“Oh give me a home, where the buffalo roam, and the dear and the antelope play….”
Your students probably know the song "Home on the Range," but they likely have never heard of the inventor Joseph Glidden.
On January 18, 1831, Joseph Glidden was born in Charlestown, New Hampshire. Glidden would have an important impact on the American West. Glidden improved barbed wire with his own design in 1873, he is known by some as the "Father of Barbed Wire.” This invention would lead to ranchers fencing in their land, the end of the open plains and the long cattle drive, and challenges for Native American tribes and bison (not really buffalo) herds that used to roam freely over the plains.
According to the National Park Service “As patents were being issued for the various types of barbed wire and manufacturing companies were springing up to meet the demand, some homesteaders found that it was easier and cheaper to just make the barded wire themselves,
using models they were already familiar with as a guide. This practical approach resulted in more than 2,000 variations on over 500 barbed wire patents.” The NPS has pictures to show your class some of the many different types of barbed wire used in the Old West.
My reader “Joseph Glidden - An Improvement to Barbed Wire” is great for reading, language arts, and social studies. This book will help your students build their vocabulary and improve their reading comprehension while learning interesting facts.
No comments:
Post a Comment