GENERAL KNOWLEDGE

Detailed explanation-1: -Without the mines, the boomtown’s economy collapsed. What new invention finally brought an end to the open range on the Great Plains? The barbed wire was what lead the end to the open range.

Detailed explanation-2: -Joseph Glidden’s innovative barbed wire was essential to the settlement of the American plains in the late nineteenth century. It proved to be an effective method of securely enclosing one’s property, thereby keeping cattle in and trespassers out.

Detailed explanation-3: -The first patents on barbed wire were taken out in the United States in 1867, but it was not until 1874, when Joseph Glidden of De Kalb, Ill., invented a practical machine for its manufacture, that the innovation became widespread.

Detailed explanation-4: -The final blow to the open range was the winter of 1886-87. It became known as the Great Die Up. It was an incredibly harsh winter with temperatures dropping to-55 degrees. Deep snow prevented the cattle from reaching the grass and around15% of open range herds died.