How A 24 Mile Fence Once Divided California’s North Coast And Sparked A Four Year Political Fight

For two weeks in 1976, a white nylon fence ran across the hills of Sonoma and Marin counties and disappeared into the Pacific Ocean, according to SF Gate. 

Called “Running Fence,” the installation stretched 24 miles and stood 18 feet high, supported by more than 2,000 steel poles. It was created by artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude after four years of planning, permitting and construction.

The fence crossed private ranchland, coastal hills and highways before ending near Bodega Bay. Though temporary, the project required a large logistical effort: hundreds of workers, a lengthy environmental review and approvals from multiple county and state agencies. The artists negotiated individually with ranchers along the route, eventually securing permission from nearly all the landowners involved.

The article notes that public reaction to the project was sharply divided. Some residents saw the fence as disruptive or unnecessary, while others viewed it as an unusual experiment that would draw attention to the region.

Public hearings stretched on for years as lawsuits, permit appeals and environmental objections delayed construction. Christo later described the debates themselves as part of the artwork.

Construction moved quickly once final approvals were secured. Workers installed steel posts across the rolling landscape and attached long panels of white nylon fabric that shifted constantly in the coastal wind.

As the fence neared completion, officials raised concerns that the final section entering the Pacific Ocean had not received proper coastal approval, briefly threatening to halt the project.

The installation was ultimately completed without interruption.

When the fence opened, visitors arrived from across California and abroad to see it. Traffic backed up along rural roads, and spectators viewed the installation from hillsides, highways and small aircraft overhead.

Depending on the time of day, the fabric appeared bright white, silver or pink in the changing light.

After 14 days, the entire structure was dismantled and removed. Little physical trace of the project remained beyond photographs, sketches and preserved fragments of fabric.

Yet “Running Fence” became one of the most recognized temporary artworks in California history, remembered as much for the landscape it crossed as for the years of negotiations and public debate that surrounded it.