The Close of the Open Range

One reason that the grazing of animals on the open range declined in Texas in the late 1800s was the invention of barbed-wire fencing.

By 1880, barbed-wire fences were installed in several Texas counties.  Many cowboys and other people in TX were against barbed wire because it was bringing an end to the open range. 

As ranchers began fencing their land, conflicts arose. At times, fencing cut off access to water sources which meant that some ranchers were no longer able to water their herds.

Ranchers and herders began cutting fences so they could get their animals to water.

As tensions rose, the Texas legislature voted in 1884 to make fence cutting a felony. In the 1870s and 1880s fence cutting became a problem by cattle rustlers and others who did not want the open range to end.  This part of Texas history is known as the “Fence Cutting Wars''.

Windmills were adopted in the late 1800’s by farmers in the drier areas of Texas. Wind turned the wheel, which generated power to pump water from the ground.

The government gave railroad companies land & cash to build railroads across the United States. 

The expansion of the state’s railway network during the late 1800’s was rapid. The state government promoted construction by providing land grants to railroad developers.