USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Life in the American West was reshaped by a series of patents for a simple tool that helped ranchers tame the land: barbed wire.

Detailed explanation-2: -The use of barbed wire fences meant that cattle could be contained on enclosed ranches, which helped eliminate the open range and the long cattle drives associated with it. Barbed wire also kept new ranchers out, and reduced labor costs, as fewer cowboys were needed to supervise and herd the cattle.

Detailed explanation-3: -Joseph F. Glidden. 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-4: -Barbed wire played a central role in the development of the Wild West. The “Devil’s Rope” transformed the plains from an expansive open range into a set of defined and enforced tracts of cattle land and farm ground, buttressing property rights and facilitating a boom in economic productivity.

Detailed explanation-5: -Barbed Wire Was Patented in 1874 According to Glidden’s description on the patent application, the wire was designed to “preserve cattle from breaking through wire fences.” Soon, Glidden’s barbed was criss-crossing the west.