Barbed Wire Section
notes: label: Description
content: Fences made of this Glidden barbed wire spread across the American West during the 1870s as the communal use of the open range transitioned to private land. Previously, cattle could easily break through the simple wire barriers many Western farmers used to enclose their lands given the lack of available lumber for wooden fences. When barbed wire was invented in 1868, farmers and ranchers used it to control the movement of cattle and protect their property. Closing the open range angered cattlemen who were now cut off from land and water that had previously been open to all.
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Agriculture
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content: American Enterprise
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content: Agriculture
label: Exhibition
content: American Enterprise
label: Exhibition Location
content: National Museum of American History
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: AG.66A1.038
label: catalog number
content: 66A1.38
label: accession number
content: 264475
objectType: label: Object Name
content: barbed wire section
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 12 1/2 in; 31.75 cm