Mary Emeny visited DeKalb’s J.F. Glidden Homestead & Historical Center in July, 2006, with her cousin Dave Bush (left). The two enjoyed a tour given by Glidden board president Jim Morel. Emeny still lives on the Frying Pan Ranch first established by Joseph Glidden in 1881. (Photo by Kathy Vance Siebrasse)

Glidden Homestead welcomes Texas visitor

By Kathy Vance Siebrasse, Publicity Chair

     DeKalb’s Joseph F. Glidden Homestead & Historical Center recently welcomed a special visitor from the Frying Pan Ranch, near Amarillo, TX.
     Mary Emeny still lives on the ranch first operated in the late 1890s by her grandfather, William Henry Bush. She visited DeKalb relatives in late July during a trip to the Midwest.
     Emeny and her cousin, Dave Bush of DeKalb, enjoyed a private tour of the Glidden Homestead given by board president, Jim Morel.
     Emeny’s grandfather married Joseph Farwell Glidden’s daughter, Elva, in a ceremony that took place in the West parlor of the Glidden home Feb. 1, 1877, Morel said. 
    Elva was Joseph’s daughter by his second wife, Lucinda. Elva, who was born July 25, 1851, died May 19, 1906. She had no children. After her death, William remarried and had a family, including Emeny among the grandchildren.
   Glidden received a patent for “The Winner” in 1874, creating what would become one of the most widely used types of barbed wire.   
     After enjoying success with barbed wire and other patents, Glidden expanded his holdings in 1881, when his Texas sales agent, Henry B. Sanborn, secured the Frying Pan Ranch. 
     It was the first ranch in the “Panhandle” region that was completely fenced with barbed wire, according to the book Empire Builder in the Texas Panhandle by Paul H. Carlson. Published in 1996, the book is a biography of William Henry Bush that also tells the story of the Panhandle’s growth and development during a 50-year period at the turn of the century.    
     Records indicate Glidden first visited the ranch in July 1884. Then on Aug. 29, 1887, he visited Amarillo, TX, to take part in its early stages of elected government and county seat selection. 
     In 1881, the ranch covered 250,000 acres; with some of the land being purchased for less than $2 an acre, according to historical records.      
     The ranch was fenced with four strands of a specially-made heavy duty #9 galvanized wire version of “The Winner.” The fence included cedar posts one rod or 16.5-feet apart.  The posts were hauled in from Palo Duro Canyon, which was 40 miles away by horse and wagon. 
     The total cost of the fencing, which stretched almost 105 miles, was just under $40,000, according to records.  The ranch headquarters also was constructed in the first years, overlooking Tecovas Springs. 
      Sanborn was instrumental in selecting the special panhandle-shaped brand for the ranch’s new cattle herd. The largest herd the ranch ever held was 20,000 head in 1885.
     In 1894, the partnership in the ranch was dissolved, with Sanborn getting the acreage, which is now the site of Amarillo, TX, and 25,000 acres; and Glidden getting the remaining 225,000 acres. 
     In 1898, Glidden deeded the ranch to his son-in-law, William H. Bush, then of Chicago. 
     Emeny grew up in the Cleveland, OH, area and often visited the ranch with her parents, Frederick and Caroline, over the years. She moved there permanently in 1978.
    “I always knew I wanted to live on the ranch,” she said. “I love it there.”
      By 1995, the size of the ranch was an estimated 100,000 acres.  Some of the original sections of fence installed in 1881 were still being used in 1995, according to Empire Builder.
     The Glidden Homestead & Historical Center was established in the mid-1990s, to preserve the site where Glidden’s world-changing invention was made.
     As a not-for-profit corporation, the Homestead is run by a 15-member board, including two members of the Glidden family.  Sarah Glidden DeMink, great grand-niece, and Richard Glidden, great grand-nephew, both serve on the board.
    Joseph Glidden lived in the two-story home at 921 W. Lincoln Hwy., DeKalb, during the late 1860s and early 1870s. It was there during the winter months of 1872-73, that he began experimenting with his wife, Lucinda’s, large wire hairpins. When the weather improved, he purchased a reel of smooth fence wire from Isaac Ellwood’s hardware store and began experimenting in the barnyard or barn, which still stands today.
     Eventually, Joseph worked on his idea with his long-time friend and blacksmith, Phineas Vaughn. Together, they took apart an old coffee mill and reassembled it, utilizing the principle of a moving sleeve and a lug. With a turn of the crank, the machine produced a small uniform-sized coil. Joseph then returned to his experiment of clinching the coils with their tangs and twisting it with another smooth wire on the single strand. Thus, he came to invent the first practical “barbed wire.”
     Support for work at the Homestead today comes from a membership base, local and regional donations, along with some state and regional grants. The buildings at the Homestead are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
    The board has been working hard the past few years to restore the interior and exterior of the house, in addition to completing extensive work on the barn’s exterior. It plans to restore the barn and house as a living exhibit to educate children and adults about the significant contributions of Glidden to the history of the West and the entire nation.
     Four membership levels exist for the Glidden Homestead: Family, $40 (for immediate members of a family in the same house); Single, $25 (for one adult); Student, $5 (for students under age 22); and Heritage, a $100 annual sustaining membership.
     Membership benefits include a quarterly newsletter, special tour considerations, free refreshments when visiting, and free use of the Homestead library. Membership also gives supporters the satisfaction of helping to save a DeKalb landmark and a national historic place.
     Anyone interested in membership, should mail checks payable to the Joseph F. Glidden Homestead to: 921 W. Lincoln Hwy., DeKalb, IL 60115. For more information, call (815) 756-7904 (leave a message).