tx history ch 21.4
TRANSCRIPT
Chapter 21: The Cattle Kingdom
Section 4: The Closing of the Open Range
Fencing the Open Range
• Problems:
– Farmers wanted to keep stray cattle out of crops
– Little wood on plains to build fences
– Illinois woman asks husband to create a fence to keep dogs out of garden
Barbed Wire
Fencing the Open Range
•Joseph F. Glidden—Illinois farmer who invented barbed wire
Joseph Glidden
Fencing the Open Range
•Glidden opened a factory to produce wire
•“Light as air…cheap as dirt”
•Made large scale fencing easy & inexpensive
Fencing the Open Range
•The cattle kingdom began to disappear after fences started to enclose the open range
The Range Wars
• Barbed wire presented problems:
–Small property owners surrounded
–Public roads blocked off & mail delivery disrupted
–Water sources fenced off
The Range Wars
•Range War—armed conflict over fencing and sheep that erupted during the 1880s
The Range Wars
• Fence cutting becomes a major issue
• 1884: Gov. John Ireland calls an emergency session of the legislature:
– Fence cutting illegal
– Gates every three miles
– Illegal to fence land you do not own
The Range Wars
• In parts of Texas that were too rugged and dry for cattle, some ranchers turned to sheep herding.
Legacy of the Open Range
•Death of the Open Range:
–Barbed wire and fencing of open range
–Extension of rail lines & refrigerated railcars
–Overgrazing of land
Legacy of the Open Range
•Death of the open range:
– Introduction of windmills & expansion of farming onto the Plains
–Expansion of sheep ranching
•Cattle ranching an important part of Texas’ legacy & economy