Most of the people who came to Deadwood had a sense of law and order. They wanted to replicate the society left behind. They had to do it themselves because they arrived there before state or federal peacekeepers.

Miners knew how to create order through miners' meetings. They set up a mining district and laid out rules. Those who broke the rules were tried in miners' court.

Some men came to Deadwood because they saw no law and order. They learned the miners' court worked as well as any other. There were mistakes and disputed decisions, but people seeking justice could find it.