Snake Fences
Those of you who have done as much travelling up and down the backroads of Ontario as I have are probably already familiar with snake fences, which cut zigzag paths along road sides and property lines throughout rural areas of the province that were settled in the 18th and 19th centuries.
These snake fences, which are sometimes referred to as split rail fences, were constructed by the province's early European settlers using stands of cedar that were ubiquitous throughout much of the province. The popularity of this style of fence stemmed from the fact that it didn't require postholes to be dug or nails to hold the wood together and could be erected on pretty much any surface, a useful feature since so much of Ontario is dominated by the Canadian Shield, which can only be "dug" using explosives.
