The Quirks of Barbed Wire

Tuesday

Barbed wire. A thin string of metal with small twists of sharper wire, some with two-prongs, some three, and others four. It is unforgiving to clothing, skin, and hair. But it keeps a curious horse wherever you want them kept. For over a century, this "Devil's Rope" has divided livestock, land, and people.

Barbed wire was first devised in 1867 when two different men, at different places, tried to construct a fencing other than smooth wire to contain their livestock. Neither were successful as one method was not practical and the other did not have the financial means.

A year later an Illinois man, Joseph Glidden found a more practical and less expensive way to manufacture a wire with barbs on it and the fencing of the West began.

But, by 1883 free range ranchers, trail drivers, and settlers became concerned this new fencing would stifle their way of livelihood, impeding passage of livestock and people. So opposed were the sides - those who wanted the fencing and those who did not - violence broke out and a war, the Fence Cutter War ensued. So fierce was the opposition to the "Devil's Rope", that legislation was eventually enacted to make cutting a fence line a felony.

Soon, though, the land ranchers won out, most notably those in Texas, and the fencing in of the West move forward with force.

Today there are over 570 patents of various barbed wire. Here in Carriere, I am using a two-prong heavy gauge barbed wire. To string the fencing, we set a six foot 4 by 4 in the ground after digging the hole with a post hole digger. Getting past the first eight inches of sand is the most difficult part of digging the hole, but once we reach the smooth red clay, tufts of soil are quickly pulled from the hole.

Then we position the Jeep with its winch about 15 feet from the post and walk the barbed wire, which is on a roll, from one post to the other where we hook a fence tightener onto the winch and thread the wire through it. Now, with its barbs, this wire tends to cling, viciously I must add, to everything - dog fur, skin, grass - so it takes a certain finesse, and leather gloves to handle the stuff.

Once everything is fastened, we carefully draw the winch in, one click at a time. We are careful on how tight we pull the wire - not enough tension and the wire will sag, even once fastened to T-posts; too much tension snaps the wire sending it in a free-throw frenzy - and then nail it with a wire nail, a horseshoe shaped metal nail, to the wooden post. Once that is done, the wire is cut to go back and start the next strand.

Since moving here, I have learned how to pass through strands of barbed wire, carefully tightening my body, and slipping through the strands, while also knowing how to stop in mid-slide and move back slightly to release snagged clothing, before slipping through. I have learned how to hold it, how to untangle it, how to roll up loose strands.

But, it still will get me once in a while leaving fingers sore, bloody legs, torn shirts. But, there is nothing like to stop a curious horse from getting out.