Barbed Wire

By: NatureGrl

Horse high,
Pig tight, and bull strong.
I was quicker and easier to put up,
And cheaper and stronger,
Than regular wire too.

I made settlement on the frontier
Not a dream, but a reality.
Before me farmers lacked protection,
From those wild ‘n crazy bulls.

Also called “bob wire” and “Devils rope”.
As those Native Americans called it,
When they ran into it hunting.

Sadly you people used me for evil,
You used me,
In those two cold and bloody,
Wars,
To keep your infantry safe.
Man ‘o live,
What you people would do,
To win a disagreement.

Even through all the evil,
And pain,
There are good things,
That came of me:
You humans use me at places like,
Construction sites, storage yards,
And government outposts.

I keep citizens,
And government equipment safe,
From your wild ‘n crazy gangs.

Used to keep cattle out,
But now I’m used to keep it in!
Wow how times have changed!

I mean, if it weren’t for me you people
Would not have such big settlements
Out west.
You would not have found certain,
Natural resources,
And all that rich land
Would be owned by the cattle,
Indians and cowboys.

Henry M. Rose,
My original inventor,
Demonstrated homemade barb wire,
At the local county fair in Illinois.
“Horse high, pig tight….”

After seeing the exhibit,
Joseph Farwell Glidden,
Jacob Hash,
And Isaac L. Ellwood
All went home,
With ideas on improving,
Roses Brainchild.
ME.

Glidden and Hash,
Both sent in patent applications.
Glidden won the race.
Leaving the real inventor Rose,
With no credit.

Barbwire was inspired by a shrub,
Osage Orange.
A slow growing plant with,
Greenish-yellow fruit,
Short trunk with crooked branches.
It had hard and durable,
Yellow wood with thorny twigs.
“The living fences”,
Found in the west,
Named after Osage Indians.

I brought an end,
To open range for cattle.
I was used on the plains instead of
Regular fencing materials
Because they were scarce on
The Great American plain.

“Fence wars” were fought,
between non-fence owners or “Fence cutters”,
And fence owners.
“Fence Owners”
Went around cutting holes,
In newly hung wire.
OUCH!!!

While wars were fought on the plains,
Manufactures in the east
Were fighting over,
Different patents
For new barbed wire.

Eventually the wars,
Stopped upon the plains.
The non-fence owners eventually,
Excepted the fact
That barbwire was the answer
To settling the plains,
And that their herds
Would run into it once,
Then never run into it again.

Barbed Wire,
Is my name and
Whether it is keeping it in or out,
Keepin’ cattle away,
Is my game.