In 1876 salesman John W. Gates brought barbed wire to Texas when he wagered $1 million that he could build a fence that would capably contain cattle. Some incredulous gambler took the bet. Gates ...

__1867: __Lucien B. Smith patents barbed wire, an artificial "thorn hedge." It's an idea whose time clearly has come, but not quite in this form. Smith's design called for spools of four short, sharp ...

Behold the humble barbed-wire fence, the five-strand sentinel of Texas woods and plains. Untold thousands of miles of barbed-wire fence divide the state, so ubiquitous outside the city centers that ...

ARMAS EXPLAINS HOW THAT TERRAIN MEXICO AND MEXICO. SOME CLOSED OFF BY STEEL WALLS. OTHER AREAS BARDED FENCES >> SEVERAL MILES IS NORMANDY FENCING. DOZENING MILES IS ONLY BARBED WIRE. >> THAT'S ALL THE ...