Around 1875, Chinese and Scandinavian laborers together built perhaps the largest enclosure in the State of California surrounding 58,000 acres of rangeland near the California-Oregon border in Modoc County. Jesse Carr, one of the earliest cattle baron settlers of the area, hired about 50 Chinese and 50 Scandinavian workers to construct an enclosure consisting of piled lava rock walls, juniper posts and barbed wire, or a combination of both. Laborers built these fences in “gaps” between natural barriers like lava rims and escarpments to contain sheep and cattle movement.
Laborers brought rocks from the fields either by a pair of baskets on a pole slung over a shoulder, or dragging the rocks on sleds using horses. A small labor gang constructed 16 to 21 meters of fence per day. After 2 seasons in 1877 and 1878, laborers built a wall, which spanned between Lost River and Willow Creek to the southeast end of Clear Lake. The fence spanned 45 miles, which consisted of 20 miles of solid stone wall.
It cost Carr about $25,000 to build the rock wall. Chinese laborers were paid substantially less than white laborers; Chinese got paid about 3 cents for building every 5.25 meters of stone wall, while white laborers were paid 50 to 75 cents for every 5.25 meters. Other fences in the area (for example, near Neal Road in 1896) were constructed entirely from Chinese labor.
Additional photos:
City: Newell
State: CA
ZIP: 96134
Submitted by: Fred Wong, Volunteer
Additional Features:
Chinese labor site, Masonry, Rock wall
