Tree carving is probably as old as there have been trees and people to mark on them. Archeologists refer to tree carvings as arborglyphs, and unlike petroglyphs that remain evident in rock for thousands of years, arborglyphs survive only the life of the tree, so date back only a few hundred years at most. In the western United States, history Professor Joxe Mallea-Olaetxe of the University of Nevada has documented around 20,000 tree carvings across California, Nevada, and Oregon. Many of these carvings were made by Basque immigrants who worked long lonely months as shepherds in the mid-19th century, leaving behind names, poems and pictures. And maybe a Round or two.

06.11.17