, see the article by J. W. Smurr, Afterthoughts on the Vigilantes.
Road to Virginia City, Andrew Rolle $9.95
The diary of James Knox Polk Miller
Paperback 1960
In 1864 a young James K.P. Miller adventured into the gold camps of Virginia City. He spent two years of clerking, bookeeping, and mercantile speculation in the area. The Road to Virginia City is his day by day account of the life and times of Virginia City.
Montana's Righteous Hangmen, Lew Callaway Jr. $12.95
Paperback 1982
Lew Callaway arrived in Virginia City in 1871. His father was secretary of the Territory. Lew went on to serve as Madison County Attorney, Mayor of Virginia City, and Chief Justice of the Montana Supreme Court. He died in 1951. His son, Lew Callaway Jr., edited his father's memoirs into this volume.
Vigilante's of Montana, Dimsdale $12.95
Paperback
Thomas Dimsdale was editor of the Montana Post in Virginia City in 1864. His account of lawlessness and vigilante activity was originally published as a serial in the Post. After his death in 1866 the series was printed in one volume. For an assessment of Dimsdale you might want to look at the articles Was Dimsdale a Vigilante, and/or Afterthoughts on the Vigilantes.

Ordering

There are three ways (at present) to order:
  1. Use email to sales@montana-vigilantes.org and include the name(s) of the book(s), plus your VISA or MasterCard card number, the name on the card, and the expiry date of the card. Your credit card account will be charged the price of the books plus $3.00 per book for handling and shipping.
  2. Use regular mail and include the same information. The address is:
  3. Telephone your order to 406 684 5530 (Winter number)