before the days of barbed wire....

[bravowhiskey]

they still tried to restrain their livestock, at times. I don't know who or exactly when someone broke their back constructing this old fence. It is located on our old farm place. There is another section along the old creek over on the neighbors place.
These folks had no money, back in the day, and built with what was at hand be it split rails or rocks.

 

[Mental Granny]

Looks like a great area for a walk!

 

[Tnmountains]

Thats cool. I have found some old terrace farms in the mtns where they stacked the rocks, Enjoy seeing your finds in your area.
TnMountains

 

[rginn]

Cool shots. There's some of these in Southwestern Oklahoma in the Wichitas. We figured they were too short to serve as a fence, unless you ran sheep. They didn't make sense anyway, as they appeared to start nowhere and end someplace unimportant. After some research and sitting out there in a rainstorm, we determined that they piled these rocks up to channel any rainwater they got off the hill into a pond below. They seemed to work, too. I don't know if that's what these were used for in your area.

 

[VERMONTPACKRAT]

Here in the North East there are countless miles of stone walls. They were created when the land was cleared for farming.

Nice pics !! VPR

 

[bravowhiskey]

Thanks for your remarks folks.

Rginn, I agree, they did not seem big/tall enough for cows. This runs along a ridge about half way up a 75-100 foot high hillside. At the start it is nearly at ground level, and at the other end it plays out into some bigger rocks along the ridge. Your theory of channeling water may deserve some serious thought, as it could have been part of an old irrigation process. Then again the walls were too big for channeling what would have been inches of water at best.
Vermontpackrat, this whole hillside is composed of rock, so it wasn't due to any land clearing, but I've seen the ones you reference and they still add class to the country lanes and roads.
I'm researching, or attempting to anyway, the road/trails that existed to get to town. The section of fence down by the creek appears to parallel the creek for a ways then the creek has washed away what may have been the road for 75' or so. Afterwards it goes out across what is now an open field and would be the shortest route to what used to be the closest store/community.
It is all very interesting, trying to piece together what it was like 150 years ago around here.

BW

 

[rginn]

Inches of water in far southwest Oklahoma meant the difference between life and death, bravowhiskey. However, I wondered why you would go to so much work when half that much would do the job. Sometimes you will see rocks moved from clearing the land, but they didn't carry them very far. And there are some actual corrals made from rocks and some defensive positions in the Wichitas. Whatever they built them for down there, I wouldn't want that job, cause it was a l08 degrees down in Kiowa County the other day when I went down there!

 

[Tnmountains]

They look like the terrace farming here. Of course the ground always grows rocks it seems. Ask the old locals they will know. Lets is know what you find out.
Stay cool

TnMountains