The Development and Rise of Barbed Wire

Table of Contents

Part One: The Development and Production of Barbed Wire o Setting the Stage: Farmer-Pioneers and the Need for Fencing
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Necessity Breeds Invention: De Kalb, Illinois, 1873 The Next Step: Promoting Barbed Wire The Struggle for Monopoly: From the "Moonshiners" to United States Steel

Part Two: The Introduction of Barbed Wire to the Frontier Biographies of the Inventors It may be noted that the work cited in this section is McCallum's The Wire that Fenced the West

The Development and Production of Barbed Wire

Setting the Stage: Farmer-Pioneers and the Need for Fencing Around the middle of the nineteenth century, American settlers, mostly farmer-pioneers, were moving west to the frontier of the Plains and the

Southwest. As they proceeded, they became acutely aware of the changes in environment, which marked a transition from the wooded lands of the East to the more arid, isolated, and grassy regions of the West. For, "in the Midwest and Southwest, conditions were far different"(5). Before the farming pioneers lay a land of promise and opportunity, yet, "ahead stretched mile after uninterrupted mile of tablelands, not entirely without trees, not entirely without loose stone, not entirely without water, but seriously affected by the scarcity of all three"(6). In this new land, the farmer-pioneers found themselves lacking the tools and agricultural technology which could make successful farming possible. For, "change in scenery called for change and adaptation in provisions, and with the farm-minded pioneer, one of the features most radically in need of adaptation to the changing scene was fencing"(3). Fencing to the east had consisted of the ready and available native materials of the land. In the East and New England, fencing had been constructed of stone walls, drawing upon the great amounts of stone found in the native soil. Along the Atlantic seaboard, fencing consisted of wooden rail fences, constructed from the inexhaustible supply of trees in this area. Likewise, such wooden fences and sources of material extended to the South, where earlier, slave labor, and later, cheap labor, provided for ease in construction. Yet on the Plains and in the Southwest, "in an almost treeless land, with a scarcity of loose stones, and removed by navigable waterways"(9), material for fencing was truly unavailable. The lack of fencing material for those early farmer-pioneers was truly problematic, for "farmers were by tradition the fence-makers of the world"(7). "The historic function of the fence was to serve as defense"(7), and on the frontier, the farmer-pioneers needed to protect their crops and the fruits of their labor from outside destructive forces. For, "no one knew better than [the farmer-pioneer] that he must have protection--not only from the elements but from man and beast as well"(9). Without wood or stone, the farmer-pioneer at first looked for substitutes that could serve as fencing to protect his crops. Furrow fences and earthen ridges were employed to no success. In the late 1860's and early 1870's, hedge fencing, the cultivation of native thorn

bushes such as the bois d' arc to serve as defense, was employed as well, to greater, but still little success. At the same time, wood and stone fences were tried again, but materials proved too scarce and expensive, and the construction too laborious to work successfully. Thus the pioneer-farmer found himself halted at the threshold of the frontier, for without fencing he could not proceed. Yet, in 1873, technology would change his predicament and the frontier forever, with the invention of barbed wire in De Kalb, Illinois. Necessity Breeds Invention: De Kalb, Illinois, 1873 It may be seen that De Kalb, Illinois was situated perfectly in place and time for the invention of barbed wire: Illinois in the 1870's was situated on the border between city and prairie, between consumer and producer; it looked to the East and to the West, to the old and to the new. It was of the frontier and yet not the frontier, a meeting ground for the past and the future. Because of its location, it was at the heart of agitation over agricultural problems. (12) Central to its agricultural problems was the problem of fencing. In the late 1860's and early 1870's, this problem had been considered by many of the citizens of De Kalb County. But it would not be until a fateful day in 1873 that the technological breakthrough in fencing would begin. This breakthrough began at the De Kalb County Fair of 1873. At the fair, Henry M. Rose, a local farmer, presented a curious contraption of fencing. The fencing consisted of a normal wooden rail "equipped with short wire points extending out in "sharp projections""(29). The apparatus was not designed to be an entity to itself, but instead was meant to be attached to an existing fence. Rose had merely created the contraption "to control a "breachy" cow," and due to its simplicity and limited purpose, the contraption would not have been noteworthy had it not been for its influence on three men who had attended the fair that day. These men, Joseph Glidden, Isaac Ellwood, and Jacob Haish had taken special notice of Rose's contraption, and they would use his basic idea to stimulate their invention of barbed wire fencing. It was due to the occupations and interests of these three men that they took such special interest in the idea of improved fencing. Jacob Haish, the first of these men, was a lumberman, and "since the men with whom he did business were concerned with the constant search for suitable fencing material, he was concerned with it too"(30). The

second man, Isaac Ellwood, was a hardware merchant who served the area surrounding De Kalb. His customers were also in need of fencing, and "because he was in touch with the rural population of the area, he was in a position to appreciate the fact that a real improvement in fencing could be important"(31). The third man, Joseph Glidden, perhaps needed improved fencing the most. For as a farmer, "[t]he need for providing some sort of barricade to keep out stray animals was one of the gnawing problems of his everyday existence, and he could see that an "armoured fence attachment" might help in remedying the situation"(31). Thus, it may be seen that each man possessed a personal stake in the advancement of fencing, and it was this impetus which led to experimentation and consequently barbed wire fencing. Joseph Glidden was the first man to begin experimenting with Rose's design to make a more practical and effective fencing material. Unlike Rose, Glidden saw the advantage of applying barbs to the smooth fence wire that was commonly used in this time. He first experimented in his farm kitchen with the help of his wife, simply attaching barbs to the smooth wire. Yet he quickly realized that this method was also ineffective, for he "saw that wherever he used the barbed strands, on garden or cowlot, the twisted wire pieces gradually slid along the straightened fence strand, and he realized that he must find a way to crimp the barbs so that they would stay in place"(32). By using a coffee mill, Glidden quickly developed a method of wrapping the wire around the barb, and "by this method a fairly uniform barb was produced with each operation of the coffee mill"(32). Furthermore, with the additional use of an old grindstone, he wrapped a second wire around the first, "and the result was a double strand of cable having wire barbs secured along its entire length"(32). Glidden had successfully developed the first barbed wire fence, and he tested his invention by fencing in his own barnyard. Soon other neighboring farmers stopped by to see his invention, and in no time, Glidden was producing and selling the barbed wire to these men. Isaac Ellwood had also tinkered with the use of barbs and fencing, but to no substantive end. Upon hearing that Glidden had developed a new fence using the barbs, he decided to see the invention in person. The story tells that Ellwood and his wife took a buggy ride to Glidden's farm one Sunday afternoon. Upon seeing the invention, Ellwood's wife allegedly made a comment referring to the superiority of Glidden's invention to anything Ellwood had created.

