Oh, I think I found the answer!!!
I had bookmarked this information about rail fences, and when ManiacQuilter2 said she hadn't heard of this being a rail fence....I thought...wait, I think I have.
Go to this site, go way down....I counted 9 quilts down, and the heading is "Reduce the number of strips and vary the width" ...and there is your quilt! So it is a block....at least according to this.
http://www.generations-quilt-pattern...t-pattern.html
Dina