✅ SOLVED Barbed Wire Fence Post Please help...

[cdsieg]

I came across this deep in the woods in East Texas, I googled barbed wire fence post, history of..., and more, I can't find any that look like this. I am looking for dates of when something like this might have been made and etc. Thanks for your time.

 

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[taz42o]

That was a living tree that grew around the wire then most of it weathered away leaving the part you see.

 

[River Rat]

I have old, old fence posts made of heart pine from over 100 yrs ago. They're now, at least some of em are used as a border around my flower beds. Many have the "knots" as seen here, but none quite like in your picture. Looks as this would of been cedar as cedar fences are big in some states. I like the way the wire looks as if put thru the knots on through it. I don't want to say it was a tree as taz42o states. Have to make a trip into the woods & follow the fence line as some are still in use.

old cedar fence posts - Google Search

 

[Breezie]

Where the knots & 'flanges' are located (I used flanges for a lack of a better word) looks to be 2 different pieces. I think someone took part of another cedar tree and stuffed those flanges inside the knots. This might have been done when the tree trunk/post was green. Just my WAG . . .Very interesting find Breezie

 

[River Rat]

I wish I knew of a better word than "flanges". Many have pine knots that still may be attach to a rotting, downed pine...will have to make another trip to the woods...cold & raining now, so that out of the question. But, we have a huge collection of pine knots...depending on the shape, most are chopped for kindling. Many "flanges" are still attached or just found deep in the pine woods. Here's one I found on the ground several years back, is was unique looking and a thin needle like part of the wood got broken off...but both are kept with my odd collections of mother nature.

 

[Breezie]

I wish I knew of a better word than "flanges". Many have pine knots that still may be attach to a rotting, downed pine...will have to make another trip to the woods...cold & raining now, so that out of the question. But, we have a huge collection of pine knots...depending on the shape, most are chopped for kindling. Many "flanges" are still attached or just found deep in the pine woods. Here's one I found on the ground several years back, is was unique looking and a thin needle like part of the wood got broken off...but both are kept with my odd collections of mother nature.

View attachment 720272

Most interesting! I look forward to seeing more this Spring. I've heard the Southern expression, 'tougher than a lighter knot' all of my life. Breezie

 

[cdsieg]

Thank you for your thoughts, I wish I could find more info about it, come up with all sorts of info on barbed wire, but nothing on the post they put it on!
Thanks again, if you have any other thoughts please do share! Cindy

 

[skeeterd]

That's pretty neat! I've seen a lot of trees with wire grown into it, but that's the best one I've ever seen.
I found this sand rock a few years ago where a fence wire had rubbed against it for so long that the wire had cut into the rock and the wieght of the rock closed the cut. It looks like the wire runs right through the rock.

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Actual tree "knots" are formed by the ever-growing live tree where a branch emerges from the trunk. That is why actual "knots" almost always have an upward angle.

Note that on Cdseig's "fencepost" find, all six of the "knots" are perfectly perpendicular (90-degree angle). That means the tree grew around a wire which was nailed onto the treetrunk while it was alive, and it lived a LONG time after the wire was nailed onto it.

River Rat's find was caused by a tree growing outward around a dead branch.

I learned the above information while doing tree-ring studies.

For clarification:
Most of y'all already know that a tree adds a "ring" in the woodgrain just underneath its bark every year it is alive. That is why the rings are concentric to the tree's axis of growth. The ridges on Cdsieg's and River Rat's finds are caused by the growing wood being denser in winter weather (when the wood grows more slowly). Note that the ridges are perpendicular to the wire on Cdsieg's find, and almost perpendicular on River Rat's. Living branches create their own rings -- which are NOT present on Cdsieg's and River Rat's finds. The living treetrunk slowly expanded outward around the wire, and around the dead branch.

I hope I've explained all of this clearly enough for y'all to visualize it accurately. If I haven't, please go to a store that sells lumber and examine the boards for knots, concentric rings, and grain-direction.

 

[cdsieg]

Thanks cannonball for the explanation. I wasn't buying it from earlier replies. I am a visual person and usually need to see a photo to make sense of something. From your information I search for "barbed wire growing into trees" and found these photos. There were other really good photos but some were copyright protected so I couldn't use them on here. Thank you so much for replying I love all reply's, but when I see your name in the comment line, I know I am going to get some real good information!

 

[cdsieg]

Thanks to thecannonballguy, I learned that you solved this for me very quickly! Thank you

 

[cdsieg]

Thanks to thecannonballguy, I learned that you solved this for me very quickly! Thank you

That was a living tree that grew around the wire then most of it weathered away leaving the part you see.

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

You're welcome. In fairness, let me publicly give Taz420 credit for being the first poster to correctly identify your find. (Note that I gave him a "Like" for doing so.) Because you then asked for more information, I gave you a "detailed" explanation of it.

 

[taz42o]

You are welcome cdsieg. Guess I could have provided some proof in my first reply.
It dosnt matter who solved it , we all got to see something interesting and learn something. Good enough.

 

[Archeodeb]

Where the knots & 'flanges' are located (I used flanges for a lack of a better word) looks to be 2 different pieces. I think someone took part of another cedar tree and stuffed those flanges inside the knots. This might have been done when the tree trunk/post was green. Just my WAG . . .Very interesting find Breezie

 

[cdsieg]

Since the finding of this strange tree I have discovered trail trees on the property.

 

[skeeterd]

What are "trail trees"?

 

[cdsieg]

Hi Skeeterd, Thanks for asking;

It is a Native American trail marking tree, they used them to show the way for food, shelter, water, safety etc.
Here is some information I found online:

"Across the U.S., you can find trees that are oddly shaped. Their trunks have odd kinks in them, or bend at strange angles. While some of them may indeed be simple quirks of nature, most of these trees are actually landmarks that helped guide indigenous people on their way. Native Americans would bend young trees to create permanent trail markers, designating safe paths through rough country and pointing travelers toward water, food or other important landmarks. Over the years, the trees have grown, keeping their original shape, but with their purpose all but forgotten as modern life sprang up around them. Today, we may not need these “trail trees” to navigate, but their place in history makes them invaluable. Imagine the stories these trees could tell... Because most people don’t realize what these trees truly are, they are easily overlooked and can fall victim to development, disaster or disease with no one caring for them. Because trail trees are roughly 150 to 200 years old, many of them won’t be with us for very much longer. We may still be able to see this original road map of our country, but the window to do so is closing.
Many groups today are working together to make sure that trail trees are identified and protected for the history they represent. The organizations, like the trees, range across the U.S., from the Dallas Historic Tree Coalition ([FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Texas Tree Trails - A Geographic Guide to Texas' Significant Trees) and the Great Lakes Trail Marker Tree Society to the Georgia-based Mountain Stewards, who have created a database of well more than a thousand of these remarkable trees across 39 different states.[/FONT]
These trees can be hiding out in parks, on mountain trails or in any number of places, so in addition to their research, these groups work off of tips from locals who report strange-looking trees. So next time you see a tree that looks just a little bit odd, check and see if it’s possible for it to be a trail tree — you may just find that you’ve stumbled upon a piece of living history."
Here is a link on here with some photos of trees I found.
http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/treasure-marks-signs/337388-trees-trail-trees.html

What are "trail trees"?

 

[Paleopilot]

Trees can grow around just about anything! Check this out!

 

[skeeterd]

Be careful cutting that down, Paleo. The kid might still be riding it!!