Apparently Ellwood was enraged; nevertheless, one day later, both men were in negotiations for going into business together. Jacob Haish had also developed a barbed wire similar to Glidden's. Upon seeing the Glidden fence, Haish, a determined and competitive man, realized the inferiority of his own fence and the potential power of the Glidden and Ellwood combination. Thus, Haish sprang to improve his own fencing and to put his own foot into what would become a patent battle. Glidden had first applied for the patent of his method of putting barbs on wire on October 27, 1873, yet the patent was not granted. Haish, applying for patents later, had received two patents on a wire and a wire-stretcher in early 1874. On July 17, 1874, he applied for his most important patent on his most recent design, the famous "S" barb. Ten days later, he submitted interference papers on Joseph Glidden, officially beginning a patent battle between the two competitive men. Joseph Glidden's original design, trade named "The Winner," was not patented until November 24, 1874, over one year after he had applied. Nevertheless, with the help of Isaac Ellwood, who had bought interest in Glidden's invention by July of 1874, Glidden was not discouraged. Following his application for his patent which was pending, Glidden invented a wire stretcher, a second type of barbed wire, and a machine for making barbed wire fencing. By 1875, Glidden and Ellwood had developed the Barb Fence Company and were producing and selling barbed wire in substantial amounts. Haish, however, did not remain reticent due to Glidden's success. Using his own patents and inventions, he opened up his own barbed wire factory, offering competition in the production and sale of the product. In spite of the early patent struggles, the battle between Haish and the Barb Fence Company had just begun. In the years following, both would compete for the dominance of the barbed wire market out of their common base of De Kalb, Illinois. As Jacob Haish, the Barb Fence Company, and other small barbed wire companies began producing more and more barbed wire, the plain wire companies of the East began to take notice. One such company, the Washburn and Moen Company of Massachusetts, took special interest, and in February of 1876, its Vice-President, Charles Washburn, traveled to De Kalb. After failing to negotiate with Haish, Washburn moved to the Barbed Fence Company for a further attempt at negotiation. There

Washburn found Glidden eager to sell and Ellwood eager to incorporate. After negotiations, Glidden received $60,000 and a royalty of 25 cents per 100 pounds of barbed wire sold. Ellwood and Washburn merged to form the I.L. Ellwood and Washburn & Moen Company. With the increased capital, the new company bought the rights to many of the patents existing for barbed wire and thus extended its power. By the late 1870's, this company came to be known as "the Company," due to its near monopoly of the barbed wire market. Yet competitors continued to struggle against this dominance in the years that followed, and thus the battle over barbed wire continued into the 1880's. To conclude the story of De Kalb, two things must be noted. First, while the inventions in De Kalb have come to be known as the first examples of barbed wire, in actuality, many similar inventions existed in America and other countries before 1873. They were not utilized for production, however, and consequently their only significant role in the barbed wire story was played in the litigation battles of the 1870's and 1880's. Secondly, it must be noted that no exact story of the invention of barbed wire exists. Due to the heated competition of Haish and Glidden, many stories exist, and the one that has been told is simply one interpretation of the facts. With these cautionary notes, the story continues. The Next Step: Promoting Barbed Wire

With the establishment of barbed wire factories in De Kalb, Illinois came the next step for the industry: promotion. Both Haish and the Ellwood and Washburn company were selling good amounts of barbed wire, yet they were aware of the potential for its great demand throughout the West. Thus, to realize this potential, both companies turned to promotion of their products. The first step in the promotion of their wire was the publication of industry journals, to both advertise their own product and to attack their competition. Washburn and Ellwood produced "The Glidden Fence Journal," while Haish counteracted with his production of "The Regulator." These journals spoke generally about the problems of fencing and the positive attributes of barbed wire. They would become more inflammatory and significant in the patent battles of the later years. The next step in promotion was the creation of advertising posters. Haish, with sensationalism and creativity, dominated this aspect of promotion, for Ellwood was restrained by the more mild manner of his eastern partners. Despite their efforts, neither publications nor posters greatly improved the demand for their products. Salesmen were needed, and quickly the Ellwood and Washburn company turned to this method of promotion for greater success. In late 1874, the Barb Fence Company had secured sales representatives to distribute and promote their product. Of these, the most important was Henry Bradley Sanborn, a relative of Glidden's. Sanborn first promoted the wire around De Kalb, and then in 1875, he was sent to Texas, with his partner J.P. Warner. Sanborn and Warner found Texas to be wrought in conflict and controversy between the cowmen and so called "nesters" of the region. The cowmen strained to preserve the open range, while the "nesters" called for means to better settlement. Amidst these conditions, Sanborn and Warner found little interest in their product. Texans were still skeptical of any product of the North, and they further feared the seemingly cruel nature of the contraption. Furthermore, the lumbermen and cowmen saw threats to their interests which barbed wire fencing could provide. Most importantly though, Texans were generally skeptical of the effectiveness of the fencing material in containing their sturdy and wild Longhorn cattle. By 1876, Sanborn and Warner had sold little barbed wire and returned home. Yet, at this time, Ellwood, who had taken control of the company, refused to give up, still seeing the potential for barbed wire in the West.

