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Devils Rope Barbed Wire Museum

Museum
In McLean, Texas
On Route 66

Devils Rope Barbed Wire Museum, in McLean, TX, tells the story of barbed wire, the fencing that changed ranching on the plains. Opened in 1991 in a converted brassiere factory, it is believed to hold the biggest body of published writing on barbed wire anywhere. It also keeps a collection of Texas Route 66 road lore, and it sits about a mile off the main route.

What is Devils Rope Barbed Wire Museum?

Displays trace how barbed wire developed, along with fencing tools and ranch life. Much of what is shown comes from private wire collectors around the country. Other exhibits cover the Dust Bowl, salesman samples and wire used in warfare, and a reference library holds detailed patent records for researchers and teachers.

A separate collection gathers artifacts and stories from the Texas section of Historic Route 66. For visitors who grew up on a farm or ranch, the tools and wire samples will look familiar; for everyone else, they show how the open range was fenced in.

Visiting Devils Rope Barbed Wire Museum: tips

Allow about an hour. The museum is listed as having restrooms, parking and wheelchair access, and it is suitable for kids. McLean is about a mile off the main route, so it is an easy stop between Shamrock and Amarillo, and the Route 66 displays make it a natural fit for a Mother Road trip.

Practical info

Address: 100 Kingsley St, McLean, TX 79057
Phone: +1 806-779-2225
Website: barbwiremuseum.com
Hours: Mon–Sat 9–4
On site & nearby

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Stops near Devils Rope Barbed Wire Museum

All of Texas

McClellan Creek National Grassland

Amarillo, Texas · 1.9 mi from Route 66

A small national grassland around McClellan Lake in the Texas Panhandle, recovering from a huge 2006 fire.

Nature & parksPhoto credit

15.5 mi from Devils Rope Barbed Wire Museum

U-Drop Inn

Shamrock, Texas · on Route 66

Shamrock's Art Deco gas station and cafe, with twin flared towers, glazed tile walls and neon trim.

Retro roadsidePhoto credit

19.7 mi from Devils Rope Barbed Wire Museum

Leaning Tower of Britten

Groom, Texas · 0.1 mi from Route 66

A water tower tilted on purpose beside the highway in Groom, and a favorite of Route 66 photo books.

Art & landmarksPhoto credit

27.5 mi from Devils Rope Barbed Wire Museum

Route 66 Bridge over the Chicago, Rock Island and Gulf Railroad

Shamrock, Texas · on Route 66

A 1932 steel-and-concrete Route 66 bridge near Shamrock that still carries traffic over an old rail line.

Historic bridgePhoto credit

27.7 mi from Devils Rope Barbed Wire Museum

Magnolia Service Station

Texola, Oklahoma · on Route 66

A little house-style gas station in Texola, one of the last stops in Oklahoma for westbound drivers.

Retro roadsidePhoto credit

34.2 mi from Devils Rope Barbed Wire Museum

West Winds Motel

Erick, Oklahoma · on Route 66

A 1940s Mission Revival motor court in Erick, with a garage beside every room around a U-shaped yard.

Retro roadsidePhoto credit

40.9 mi from Devils Rope Barbed Wire Museum

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