The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California

Fences

A PALISADED Indian village, also from Champlain's Voyages and Discoveries, published in 1619. The palisades and platform appear to be built from sawn timber, but this is probably due to the engraver's misunderstanding of Champlain's sketch. Needless to say, only rough hewn logs were used. The figures are far out of proportion, as well as the aggressor's shooting platform, and the Indian longhouses, wherein they lived within the village.

According to Father Gabriel Sagard, there were, above the palisades, in many cases, galleries or watch towers, stocked with stones to hurl down on the enemy, as well as water to put out the fires. Rough ladders led to the towers. The most noticeable lack shown in the drawing is the entire absence of any Indian defenders within the fort itself. To all appearances it seems deserted. Perhaps they have escaped under cover of darkness by canoe on the lake.

ILLUSTRATING vividly a pioneer logging bee in all its strenuous effort. Four pair of oxen strain every muscle at the cry of the men and the cracking of their whips. The huge stump and roots are on the move. Soon they will be dragged to one side as the land is laboriously torn from the hands of mother nature. Later on, this same stump and roots will probably become part of a fence, amazing in its durability and its effectiveness.

And below we see a typical section of land cleared, with another section beyond the upper fence showing the trees cut down. Good grazing land, but almost useless for the raising of crops. And beyond that, the forest primeval in all its virgin wildness.

A TYPICAL Canadian pioneer log cabin of the early days, in its rough forest clearing. The very earliest settlers cleared garden patches and surrounded them with palisades, the outer pierced with loopholes for shooting. Against the palisades they constructed low log houses, the roofs of which, being lower than the palisades, formed a secondary firing platform. In this way the palisade, the primal North American fence, fulfilled the double function of shelter against the weather and protection against enemies.

The early North West Mounted Police posts were similarly constructed, such as Forts Macleod and Brisebois (Calgary). Such, too, was the plan of the whiskey traders' "posts" whose demoralizing work the "Mounties" broke up. As a general rule no Indian was allowed within the palisade. Trading at Whoop Up, Slide Out and Stand Off was done through narrow openings cut in the logs.