Thus, in late 1876, he "hired an enterprising Illinois farm youth named Gates, as a salesman "to push sales in Texas"--and by so doing, he threw Texas and the surrounding territory into prominence, and into confusion"(68). John Warne Gates had secured his job by a recommendation from Glidden, and at the age of 21, he proceeded to San Antonio, Texas, to try his hand at promotion. San Antonio drew its prominence from many factors, including its history, center of government, and central location. To Gates, more importantly though, its importance drew from its frontier nature and its existence as a "mecca for cattlemen"(69). At first, Gates sold little barbed wire, instead establishing contacts and a ground for future sales. But quickly, Gates made the move that would make himself and barbed wire famous forever. This move may be seen in the story, somewhere between fiction and non-fiction, that still exists in barbed wire lore today. The story tells that John Gates had developed the idea of a barbed wire demonstration in response to a rancher who had claimed "that "Ol' Jim," a neighbor's bull, "could go through anything"" and that he "reckoned that "the bull would not stop for barbed wire""(70). Gates attempted to prove him wrong publicly and shouted: "I've worked something out. I think I've got it. We'll sell more barbed wire than you can shake a stick at. We'll do like Doc Lighthall. We'll give 'em a show, right out in front. Get the wildest damn cattle in Texas--corral 'em here with barbed wire and then let 'em try to get out. That'll show 'em. Ain't a cowhand livin' won't go for that"(70). And Gates apparently kept his word, building a corral in downtown San Antonio and holding a demonstration that held in the wildest Longhorns. The veracity of the story must be questioned, yet the sales skills of John "Bet-a-Million" Gates cannot be. For between 1874 and 1877, the production and sale of barbed wire had increased from 10,000 pounds to 12, 863,000 pounds. By 1880, this number had reached 80,500,000. Clearly the promotion of barbed wire had been a success, and it consequently spread throughout the West fencing in the land. Yet the battles were not over for the barbed wire industry, as a struggle for supremacy arose out of this valuable commodity. The Struggle for Monopoly: From the "Moonshiners" to United States Steel

Due to the increased production and power of the Washburn & Moen and I.L. Ellwood company, other independent enterprisers attempted to contest their growing monopoly. The first wave of this contest came in the form of lawsuits questioning the company's patents, and by the end there were more than "28 lawsuits on "prior use" fences"(75). Each of these lawsuits had to be fought by what had come to be known as "the Company," costing it more than 50,000 dollars. For it seemed that inventors were growing by the day, and the Company had to protect its patent. The second wave of contest involved the infringement of the Company's patents. This contest caused the Company further difficulties, and "on this second score Washburn and Ellwood came up against still other individuals, and more expenses, for there had sprung up in the wake of success not only many inventors but also many manufacturers of barbed-wire fencing"(77). For "the very simplicity of the product invited imitation"(77), and producers sprang up throughout the countryside operating without license or patent. "Their status was definitely sub rosa, their life expectancy as businesses was admittedly short, but while awaiting decisions from the United States Patent Office and opinions on the law of the land, they worked feverishly to share in the barbed wire boom for at least a little while before being required to close down"(77). These extralegal producers came to be known as "moonshiners," and many were organized into a solid group by John Gates, who had by then disassociated from the Company. The "moonshiners" were able to produce their product at a lower cost, and thus offered a serious threat to the Company due to their lower prices. They moved West, forming more groups, such as the Iowa Farmer's Protective Association, dedicated to fighting the monopoly of the Company. The infringement of the Company's rights led to years and years of extensive litigation, including one case that reached the Supreme Court in 1892. Yet the culmination of all the litigation was reached in 1880. In this year, Judges Thomas Drummond and Henry Blodgett handed down in Chicago a joint decision that "Jacob Haish's famous 'S' barb was decreed an infringement on patents judged to be foundation patents,"(83) which were all in possession of the Company. While specific to Haish, the decision spelled doom for all other manufacturers, for it stated that the Company possessed sole rights to the production of barbed wire. Haish, Gates, and the "moonshiners" were ruined; infringement patents were turned over to the Company, royalties were demanded, and damages were assessed. In the end, the Washburn & Moen and I.L. Ellwood Company possessed an essential monopoly on the barbed wire industry.

The final consequence of the struggle for monopoly over barbed wire was its incorporation into larger steel companies. By 1891, Ellwood an Gates had rejoined forces and had incorporated their holdings into the Columbia Wire Company. By 1898, Gates, acting on his own, had bought most of the Washburn and Moen Company and had established the American Steel and Wire Company. Eventually, Gates incorporated into J.P. Morgan's United States Steel, in the year 1901. Thus by the turn of the century, the production of barbed wire had transferred from the small shops of De Kalb to the giant corporation in the East. United States Steel would produce barbed wire in the 20th century, the synthesis of decades of struggle for the monopoly of barbed wire. And thus ends the story of the development and production of barbed wire, but the general story of the invention continues. For in the next part, the introduction of barbed wire to the West will be closely examined, exposing the culture of the West and how it reacted to this new invention.

