When you drive across the Great Plains, sometimes you see remarkable things. And sometimes you see strange things. And sometimes, they are one and the same.
Take for example the very real phenomenon of boots placed atop fence posts. Like something out of a storybook, Nebraska boasts acres of fence line adorned in old boot leather.
How did this practice originate? No one really knows for sure. But there are a few theories being kicked around.
According to some, placing boots atop fence posts lets the world know the whereabouts of the rancher. If the toes are pointing toward the house, he’s home. To the contrary, if the toes are pointing away, he’s gone to town.
Others are much more Draconian and believe that the upside-down boots represent the number of ranch hands who have been given their walking papers.
Still others say it’s all a bunch of bunk.
And although no one really knows for sure, most will tell you that upside-down boots are a timeless tradition of Nebraska ranchers–and a part of life that makes life on the Great Plains very special.
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