Barbed Wire

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about barbed wire, right here in Bexar County. Now, they called it Devil's Rope. That ought to tell you something right there.

Cowboys had a name for it before most cattlemen would even give it a second look — and that name wasn't exactly a ringing endorsement. Barbed wire was patented in 1873, but for a good while, Texas ranchers wanted nothing to do with it. Too flimsy, they figured.

Too newfangled. You can't hold a Texas longhorn with a little bit of twisted wire. That skepticism might've lasted a good while longer if not for one man and one very dramatic afternoon on the Military Plaza in San Antonio.

The man was John Ware Gates. Born 1855, died 1911. He came to San Antonio as an agent for a pioneer wire manufacturer, and he had a problem — nobody wanted to buy what he was selling.

Now, a lesser man might've packed his samples and moved on. Gates had a different idea. He went to the city officials, got their permission, and built a barbed wire corral right there on the Military Plaza.

In the middle of the city. In plain sight of everyone. Then he walked into the resorts where the cattlemen gathered, and he boasted.

He boasted about the wire's strength. He boasted about its economy. And the ranchers, being ranchers, did what ranchers do — they made bets.

They bet that wire would not hold wild cattle. Some of them were probably feeling pretty good about that wager. They should've known better than to bet against a showman.

Because here's what happened. Longhorns were turned into that corral. And then they were prodded to frenzy by burning torches.

Now, a longhorn prodded to frenzy by a burning torch is not an animal interested in stopping. They charged that fence furiously. The scoffers looked on, no doubt already spending their winnings in their heads.

The wire held. Just like that, orders for barbed wire began exceeding the supply — and for a long time, they stayed that way. One afternoon on a city plaza had done what years of quiet salesmanship could not.

As for Gates himself, that San Antonio demonstration was just the opening act. He went on to found or organize several wire and steel plants. And around 1901, he invested in the Spindletop oil field and helped develop the city of Port Arthur, Texas.

The man who once had to beg ranchers to look at his wire became known, in later life, as Bet-a-Million Gates. You have to figure he earned that name honestly. And the wire itself?

Alongside its sister utility, the windmill, barbed wire led to the upgrading of beef cattle, the enhancement of nutrition, and the quality of human life. The cowboys who called it Devil's Rope weren't wrong about its bite. They just didn't see yet what it would build.

What the marker says

At first called "Devil's Rope" by cowboys, barbed wire was patented in 1873 but found little favor with Texas cattlemen until the late 1870s, when its use and practicality were shown in a sensational demonstration here in San Antonio. Its showman-sponsor was John Ware Gates (1855-1911), who came here as agent for a pioneer wire manufacturer. With permission from city officials, he built a barbed wire corral on the Military Plaza, then went into various resorts of cattlemen and boasted of its strength and economy. Some of the ranchers made bets that the wire would not hold wild cattle. While the scoffers looked on, some longhorns where turned into the corral and prodded to frenzy by burning torches. They charged the fence furiously, but the wire held. The experiment was such a success that for a long time orders exceeded the supply of barbed wire. In later life known as "bet-a-million" Gates, the agent founded or organized several wire and steel plants. About 1901 he also invested in Spindletop oil field and helped develop the city of Port Arthur, Texas. With its sister utility, the windmill, barbed wire led to upgrading of beef cattle and enhancement of nutrition and the quality of human life. (1971)