Site of an Early Barbed Wire Fence in the Panhandle

Site of an Early Barbed Wire Fence in the Panhandle (HM11VZ)

Location: Canyon, TX 79015 Randall County
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Country: United States of America
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N 34° 58.793', W 101° 54.322'

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Inscription
In the latter 1880's, when fencing was needed in the treeless Texas Panhandle, the solution proved to be barbed wire. Joseph F. Glidden of Illinois devised and by 1876 was manufacturing (with I.L. Ellwood) the first really practical barbed wire on the market. H.B. Sanborn was sent to Texas as their agent, and remained to become a builder of the Panhandle.

Wanting free access to water and grass, ranchers at first resisted fencing. Cowboys disliked it, as fewer range riders were needed on fenced lands. The old-timers grew bitter, because of blocked trails—herds had to be hauled rather than driven to market.

Yet, newcomers wanted fencing, in order to have use of land purchased for ranching. Merchants and city-builders wanted fences, to assure settlement.

The T-Anchor, owned by Jot Gunter and Wm. B. Munson, real estate investors of Grayson County, built a line fence on this site in 1881, enclosing a 240,000-acre horse pasture. Also, built in this area, by popular subscription, was a "drift" fence to hold cattle back from wandering south in blue northers and blizzards.

Barbed wire gradually came into general use. It saved the cattle industry, because improvements in breeding and feeding were possible on fenced ranges.
Details
HM NumberHM11VZ
Tags
Marker Number4921
Year Placed1968
Placed ByState Historical Survey Committee
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Sunday, October 5th, 2014 at 4:58am PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)14S E 234776 N 3874669
Decimal Degrees34.97988333, -101.90536667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 34° 58.793', W 101° 54.322'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds34° 58' 47.58" N, 101° 54' 19.32" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)806
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 3200-3298 4th Ave, Canyon TX 79015, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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