Would you think something as ordinary as barbed wire had a huge role in the development of the American West?
“The landscape of the American West has to be seen to be believed and has to be believed to be seen. ” - N. Scott Momaday
Barbed wire. Nothing overly exciting about it. From an appearance point of view, it looks rather dull and boring and somewhat sinister with its sharp, pointy barbs. You see it everywhere out in the farmland and country, very commonplace. But barbed wire has a very interesting and pivotal role in the history of the American West. Behind its unassuming appearance is a huge piece of history in the United States.
The barbed wire style we know today was invented by Joseph F. Glidden in 1874. Until that time, ranchers used flimsier wire fencing (easily broken by cattle) or wooden fencing (very expensive and often scarce). It was very common to simply let cattle roam freely on the land. Mr. Glidden's invention improved upon previous versions of barbed wire, his being the most effective and popular. Ranchers and settlers began fencing in their animals and properties with Glidden's barbed wire. The open range was gone for good. It no longer existed.
A far-reaching effect of the invention of barbed wire was the increase in the number of farmers who homesteaded the Great Plains. Thanks to barbed wire, it became much more affordable to protect one's land from grazing cattle and sheep; therefore, more and more folks came to begin new lives and settle in this wide-open frontier. This increase in homesteading greatly accelerated the growth of the West.
Barbed wire further initiated another huge change. With ranchers and homesteaders now fencing off their land, the freedom of the open range was lost for good. No longer could cattle and sheep roam freely. Ranchers driving their cattle long distances to railroad towns ceased. Furthermore, the Native Americans lost their nomadic way of life. The impact was huge. Not surprisingly, many disputes ensued.
With the development of barbed wire, a way of life for many people permanently changed, both for the good and the bad. It is amazing to think of the significant transformation of American history when we see simple barbed wire fences draped across the countryside or prairie. It is proof that very interesting history can be connected to the most mundane items we do not give much thought to. What appears to be ordinary and boring can often be far more interesting than you would ever imagine!
Sources I used for this piece of history:
History.com website, www.history.com/this-day-in-history/joseph-glidden-applies-for-a-patent-on-his-barbed-wire-design, Joseph Glidden Applies for a Patent on his Barbed Wire Design, November 16, 2009
The History Engine website, Invention of Improved Barbed Wire Changes the West
_edited.png)
_edited.png)
_edited.png)
_edited.png)
