Viewing Patrick B. Nolan: "The Waseca County Horse Thief
Detective Society." (1971) Vigilantes, popularly thought to be a
phenomenon of the far western frontier, were active in several
communities Minnesota and other states in the Midwest in the
nineteenth century, long after the frontier had passed.
Vigilance committees emerged to combat acts of lawlessness that
could not be controlled by the county sheriff whose office was
not adequately funded or staffed. They were formal organizations
with members, officers, and governing charters.