Part Two: The Introduction of Barbed Wire to the Frontier

Part Two: The Introduction of Barbed Wire to the Frontier

Table of Contents

Part One: The Development and Production of Barbed Wire

Part Two: The Introduction of Barbed Wire to the Frontier

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The Old Guard: The Cowmen of the Frontier Changing Tradition: Barbed Wire Ranches in Texas Revolution Spurs Conlict: The Final Struggle Against Barbed Wire

Conclusion: The End of the Open Range

Biographies of the Inventors

The Old Guard: The Cowmen of the Frontier The first pioneers to the West were of a different sort of man, more adventurous and more wandering, and were known as the American cowmen. Coming early to the West, they had discovered endless plains of tall grasses, where wild buffalo and wild cattle aimlessly grazed. The conditions of the land did not invite permanent settlement, due to the scarcity of trees and water. Yet to the cowmen, who had serendipitously "turned his oxen out to die in the winter on the high plains, but found in the spring that they were "not only alive but in better condition then when he had turned them loose""(9), new opportunities became apparent. And thus the cowman developed his sense of place and sense of ownership of the Plains and Southwest: He saw it as natural rangeland and he used it as such. He took upon himself the tending of great herds. He marshalled cattle from natural grasslands to natural water. He turned to the lonely life of keeper of stock, guarding his animals against wolves and indians, fire and drought, shadeless heat and driving cold. The land which he had found open and free for range cattle, he maintained open and free for range cattlemen; he kept it intact. But he came to regard it in its early history as his own domain. (10) While the cowmen had settled the West prior to the Civil War, it was not until after the Civil War that their empire was built. For in these years the demand for meat reached unprecedented levels, driving the cattle of the cowmen to high values. Thus, "the men who controlled the ranges suddenly were in a position to gain great benefit"(11). With this potential benefit came the need for a hierarchy to establish their power, and thus the cowmen established codes to govern the West and to protect it from outsiders. Principal among such codes was the Law of the Open Range, "the unwritten rule of free access fo grass and water"(11). Most cowmen did not own the land on which their cattle grazed, and thus the Law of the Open Range secured their rights, by warning farmer-pioneers "not to stand in the cowman's route to the ranges, not to block his way with towns and fields--and of all things-fences"(11). And hence the problem of the frontier arose. For farmers needed fences to protect their crops from livestock, and these fences threatened the

livelihood of the cowman. Yet, up to 1873, no suitable fencing existed for the pioneer-farmer. Nevertheless, in this year, as it has been seen, an invention in fencing would transform the lives of farmers and cowmen alike and would create a true struggle for the American frontier. Changing Tradition: Barbed Wire Ranches in Texas Traditionally fences had been used by farmers to keep livestock out of their crops. Yet, in Texas, in the 1880;s, tradition was changing, and for the first time ranches were being built utilizing barbed wire to keep livestock in. The most prominent of these ranches, the Frying Pan and XIT, served to demonstrate to cowmen the benefit of fencing, and thus they existed as harbingers of the new frontier. The first ranch, the Frying Pan, was bought by the barbed wire men of Illinois, Henry Sanborn and Joseph Glidden. The men hoped to use the ranch as an experiment for barbed wire. For "they had come to the Texas Panhandle to promote their long sought material suitable for fencing the Western Plains"(115). These two men saw the fencing as a method to keep their cattle in, and thus they presented a novel purpose for the new fencing. In the end, 150 miles of barbed wire fencing was constructed at a price of over 39,000 dollars, to contain 1500 head of cattle. Their experiment worked, yet both men were seen as outsiders to the cattle culture of Texas. It would take further examples to convince the cattlemen of this use of their product. The second ranch, the XIT, developed out of the burning of the Texas capitol building in 1881. Following the destructive burning, the Texas legislature, in 1882, declared "that state-owned lands would be set aside for the erection of a new statehouse"(120). The legislature further decreed that the building must be one foot taller than the national capitol building in Washington, and thus three million acres of Panhandle Plains were set aside to cover this incredible cost. The men to receive this land, in exchange for building the massive building in Austin, were of the Capitol Syndicate of Illinois. Quickly, they developed their ideas of how to construct the prodigious XIT ranch. Principal among their ideas for the ranch was barbed wire fencing. They saw early the benefits of barbed wire fencing, for they were in a unique position: They were not free-pasture men. They were not champions of the Open Range. They themselves, though controlling cattle, were not even cattlemen in the usual sense of the term. But neither were they squatters or nesters, come to break up the land

into small farms and settlements. They were in a unique position; they were owners whose cattle would obviously benefit from fencing, and they were ranchers who believed in confinement of herds, although the extent of their ranges belied the use of such a word as "confinement." Their outlook presaged an overall change in philosophy for the cattle industry. They were among the first to put into practice the theory that cattle-proof fences were advantageous for Western cattlemen as well as for agriculturalists.(134) Indeed, with its incredible amount of fencing, land, and cattle, the XIT ranch made a powerful statement. In the years following its construction, other ranchers would follow its course, transforming the Open Range into a closed land of fences. A striking example of the transition from the Old Guard of free-range cattlemen to the new revolution of fencing may be seen in the character of Abel "Shanghai" Pierce, whose ranch near Matagorda, Texas occupied much of the Texas Gulf Coast. In the early years of fencing, Pierce was fully opposed to the prospect of fencing the Open Range. He claimed that ""as long as water runs and grass grows here . . .," "this will be open prairie""(142). His cattle roamed openly on the Plains for many years up until the 1880's. At this time, following the lead of the XIT and Frying Pan, and due much in part to his brother's farming aspirations and a conflict with a neighbor, Pierce began buying his land and fencing it in with barbed wire. It may be said that "the final factor which changed "Old Shang" Pierce from a "free grass man" to a landowner and builder of fences was the proven suitability of barbed wire as fencing for the prairie-plains"(148). And like Pierce, many other ranchers who had held on to the ways of old were giving into the ways of new. Fencing with barbed wire had been accepted on the frontier, and the closing of the Open Range was at hand. Yet the swift changes of this revolution would not come without conflict, and the 1880's were full of conflicts arising out of the opposition to barbed wire fencing. Revolution Spurs Conflict: The Final Struggle Against Barbed Wire The first major setback to barbed wire fencing came to be known as "the big die up"(128) and occurred between 1885 and 1887. Between 1882 and 1885, when barbed wire ranches were still uncommon to the Plains, large sections of barbed wire fences, known as "drift fences," were "erected by cattlemen of the Texas Panhandle and adjacent areas in an effort to keep cattle in the north from coming onto southern ranges"(129). With the approach of strong winters, cattle from the

