Barbed Wire: The Invention that Tamed the West
Drive down just about any country road and you'll see it. You may have never thought it would be worthy of a large museum, but then again, you probably never imagined this had such a long and storied history.
That history is on display in La Crosse, Kan., at the Kansas Barbed Wire Museum. You can see more than 2,000 unique varieties of the vital tool, which corralled livestock and, in many ways, tamed the West.
Listen to an episode of American Countryside with Andrew McCrea:
In 1874, Joseph Glidden, a banker, businessman and a farmer, designed and patented a type of wire fencing known as barbed wire. In a short time, his invention flourished into a multi-million-dollar industry. The slogan for this new style of fencing was, “cheaper than dirt and stronger than steel.”
Highlights of the museum include:
- An 18” piece of barbed wire that’s worth $600 (it features barbs in the shape of cockleburs).
- A Raven’s nest built primarily of barbed wire.
- A collection of barbed wire liniment bottles and ointment tins that were marketed as miracle medicines promised to “cure cuts and injuries caused by barbed wire...for man or beast.”
- A display of military wire and wire tools illustrates the significant role of barbed wire in 20th Century warfare.
Learn More: Kansas Barbed Wire Museum.
