gc from Columbia, Mo on 1/3/2006 12:11:19 AM:
My Dad was a pole lineman for the Wabash in the late '40s and '50s. He tells me that when they replaced poles from time to time then, that the poles often were dated back to the 1880s. So yes, those poles can get pretty old. There a quite a few all along the trail, I am sure. I know there are some in Mid-Mo.