North would turn south, overcrowding and destroying what remained of the already overgrazed Panhandle grasses. Thus to prevent such an occurrence, the cattlemen of the Panhandle constructed a massive "drift fence" from East to West, creating a massive barrier to the herds of the North. As planned, when the extreme winters of 1885-1887 hit the Plains, the cattle of the North moved south as far as possible, until impeded by the "drift fences" that had been constructed. However, no one was prepared for the consequences of this new built barrier. The results were as follows: They moved "like grey ghosts . . . [with] icicles hanging from their muzzles, eyes, and ears," toward the Texas Panhandle, and directly into the fences. There they were stalled; they could not go forward, and they would not go back. They stood stacked together against the wire, without food, water, warmth or shelter. The pressed close against each other in groups all along the fence line, and sometimes they gathered in bunches reaching as much as four hundred yards back from the fence. Still there was not enough warmth in their huddled forms to counteract the cold, and within a short time they either smothered or froze in their tracks. (132) The cattlemen of the Plains were outraged with the resultant enormous loss, which was estimated to be as high as 75 percent in some herds. The result was "only resentment--growing, mounting, raging resentment, which was sure to cause a serious setback in plans for the future of barbed wire"(135). For the men of the Plains had their first reason to oppose and hate barbed wire, and as time progressed, greater reasons would develop. The greatest cause against barbed wire grew out of the closing of the Open Range. With the purchase of land and fencing in of the range, many small ranchers and cowmen were left without land for their cattle to feed on and without water for their cattle to drink from. Thus with the growing hatred of barbed wire, and now a new impetus for survival, many men of the frontier began to take action. The first steps were simply cutting down the fences, but quickly, the scene developed into a full range war. Small interests were matched against big interests, as blood was shed, fences were cut to pieces, and communities were torn apart. Vigilante justice reigned supreme, and terror seized the land. Eventually state legislatures were called to end the problem, which did not cease until the late 1880's. In the end, the barbed wire had won. Yet the range wars had made their mark on the history of the West as a final stand against the arrival of change.

Conclusion: The End of the Open Range With the legislation to protect barbed wire and further legislation to promote homesteading, the frontier had been won. The Open Range was gone, and in its place stood a land covered by fences. Yet the change to the landscape did not stand alone with the advent of fencing, for in addition, many cultural and agricultural transformations had occurred as well. Through an examination of these further changes that barbed wire incurred upon the frontier, its complete meaning may be better understood. For from this, it may be seen how an invention, with its humble beginnings in De Kalb, could come to truly transform the American frontier.

The Biographies of the Inventors

From the Biographical Record of De Kalb County, Illinois, 1898, Courtesy of The Ellwood House Museum

Joseph F. Glidden Isaac L. Ellwood Jacob Haish

Joseph F. Glidden.--Often do we hear it said of those who have attained distinguished honors by reason of a well spent and successful life that they were men who rose to eminence through adventitious circumstances, and yet to such carping criticisms and lack of appreciation there needs to be made but the one statement that fortunate environments encompass nearly every man at some stage in his career, but the strong man and the successful man is he who realizes that the proper moment has come, that the present and not the future holds his opportunity. The man who makes use of the Now and not the To Be is the one who passes on the high way of life others who started out ahead of him and reaches the goal of prosperity far in advance of them. It is this quality in Mr. Glidden that has made him a leader in the business world and won him a name in connection with the industrial interests of the country that is known throughout the United States. The salient points in his life history are as follows: He was born January 18, 1813, in Charleston, Sullivan County, New Hampshire, his parents being David and Polly (Hurd) Glidden, also natives of that state. During the infancy of our subject they removed to a farm in Orleans county, New York, where they remained until 1844, when they emigrated westward. After a short residence in Ogle county, Illinois, they came to De Kalb county, spending the rest of their days in the home of their son, Joseph F., who rewarded them for their care of him in boyhood by untiring devotion to their comforts and needs. On the home farm in New York our subject was reared and his ample training in the fields through the summer months was supplemented by mental training in the school room during the winter season. He also studied algebra and the classics in addition to the common English branches, hoping to pursue a collegiate course, but that plan was finally abandoned. He, however, studied for a time in Middlebury Academy, in Genesee county, and in the seminary at Lima, New York. After teaching school for some time he returned to farming as a more congenial occupation and operated rented land. He had no money to buy, but he knew that in the Mississippi valley there stretched acre after acre of broad prairie hitherto uncultivated, and with the hope of securing a farm of his own he came to Illinois in the fall of 1842. Leaving the Empire state he proceeded to Detroit with two threshing machines of primitive construction and spent thirty days on the wheat farms of Michigan, operating his threshers with the assistance of his brother, Willard, and two other men. He subsequently shipped his machines to Chicago and then to De Kalb county, where he followed threshing two years. In the winter after his arrival he purchased six hundred acres of land of section 22, De Kalb township, a mile west of the village, and at once began to develop and improve it. He still owns

