Fenceposts

Fenceposts. Fencing the land with stone. , The 1862 Homestead Act allowed settlement on the plains, but fencing to prevent cattle from roaming was essential to the business of raising cattle. Of course, fencing is impossible without fenceposts. One of the first innovators to use stone instead of wood for fence posts was C.F. Sawyer in the 1870s near present-day Wilson Lake. Others followed suit, cutting stone fenceposts from the rock just beneath the sod. By the mid-1880s limestone fenceposts and barbed wire were widely used., From quarries, posts were hauled to the field, usually on a wagon or a sled pulled by a team of horses. Upon reaching a post hole, the heavy end of the post was tipped in first as the base, with fencepost holes typically spaced several steps apart. Posts were set so that the stone's reddish streaks faced the direction of the fence line, preventing fracturing during winter., The posts were then notched or drilled and barbed wire was wrapped between them. Central Kansas had approximately 40,000 miles of stone post fences at their peak. Stone post construction became less cost effective and began to decline in the mid-20th century, although some new post rock fences are built today., Types of Fenceposts Once the posts were placed in the ground, both smooth and barbed wires were attached to them. Three to eight strands of wire were used depending on the types of animals contained: fewer wires for cattle and horses, moderate amounts for sheep or calves, and the most for hogs. Wire was attached to posts using several different methods: , . Post Notches: One of the more popular ways was to notch the posts at the proper spacing, wrap smooth wire around, and attach barbed wire to the smooth wire. , . Drilled Holes: Holes could be drilled through either the corner or center of the post, after which smooth wire was looped through and barbed wire was attached. , . Plugs: Sometimes settlers drilled a partial hole in the post, inserted a plug, and then stapled the wire to the plug. Unfortunately, plugs could fall out, making this method less popular.