Isaac L. Ellwood
Encyclopedia
Barbed wire
Barbed wire, also known as barb wire , is a type of fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strand. It is used to construct inexpensive fences and is used atop walls surrounding secured property...
entrepreneur.
Early life
Ellwood was born in Salt Springville, New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. His first taste of business came as a young boy when he began selling sauerkraut
Sauerkraut
Sauerkraut , directly translated from German: "sour cabbage", is finely shredded cabbage that has been fermented by various lactic acid bacteria, including Leuconostoc, Lactobacillus, and Pediococcus. It has a long shelf-life and a distinctive sour flavor, both of which result from the lactic acid...
. In 1851 Ellwood, like many others, headed west to the California Gold Rush
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
.
DeKalb, Illinois
DeKalb, Illinois
DeKalb is a city in DeKalb County, Illinois, United States. The population was 43,862 at the 2010 census, up from 39,018 at the 2000 census. The city is named after decorated German war hero Johann De Kalb, who died during the American Revolutionary War....
, where he opened a hardware and implements store. On January 27, 1859 Ellwood married Harriet Augusta Miller, the couple would ultimately have seven children. As Ellwood rose to prominence he began acquiring farm properties in and around DeKalb, Illinois. After the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
ended he began to import Percheron
Percheron
The Percheron is a breed of draft horse that originated in the Perche valley in northern France. Percherons are usually gray or black in color. They are well-muscled, and known for their intelligence and willingness to work. Although their exact origins are unknown, the ancestors of the breed were...
draft horses, many from France. Eventually, this resulted in a 3400 acres (13.8 km²) stock farm near DeKalb.
Birth of barbed wire
Waterman, Illinois
Waterman is a village in DeKalb County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,506 at the 2010 census, up from 1224 at the 2000 census.The village is known for the train line that operates in Lion's Club Park...
farmer Henry Rose developed a wire fence with an attached wooden strip containing projecting wire points to dissuade encroaching livestock. He patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
ed his fence in May, 1873 and exhibited it at the DeKalb County
DeKalb County, Illinois
DeKalb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 105,160, which is an increase of 18.2% from 88,969 in 2000. Its county seat is Sycamore. DeKalb County is part of the Chicago metropolitan statistical area.-History:DeKalb County...
Fair that summer. This prompted Ellwood along with other DeKalb area residents Jacob Haish
Jacob Haish
Jacob Haish was one of the first inventors of barbed wire. His type of barbed wire was in direct competition with the other barbed wire manufacturers in DeKalb, Illinois...
and Joseph Glidden
Joseph Glidden
Joseph Farwell Glidden was an American farmer who patented barbed wire, a product that forever altered the development of the American West.- Biography :...
to work on improving the concept. Ellwood patented a type of barbed wire
Barbed wire
Barbed wire, also known as barb wire , is a type of fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strand. It is used to construct inexpensive fences and is used atop walls surrounding secured property...
in February 1874, but ever the businessman, concluded that Joseph Glidden's design was superior to his. He purchased one-half interest in Glidden's invention in July, 1874. Glidden's patent issued in November, and together they formed the I.L. Ellwood Manufacturing Company. In the beginning they produced two-strand, twisted barbed wire in the back of Ellwood's hardware store. The business was quickly successful. Ellwood's hiring John Warne Gates
John Warne Gates
John Warne Gates , also known as "Bet-a-Million" Gates, was a pioneer promoter of barbed wire who became a Gilded Age industrialist.-Biography:...
as a salesman propelled sales of barbed wire in Texas. Ranchers in the west found their creation useful and much needed. As business and demand took off, the company expanded, reorganized and merged and a successful Ellwood began construction on his Victorian mansion
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
, the Ellwood House
Ellwood House
The Ellwood House was built as a private home by barbed wire entrepreneur Isaac Ellwood in 1879. It is located on First Street in DeKalb, Illinois, United States, in DeKalb County. The Victorian style home, designed by George O. Garnsey, underwent remodeling in 1898-1899 and 1911...
.
In 1881 I.L. Ellwood Manufacturing became Superior Barbed Wire Company under an expansion and reorganization plan. Seventeen years later the company would merge in the creation of John Warne Gates
John Warne Gates
John Warne Gates , also known as "Bet-a-Million" Gates, was a pioneer promoter of barbed wire who became a Gilded Age industrialist.-Biography:...
' American Steel and Wire monopoly, which was a predecessor of United States Steel.
Support for higher education
DeKalb is home to Northern Illinois UniversityNorthern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University is a state university and research institution located in DeKalb, Illinois, with satellite centers in Hoffman Estates, Naperville, Rockford, and Oregon. It was originally founded as Northern Illinois State Normal School on May 22, 1895 by Illinois Governor John P...
and Ellwood played a major role in making it a reality. It was Clinton Rosette
Clinton Rosette
Clinton E. Rosette was a prominent citizen of DeKalb, Illinois during the 19th century. Rosette was closely associated with well known men from the same city, such as Isaac Ellwood. He was the first editor of the newspaper in DeKalb, the Daily Chronicle, a newspaper whose first publisher was...
who helped persuade Ellwood that the new Northern Illinois State Normal School should be in DeKalb. So convinced was Ellwood that he used all methods at his disposal to support the cause. His own capital, his time and his political influence were all used to gain DeKalb the new college.
Governor John Altgeld appointed Ellwood to the Board of Trustees, who were responsible for selecting a site for the normal school
Normal school
A normal school is a school created to train high school graduates to be teachers. Its purpose is to establish teaching standards or norms, hence its name...
, allowed him to assert all the more political influence. In the name of securing the future school for DeKalb Ellwood reportedly donated $20,000 and fronted another $50,000 in a non-interest bearing loan, along with 4.1 acres (16,592.1 m²) of land for the new school. The bid was ultimately successful and the normal school eventually became NIU.
Texas ranching
In the ensuing time Ellwood's interest in ranching grew. On a trip to Texas in 1889 he purchased the 130,000 acre (530 km²) Renderbrook Ranch in Mitchell County. In 1891 he purchased an additional 128000 acres (518 km²) northwest of Lubbock, TexasLubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
. He acquired more area in 1902 and 1906 bringing his total holdings in Texas to 265000 acres (1,072 km²). In all, at its height Spade Ranch and Ellwood's other Texas land holdings encompassed 395000 acres (1,599 km²).
He built a ten room "cottage" in Port Arthur, Texas
Port Arthur, Texas
-Demographics:As of the 2000 census, there were 57,755 people, 21,839 households, and 14,675 families residing in the city. The population density was 696.5 people per square mile . There were 24,713 housing units at an average density of 298.0 per square mile...
which was an authentic copy of a Pompei
Pompei
Pompei is a city and comune in the province of Naples in Campania, southern Italy, famous for its ancient Roman ruins. As of 2010 its population was of 25,671.-History:...
ian Villa from 74 CE.
Ellwood continued to acquire ranch land until almost the time he died, in Dekalb, Illinois in 1910.
External links
- Biographical timeline
- Ellwood House and Museum
- Ellwood Pompeiian villa: Port Arthur Chamber of Commerce
- Barbed Wire Museum – Isaac Ellwood, DeKalb, Illinois Improvement in Barbed Fences – "single piece of metal with four points, attached to a flat rail" (February, 1874)
- Ellwood papers at Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library, Texas Tech University