that property which he has made one of the finest farms in Illinois, its boundaries having been extended until it comprises more than eight hundred acres, the greater part of which is under a high state of cultivation, while substantial buildings and other modern accessories indicate the practical and progressive spirit of the owner. Other lands were purchased by Mr. Glidden as his capital has increased and he now owns over fifteen hundred acres, wherefrom he derives a good income. He has always been interested in the raising of fine stock and in connection with H.B. Sanborn is the owner of a cattle ranch in Texas, where they are herding about sixteen thousand head of cattle. They own two hundred and eighty sections of land, covering two hundred and eighty square miles of territory and requiring one hundred and fifty miles of fencing. This has now been turned over to his daughter, Mrs. Bush, who owns one hundred thousand acres. But it is in the connection with the invention of barbed wire that Mr. Glidden is best known to the world. His name in that connection is widely familiar. The lack of timber in Illinois made lumber for fencing very expensive and how to obtain fencing material at a low price was a problem which presented itself without solution. Some attempted to obviate the difficulty with only partial success. As early as 1867 barb wire had been invented, but it was imperfect and further study and labor were required to make it a marketable commodity. Mr. Glidden was a practical agriculturalist. His own broad acres required fencing and occasioned his study of the subject. Careful thought, investigation and experiment followed, and October, 1873, he applied for patent, which was granted the next spring. He did not here end his labors but continued his work of improvements and tested the utility of his invention by the use of his fencing on his own farm. The barbs were cut by hand and afterward the parts of an old coffee mill were extemporized as a machine for coiling them about the wire. When a piece of twenty or thirty feet long had been barbed, a smooth wire was placed beside it and one pair of ends was fastened to a tree and the other attached to the axle of a grindstone, which by turning with a crank gave it the required twist. Having secured his patents Mr. Glidden entered into a partnership with I.L. Ellwood, a hardware merchant of De Kalb and a practical man of affairs, who was placed in charge of the business management, operations being begun under the firm name of Glidden & Ellwood. There is no doubt, however, that Mr. Glidden is the inventor of the perfected barb wire now in use. He applied for his patent in 1873, his claim was acknowledged and he secured it. He sold his interest in 1876, but continued to draw his royalties until 1891. He has been the inventor of all essential features of barb wire machines now in use, and to him is due the great credit for bringing to the people of the west a cheap and serviceable substitute for the stone, rail or

wooden fences once in use. As time passed the business grew and was removed from the farm to the village, where a small factory was established, and here the improvement was made of using horse power to do the twisting, the barbs being slipped on to one end of the wire and then placed the proper distance apart by hand. In 1875 the company built the first part of the old brick shop, put in a small steam engine, which was made to do the twisting, and Mr. Glidden and T.W. Vaughn obtained a patent for some devices for barbing and spooling that proved of efficient aid to the workmen. In 1876 Mr. Glidden sold his interest in the business to the Washburn & Moen Manufacturing Company, of Worcester, Massachusetts, and the effectiveness and utility of the new invention having been fully demonstrated the business increased with astonishing rapidity. Mr. Glidden has realized a fortune from his invention, obtaining a large royalty until 1891. Business cares, however, he never laid aside. Indolence and idleness are utterly foreign to his nature, and he still devotes many hours each day to the superintendence of his business interests. He is the owner of the De Kalb Roller Mills, has been vicepresident of the De Kalb National Bank since its organization in 1883, and is the proprietor of the Glidden House, making a very genial and popular landlord. He has carried forward to successful completion all that he has undertaken in the business world. His business methods have ever commended him to the confidence of the public, for he never swerves from the strict path of honesty, and his success has been won along the lines of unflagging industry and enterprise, guided by sound judgement and careful management. His relation with his employees had ever been one of friendly interest, and he is quick to recognize true worth in a man, no matter how humble his station in life. He is ever willing to aid the industrious and his industries have been such as promote the public prosperity as well as advance individual success. His deep interest in public affairs and the welfare of the community was shown by his liberal donation of sixty-four acres of land to the the normal school, provided the institution was located in De Kalb. This land was a part of a homestead and had been entered by him from the government when Indians still crossed it with their trails. At the suggestion of Jacob Haish, and in the presence of about one hundred and fifty citizens, Mr. Glidden broke the soil with a lead pencil prepatory to building, as this little utencil was considered emblematic of literature and education. He has always voted the Democratic ticket and is loyal and stanch in support of the principles of his party, on whose ticket he was elected county sheriff in 1852, being the last Democratic official in the county.

Mr. Glidden has been twice married. He was married in 1837, in Clarendon, New York, to Clarissa Foster, and when he started westward he left his wife and two children in New York, but both of the latter died before Mrs. Glidden came to the west. She died in Ogle county, in June, 1843, and a daughter born at that time died in early infancy. The children of that marriage were Virgil, Homer, and Clarissa. In October, 1851, in Kane county, Illinois, Mr. Glidden wedded Lucinda, daughter of Henry Warne, and they have one daughter, Elva Frances, wife of W.H. Bush, a merchant of Chicago. Mrs. Glidden died in 1895. Mr. Glidden is a man of domestic tastes and his home has ever been to him the dearest spot on earth. The interests of his wife and daughter were always paramount with him, and friendship is always inviolable. In those finer traits of character which attract and endear man to man in ties of friendship, which triumph over misfortune and shine brightest in the hour of adversity, in these qualities he is royally endowed. Few men have more devoted friends than he, and none excel him in unselfish devotion and unswerving fidelity to the worthy recipients of his confidence and friendship. While his invention has won him world-wide fame, these qualities have gained him the respect and warm regard of all whom he has met personally and as one of Illinois' most prominent and worthy citizens he may well be numbered.

