Barbed Wire in Cooke County. The development of barbed wire fencing had a revolutionary impact on the economy and settlement pattern in Texas. In 1874, Joseph Glidden of Illinois received a patent for his barbed wire. By 1875, Henry B. Sanborn had come to North Texas as Glidden's barbed wire salesman. Cleaves & Fletcher Hardware, once located at this site, and other Gainesville businesses began to stock Glidden's Barbed Wire as it came into demand by Texas ranchers. Sanborn's 1875 transaction with Cleaves & Fletcher may represent the earliest sale of two-stranded modern barbed wire in Texas. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986. #301