we used to have a tractor pulling a flatbed trailer in the freshly plowed crop fields and we'd toss rocks onto the trailer all day long. It really takes a toll on the body. Sometimes you'd just stare at some massive stone, wonder “ how the hell did that get coughed up “ start to dig it out and realize its many times larger than you thought.
Mainers were once some of the toughest people in New England. Some folks used to refer to Maine as ‘ the wild west of NE ‘. The likes of Joshua Chamberlain and the 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry were once the types of folks you'd find in my old state.
One real curiosity that has developed in recent years is the market for flat rocks. People will pay you for them and they pay real well for large flat rocks. There was a small operation of a father and son who were buying flat rocks out of rock walls on my mothers property.
One fellow not far from us discovered so many flat rocks on his property he started mining them by himself. Some mining company recently offered him 3 million dollars for his land but he declined. He is still pulling out the rocks himself. another fellow discovered his home and land was sitting on a huge gravel pit. He is still digging that out despite the damned liberals trying to stop him.
As an historian, I’m curious as to whether anyone has tried to map out patterns for these walls. They indicate the growth of farms, family borderlines, etc. There’s a wealth of information in them.
In my home county, there’s no equivalent. If a farmer fails to actively plough as long as two years, a tough pine forest pops up on his land and he has to clear all over again. There are no stones, but just sand.