Isaac Leonard Ellwood.--The life history of him whose name heads this sketch is closely identified with the history of De Kalb, which has been his home for forty-three years. He began his remarkable career here when the city was a little village. He has grown with its growth, and has been largely instrumental in its development. His life has been one of

untiring activity, and has been crowned with a degree of success attained by comparatively few men. A native of New York, Isaac L. Ellwood was born in Salt Springville, Montgomery county, August 3, 1833, and is the seventh son in the family of Abraham and Sarah (Delong) Ellwood. In early youth he began to earn his own livelihood. He was fitted for the responsible duties of life only by a limited common-school education, but his force of character, unflagging energy and perseverance made up for his lack of early opportunities. Driving a team on the Erie canal at ten dollars per month, and later clerking in a store until eighteen years of age, thus his youth was passed. The discovery of gold on the Pacific slope, however, brought a change in his life, for, with the hope of more quickly realizing a fortune, he made his way to California in 1851 and spent four years in that state. He worked in mines for a year, and then secured a position as salesman in a Sacramento store. By industry and economy he managed to secure a small capital, but not wishing to invest this in the far west he retraced his steps to Illinois, and established a little hardware store in De Kalb in 1855. His history from that time forward is one of interest, showing, as it does, that there is no royal road to wealth, but that industry and a fit utilization of his opportunities has brought him to the goal toward which all business men are eagerly wending their way. For twenty years he carried on his store, increasing his stock as his patronage justified. His travels through Illinois as an auctioneer, and his contact with farmers, brought to his knowledge a condition of affairs which in later years he was able to improve. Illinois' broad prairies offered special inducements to the agriculturalists, but they had great difficulty in securing fences which would indicate the boundaries of their land and prevent cattle from destroying their crops. As there were no forests lumber was very expensive, and then, too, the board fences were being continually broken down and in need of repair. J.F. Glidden invented what is today known as the Glidden barb wire and Mr. Ellwood assisted him in obtaining patents, having a half interest in the invention. In 1876 Mr. Glidden sold his interest to the Wasburn & Moen Company, and they together, after a litigation of some years, granted licenses to various factories. Through Mr. Ellwood's influence and foresight, all of the underlying and first patents on barb wire and machinery for making the same were combined together, enabling him, with the assistance of others, to build up one of the largest and most successful business enterprises in the history of the country. For forty years farming was carried on in this section of the United States with the same need of fencing material, yet not until the year mentioned did any one take advantage of the opportunity to give the world this important invention. For a time Mr. Ellwood was associated in the manufacture of barb wire

with Mr. Glidden and afterward with the Washburn & Moen Company, of Worcester, Massachusetts. This connection continued for some time, but Mr. Ellwood is now the exclusive owner and manager of the large manufacturing establishment at De Kalb, doing business under the firm name of the I.L. Ellwood Manufacturing Company. When he was associated with Mr. Glidden he was placed in charge of the business management of the firm, and to his tact and business ability may be attributed in no small measure the success of the enterprise. From time to time improvements have of course been made. Countless objections were urged against the new fencing material, but this was to be expected, for no successful invention ever came at once into general use. Its utility, however, was soon demonstrated, and the sales increased rapidly after a time. The fencing began to be used not only by the farmers but also by the railroad companies; and although the railroad corporations were loath at first to accept the invention, they have today thousands of miles of road enclosed with barb wire fence. In order to turn out his material at a lower cost, it was seen that it would be necessary to have automatic machinery, which was secured through the efforts of Mr. Ellwood. This machine was made for the purpose of taking the raw wire from the coil, barb, twist and spool it ready for use; and in perfecting this invention over one million dollars were spent, but the result was at length attained, and one machine was able to do it more perfectly. The works of the I.L. Ellwood Manufacturing Company are very extensive, the capacity being about twenty-five car loads every ten hours, and in this establishment employment is furnished to about six hundred men. It is now consolidated with the American Steel & Wire Company. While others are also engaged in the manufacture of barbed wire, it is a widely recognized fact throughout the country that this industry owes its successful establishment to Mr. Ellwood. On the 27th of January, 1859, Mr. Ellwood married Miss Harriet Miller, and they became the parents of four sons and three daughters, but two of the sons are now deceased. Those living are William L., Mrs. Dr. Mayo, Mrs. J.H. Lewis, Mrs. B.F. Ray and E.P. Ellwood. Although a stanch Republican in his political views, Mr. Ellwood has always declined to accept political office, save that of alderman of his adopted city, in which capacity he served his fellow townsmen for a time. He has always taken great interest in the promulgation of the principles of the party, and in the annual meetings of its representative men in Illinois he is always invited and his advice is listened to with interest, and his views meet general acceptance. While refusing office, he was, however, appointed upon the staff of Governor Tanner, with the rank of colonel, and is now serving that position. There is no more

progressive or public-spirited citizen in De Kalb county, and he withholds his support from no movement or enterprise tending to advance the public good. In securing for De Kalb the Northern Illinois Normal, Colonel Ellwood gave much time and attention, spending weeks at the state capitol, using his influence with legislators in securing the passage of the bill creating the institution, and its location at De Kalb. In 1896, a bill was passed by the general assembly of the state, appropriating seventy-five thousand dollars to the buildings, and in 1898, one appropriating fifty thousand dollars. In addition to this the city of De Kalb gave seventy thousand dollars. By the governor he was appointed trustee of the school, and is now serving as such. While others were working for the same object, it is due to him the greater share of credit for securing such a noble institution. Colonel Ellwood is a charitable and benevolent man, one of broad humanitarian principles, who regards not lightly his duty to his fellow men. He has climbed steadily upwards, and all the time he has had a hand reaching down to assist others less fortunate. Always ready to encourage industry and energy, his employees know that faithful service means promotions as opportunity offers. He has won for himself very favorable comment for the careful and systematic methods he has followed in business. He realized the intrinsic value of minor as well as greater opportunities, has ever stood ready to take advantage of circumstances, and even mold adverse conditions until they serve his ends, and in all relations has maintained and unassailable reputation for integrity and honor.

