USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Known as the “thorny fence, ” Kelly’s double-strand design made the fence stronger, and the painful barbs taught cattle to keep their distance. Predictably, other inventors sought to improve upon Kelly’s designs; among them was Joseph Glidden, a farmer from De Kalb, IL.

Detailed explanation-2: -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-3: -Glidden experimented with a grindstone to twist two wires together to hold the barbs on the wire in place. The barbs were created from experiments with a coffee mill from his home. Later Glidden was joined by Ellwood who knew his design could not compete with Glidden’s for which he applied for a patent in October 1873.

Detailed explanation-4: -The Glidden Homestead. Joseph F. Glidden was granted a patent on November 24, 1874 for “The Winner, ” what became one of the most-widely used types of barbed wire in the nation. It all began on the Glidden farm, at the time “a mile west of the city of DeKalb.”