Frisco Automatic Gate Repair Service owner Sean Eubanks, President of Texas State Fence Co. continues the history of fencing with another installment.
While the Medieval socities struggled with the evolution of fencing and how it impacted the concept of private versus public property by the time that settlers from Europe began to arrive in America there had been developed a stable model for how fences impacted the community and where and where their uses were suitable in a ‘modern’ society. Many of the early colonies had legal statutes addressing fences and generally the consensus was that fences were suitable for enclosing land that was being farmed, or yards surrounding a home, but were not suitable for enclosing property that was either pasture land or forest land.
In the Eastern seaboard regions where there was plenty of wood the most common fence was the zig-zag log fence. This was a simple layering of logs in a zig-zag pattern. Of course the amount of lumber consumed was huge and this type of fence was replaced with more efficient designs such as pole fences, picket fences, and rail fences in areas where wood resources were being depleted or where there was a lack of wood resources. By straightening out the fence line (compared to a zig-zag fence) and by careful management of the number of pickets, rails or poles, these fences were able to establish ownership and prevent encroachment by draft animals.
Of course, as the population migrated farther to the west and the forest changed more to open grasslands even more efficient forms of fencing were needed. By milling the lumber and creating planks, and also by ussing wires strung between poles, fence building techniques changed with the resources available locally. With the development of barbed wire in 1873 the great land grabs of western folklore were poised to begin. By stringing barbed wire between posts that were relatively easy to dig and install, it was possible to fence in huge tracts of land quickly, thus ending the period of open grazing on public lands that had prevailed up to that time. By 1885 much of the public lands of the western states was fenced and the range wars began with cattle barons fighting each other for resources such as water.
Our next article will bring fencing up to date with modern society.
Frisco Automatic Gate Repair Service owner Sean Eubanks installs all types of fences and automatic gates. Sean Eubanks and his team at Texas State Fence Company have over 15 years experience installing all types of fences and automatic gates. He provides quality fencing to both residential and commercial clients in North Texas. Sean builds fences and Automatic Gates in Plano and also serves the Frisco, Allen, McKinney and general Collin County area. Please give Sean Eubanks a call at 972-898-1307 for more information.