John Warne Gates of Illinois has begun…

John Warne Gates of Illinois has begun to promote barbed wire, now a proven product, in the lucrative markets of Texas.

Texans had been hesitant at first, as they feared that cattle might be harmed, or that the North was somehow trying to make profits from the South.

There is also conflict between the farmers who want fencing and the ranchers who are losing the open range.

After demonstrations by Gates in San Antonio in 1876 show that the wire can keep cattle contained, sales increase dramatically.

Gates will eventually part company with Ellwood and become a barbed wire baron in his own right.

The widespread use of barbed wire, sometimes violently opposed by cattle ranchers, will end the era of the open range in the American West.