1. End of the Open Range in Texas I. Barbed Wire 1.Success of the cattle industry = the decline of the cattle industry. 2.The ranch areas were overcrowded! 3.Ranchers needed a new way to keep their herds separated from farms. 4.Joseph Glidden – a.1873, invented barbed wire b.Inexpensive and effective c.Used to fence off individual farms and ranches d.XIT Ranch used 6,000 miles! 5.Fence cutting was a new crime. a.State legislature outlawed fence cutting and made it a major crime 6.Cattle drives were now a thing of the past. Why? a. Barbed wire stood in their way!

2. End of the Open Range in Texas II. Windmills 1.Barbed wire helped ranchers to fence in their property 2.West Texas was dry with few areas of water 3.Windmills bring water from underground to the surface 4.Cattle did not have to roam to find water anymore a.Result = ranchers could contain their cattle in one area

3. End of the Open Range in Texas III. Industry Problems 1.Too many cattle to feed = a.Depleted food supply b.Droughts c.Severe winters 2.Corporations bought ranches in West TX a.Owners did not live on the ranches b.Relied on others to carry out the jobs 3.By 1890, the old cattle kingdom of TX was gone 4.The cattle industry continued but it was a business, not a way of life.

4. Examples of Barbed Wire