Few realize that "vigilante" came from the Spanish for guard. Vigilante action against ladrones in Mexico was a part of the development of that country's rural economy as well.
Lynching connected to pioneer justice in areas of the United States that had not yet come under the rule of law is not just movie romance, but a part of American history. Its end came near the end of the 19th century, after courts and law enforcement covered the country, including Alaska, where the gold rush of 1898 saw its last use. The Vigilantes of Virginia City and the Vigilance Committee of San Francisco are well-known and were covered in a number of books, but most citizen justice before law took over was private and seldom publicised.