Bob Wire

 

Fencing the West

Fencing off portions of land started a war in the west. The range wars. It also made barb wire a necessity for most landowners. When I was a kid, I thought wire fencing was called Bob wire because some guy named Bob invented it. Later, I realized that barb wire made a lot more sense.

If you think you know what all barb wire looks like, then you might be surprised to know that there are about 900 patented kinds of it. Next time you're in a hardware or feed store, take a look at the barb wire for sale. I think you'll see several different types. The first patented barb wire was awarded in 1853. Some of the types more common are two point and four point, wraparound, and diamond point. Many of them are patented and named after Joseph F. Glidden, the godfather of barb wire. A few of his are hogwire, herringbone, barely barb, two line, and three line.

Whatever they're called, they can be tricky to string. They come wound around a big wooden spool. Every cowboy knew to wear his thickest leather gloves when it was fence stringing day. Even then, he'd come home at night with nicked up hands where those razor-sharp barbs bit through his gloves. Keeping the fences up and mended always has been a constant chore. If they'd don't get knocked down by nature -- falling trees, tornadoes, crazy animals -- then they are downed by two-legged varmints who want their herd to graze on your pasture or drink from your pond.

Ranchers have grown fond of fencing. They're used to keep bulls penned up away from the heifers part of the year so that calves are born in the spring instead of the dead of winter. Or they're handy to fence off sections of the ranch that are hard to ride in and find strays. Places like thick woods or steep, hilly terrain. While the "free rangers" hated barb wire, the big ranchers grew to love it. The more barb wire they strung, the more they were able to keep what they considered "theirs." One could make a case for both sides, I suppose.

After all, most people are like barb wire -- they have their good points.