Barbed Wire

  Patents for improved wire fencing were first granted in November of 1868 to a man named Michael Kelly. Slight improvements continued until November of 1874 with Joseph Gidden's model. This fencing tool helped to change the wild west as much as the rifle did previously. Without proper fencing livestock grazed freely and was hard to contain. Land was also open to other foraging animals the farmers didn't own. People couldn't populate areas because they risked interwinding livestock with the neighbors. It helped change the west from the previous vast and undefined land to one capable of supporting farmers and ranchers adequately. Wood was not an option due to the lack of trees; farmers couldn't find enough wood to build their homes let alone fences spanning miles in length. Wire was easy to obtain and set up was nothing in comparison to other fencing means.
   Michael Kelly made the first patented and helpful improvement to the wired fence. He twisted two strands of sturdy wire to create a cable of barbs. This was far superior to the previous method which involved a single wire that was easily broken by the weight of the cattle. Joseph Gidden made an improvement by inventing a method for locking the wires in place. In addition he made a way to mass produce his addition to the invention making it even easier to obtain the wire. Gidden's final step in the barb wire patent still lives on today after he fought off potential inventors in court.
   Unfortunately barbed wire further squeezed off Native American's from land they had previously used, they began to call it "devil's rope." The army used the wire for the war effort to help cut off enemies or intruders from the land in which they were occupying. Today it is still used in the military, it is also used to establish territorial boundaries and military confinement to name a few.
   In my opinion barbed wire is one of the most intuitive and productive inventions of the gilded age. It redefined land rights and usage by enabling territory and confining livestock. It's amazing that almost exact replica's of the equipment patented in 1874 is still used today.

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