The Devil's Lasso: How Barbed Wire Shaped the Frontier
Before 1874, most settlers embraced a practice wherein cattle and sheep roamed freely on the expansive prairies, sharing pastures and water sources with fellow pioneers. These were the days of the "open range," when courageous cowboys undertook arduous journeys to transport cattle to markets in the eastern prairies when nomadic Plains Indian tribes trailed the vast buffalo herds, and when countless adventurous pioneers embarked on the Oregon, California, and Mormon Trails to reach the distant western territories.
The concept of utilizing barbed wire to fence livestock had been circulating for some time. In 1868, Michael Kelly devised the fundamental design of barbed wire by intertwining two plain wires to form a cable with barbs. Subsequently, in 1874, Joseph Glidden, a farmer hailing from De Kalb, Illinois, enhanced Kelly's invention by securing a simple wire barb between double-strand wires, which earned him a patent from the U.S. government. Glidden's design proved cost-effective, easily manufacturable, and proficient at containing livestock, leading to its rapid proliferation across the Plains.
Finally, homesteaders possessed a straightforward yet efficient tool to demarcate their boundaries and confine their animals. Other inventors also obtained patents for their distinct variations of basic barbed wire designs, resulting in over 500 patents issued by the U.S. government between 1868 and 1874. Consequently, the vast expanse of open prairies gradually transformed into divided parcels delineated by barbed wire fences.
The advent of barbed wire had detrimental effects on the existing cultures thriving in the open spaces. Plains tribes and the majestic buffalo herds they pursued could no longer roam freely across the vanishing expanses. At the same time, ranchers found themselves devoid of grazing areas and faced challenges in herding cattle on extensive drives. Initially, cattlemen resisted this change by cutting through barbed wire fences to forge paths across private properties for their herds, igniting the infamous era of the "range wars." However, as the early 1900s approached, ranching adapted to the evolving landscape, with ranchers utilizing barbed wire to enclose their cattle. Additionally, all the Plains tribes were forcibly relocated to reservations. The era of the open range had come to an end.
Simultaneously, as patents were being granted for diverse types of barbed wire and manufacturing companies emerged to meet the demand, some resourceful homesteaders found it more convenient and economical to produce their own barbed wire, employing existing models as guides. This pragmatic approach resulted in over 2,000 variations and 500 patents for barbed wire.
Read More: Barbed Wire: "The Fence That Changed the West"
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