Founded in 1937, and located in Whitehall, a stock company licensed under the name Jefferson Valley Rural Electric Cooperative began operation. In 1939, after reorganization, this business became a non-profit membership cooperative with a new name, Vigilante Electric Cooperative, Inc.

The original service area extended from just north of Twin Bridges down the Jefferson River Valley, and included areas around Silver Star, Waterloo, Whitehall, Cardwell, and Jefferson Island.

Sometime during the first couple of years of its existence, the headquarters was moved to Twin Bridges. With the expansion of the cooperative's distribution system southward into Beaverhead County, the office was moved to Dillon in 1943.

Today, Vigilante Electric Cooperative provides electrical power in nine Montana counties and one Idaho county. With our main office in Dillon, and outposts in Whitehall and Townsend, we provide electrical power to over 11,000 services and maintain over 2,700 miles of transmission and distribution line. Our mission is simple, to provide our members with a reliable source of electricity at the lowest possible cost.