As the people moved into the plains area they brought cattle, sheep, and other animals to raise. At first the open range was available to all. Then as the cattle herds began to increase range wars broke out over who had the right to lands.
On November 24, 1874, Joseph F. Glidden of De Kalb, Illinois, received US patent 157,124 for an invention that was very important in shaping the West. He had invented barbed wire. As the lands were populated the farmer had to protect his lands from the cattle that roamed freely. This invention allowed farmers to fence in their crops and keep the cattle out. It also lead to land being fenced in and the free range disappeared. Because the land was at a premium, the farmers and cattlemen resented what was taken for food by the wild animals of the plains. They felt that the land should be used for farming and ranching.
Soon the wild animals of the area started to disappear. They became Endangered.