ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses what is meant by "anarcho-capitalism" and presents several hypotheses relating to the nature of social organization in theoretical world. It argues that a characterization of the American West as chaotic would appear to be incorrect. Before turning to specific examples of anarcho-capitalistic institutions in the American West, it is useful to examine the legendary characterization of the "wild, wild West." The land clubs or claims associations, as the extra-legal associations came to be known, were found throughout the Middle West with the Iowa variety receiving the most attention. The voluntary, extra-legal associations provided protection and justice without apparent violence and developed rules consistent with the preferences, goals, and endowments of the participants. Like the rules of the mining camps, the wagon train constitutions varied according to the tastes and needs of each organization, but several general tendencies do emerge.