Jacob Haish, the originator and inventor of the barb wire and the automatic machine used in its manufacture, in the true sense of the term

is a self-made man. With limited opportunities for study, or for the exercise of any special talent, he has made a name that has brought him national fame and honors that were little dreamed of when as a boy and youth he struggled with adverse fortune. For years his manufactory at De Kalb, Illinois, has been one of the noted institutions of the city and state, where he has turned out millions of pounds of barb wire of various patterns, including the "Eli" barb, the "S" barb and the "Glidden" barb. But he has not confined himself alone to the manufacture of barb wire, but has likewise made a specialty of the manufacture of woven wire fencing, plain wire, staples, nails, the Rustler disk harrows, tubular steel and wood beam hustler lever harrows, barrel carts, bob sleds, etc. His manufactory has been a veritable hive of industry, and he has given employment to hundreds of man at good, living wages. Jacob Haish was born near Colsul, Baden, Germany, March 9, 1827, and is the son of Christian and Christina Haish, natives of Germany, who emigrated with their family to America, in 1836, when Jacob was but nine years of age. They located in the south part of Pennsylvania, where they remained but a short time, during which, however, the wife and mother passed away, leaving Jacob, but ten years of age, an age, indeed, when all boys should have the protecting care of mother to shield them from the dangers which beset their path. The father with his motherless children soom removed to Crawford county, Ohio, where he purchased a farm of eighty acres in the woods, with the Indians for his neighbors, and entered upon the herculean task of subduing it. Christian Haish was by trade a carpenter, and his son, our subject, soon acquired a full knowledge of that trade. On the farm, however, he lived and worked, alternating his labors by attending school and using the plane and saw till he attained his twentieth year. In 1846, he left the paternal roof, turned his face towards the setting sun, and finally located at Naperville, Du Page county, Illinois, where he followed agricultural pursuits for several seasons. While living in Du Page county, Mr. Haish formed the first partnership of his lifein the person of Miss Sophie Ann Brown, with whom he was united in marriage, May 24, 1847. This partnership has never been dissolved, but has become stronger by the flight of years. Mrs. Haish is a native of New York, born March 10, 1829. She has proved herself a helpmeet, and a true and faithful wife, not only in the palmy days of luxury, but in the stern and stirring days of opposition and competition, which try the temper and disposition of man. One year after his marriage, Mr. Haish removed to Pierce township, De Kalb county, where he carried on farming for some three years. In

1854, he moved into the village of De Kalb, where he worked at his trade. After his first one hundred dollars were saved, he purhased a bill of lumber, and from that time began to contract and build a business which he followed successfully for fifteen years. It was while in this business that Mr. Haish was annoyed by the farmers who were anxious to secure sound boards for fenccing, strong enough to resist brute force. This brought to his mind the first idea of a fence. He first began by weaving osage on a fence so that the thorns would prick the stock. This was not practical, however, but opened up the way to new fields of speculation and invention. Mr. Haish next conceived the idea of making "thorns" of wire, but using only one wire, it slipped and proved unsatisfactory. This was in 1873. He next thought of putting two wires together, forming a twist, with the barb between them, when "presto" we have the barb wire complete. Mr. Haish first made the wire in sections, thinking that to be used for fencing purposes it must be so constructed. Each section was sixteen feet long. He put one side the first section that he constructed, thinking nothing more of it until a farmer came in one day and offered him fifty cents for it, but on this wire he secured a patent January 20, 1874. He next conceived the idea of inventing an automatic machine to make his fence wire. This machine must form the twist, spool, put in the barb, and thus complete the fence. Mr. Haish was urged by his friends to abandon his project as chimerical, but he could not be turned aside, for, with a vision of a prophet, he looked down the vista of time and saw revealed unto him the midday glory and triumph of the fair and the shapely form of the "S" barb, which was all this time taking shape and comeliness in the evolutions of his mind. He was advised by his counsel to enter a caveat to secure his right, but the time ran out before he applied for a patent, thus throwing him out of his right to the machine. He then had it manufactured by a mechanic, who patented it, and sold the right to Mr. Haish. In this way he secured his original machine. The summary of this matter is this: Mr. Haish introduced one of the first successful barb wires; he made the first wooden spool upon which the wire is coiled; he used the first paint or varnish; he shipped the first spool by rail or water; and introduced it into eight states, before any other man shipped any. He also introduced the first automatic machine for manufacturing the barb wire, but he was not to have his rights without a severe contest, and no contest over a patent right was ever so widely advertised, never so stubbornly contested, and never so courageously defended. Mr. Haish believed with all his heart that he was right, and on the strength of that belief he advanced, he fought, he conquered. During all this time the "S" barb went rejoicing on its way,

gaining strength and friends in its onward march. Now, in ripe manhood, Mr. Haish can look back and see in his far reaching sagacity, the vast importance of his new and cherished industry, the Haish Manufacturing Company of De Kalb. Mr. Haish enjoys the finest and most palatial residence in the city of De Kalb. This grand and imposing edifice he conceived in his own fertile brain. Even the beautiful and exquisite artistic designs which adorn the walls and ceilings of his house were first planned by himself and have a history or point a moral. The painting on the dome--the four seasons--is magnificent and imposing. There is indeed harmony all through the interior of this beautiful and comfortable home. But the harmony of the furnishings is not to be compared to the harmony that exists between the happy inmates who occupy the home. In 1884 Mr. Haish organized the Barb City Bank, of De Kalb, of which he is president, while George Baldwin is cashier. Besides owning the bank, he owns land in Dakota, Denver, Colorado, Kansas, Ohio and Chicago. In De Kalb city he owns about one hundred and thirty houses, and in the township he has about twelve farms. With all this wealth, he is the same Jacob Haish he was when he worked at the carpenter's bench, willing to help his fellow-men, who are in need, and who appreciate being helped. He is deeply interested in the education of the young, and the building up of his adopted city. For the State Normal School, he willingly and cheerfully contributed ten thousand dollars. He is ever ready to assist with his means any laudable enterprise, and it can be safely said of him that he has done as much as any other one man to advance the material interests of his adopted city and county.