Historic Chinese Walls

The California Mother Lode country contains the remains of hundreds of miles of rock fences which once enclosed the holdings- large and small- of the gold rush pioneers and their sons.  The longest of these historic walls is located on the Quick ranch on Rancheria Creek about 12 miles southeast of Mariposa.

These stone barriers (like the Great Wall of China!) served to keep roving animals out and livestock in while providing a useful depot for rocks removed before the land could be tilled! Chinese coolies, working for 25 cents a day [25 cents in 1850 would be worth ~ $7.50 today!] did most of the construction.  They were required to lay one and a half rods (1 rod = 16.5 ft.) of fence each day or they forfeited their pay! The fences were 4 feet high, 2 1/2 feet wide at the bottom, and 12 inches across at the top. The services of the coolies were provided by Oriental contractors who were paid a standard fee of $1.75 for every rod of fence put up (profit:  $2.37/day/coolie!). Numerous Chinese artefacts have been found on the ranch, including Ching Dynasty pottery and coins.

Traces of these rock enclosures still are visible on the hillsides from Mariposa County north to El dorado County and some of them stretch down into the San Joaquin Valley flatland.