The piece is said to have been partly inspired by fences demarcating the Continental Divide in Colorado.[2]
The piece was the subject of a 1978 documentary film Running Fence by Albert and David Maysles.[3] The film includes scenes showing the local response to the project, which ranged from excitement to resentment and active protest. Several Californians including Expressionist painter Byron Randall protested the piece on the grounds of both land infringement and lack of artistic merit; however others appreciated the beauty of the work and in the end the project was completed.
The piece is commemorated by historic markers at Watson School near Bodega, California[4] and at State Route 1 in Valley Ford, California. In December 1976, the County Landmarks Commission, County of Sonoma designated the Valley Ford site (pole #7-33) as History Landmark #24.[5]
The largest remaining intact and continuous section of the Running Fence hangs below the ceiling of the Rio Theater in Monte Rio, California.[6]