California Surveyors Forums

You see these displays in rustic bars/saloons from Idaho to the coast.

Thing is, I've never encountered any of these intricate designs in my work here in California.

What gives?

If a fenceline dates back to the mid or late 1800s, it has almost certainly had several replaced posts and new wire run on the posts 3 or 4 times.

You shouldn't expect to find the original wire strung between posts that old. But if you look closely, you may find short pieces of it on a few posts, or in trees that served as posts and grew around the old wire. You may find some still attached to old posts that are no longer part of the standing fence but were maybe left on the ground nearby after they were pulled and replaced, or maybe just where they fell as their bases rotted. If the fenceline passes through dense brush, and if that brush has been in place for several decades, you may find portions of standing fence with the original wire of some odd design on it. the dense brush protects the posts and wire from direct exposure to the elements that degrade them.

There seem to be few variations of standard barbed wire fence anymore, but in the late 1800s, there were several dozen. Many of which were made for only a few years before the manufacturer switched to some newer, improved design.

On rare occurrence, I've found pieces of old barbed and been able to date the fence to a fairly short span of years because of the unique barb design.

More likely - ancient wire will be found buried in trees

(Reference: Prick 'n Barbs, ooops! Make that Barbs, Prongs, Points, Prickers & Stickers, by Robert T. Clifton (University of Oaklahoma Press. Lib. Congress Card No. 78-88140)

Phil - Sonoma