While the later half of the 19th century saw a series of patents for barbed wire, it was this one that has proven to be the most enduring. In 1874, Joseph Glidden, an Illinois farmer, patented an improved design which held the wire barbs in place. Glidden’s wire was the leading barbed wire used while the West was being settled; since that time, there has been little change to his innovation. Barbed wire not only simplified the work of the rancher and farmer, but it significantly affected political, social, and economic practices throughout the region.
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Today’s Document from the National Archives