Henry B. Sanborn

In 1875 Henry B. Sanborn (1845-1912) began a long association with the state of Texas when he became the Texas sales agent for Joseph F. Glidden's newly patented invention, barbed wire. A native of New York, Sanborn had become acquainted with Glidden in DeKalb, Illinois, where he had boarded with the Glidden Family and in 1868 had married Glidden's niece, Ellen Wheeler. At the time Glidden and his partner, Judson P. Warner, shipped the first four carloads of wire to Texas, farmers and ranchers of the state were in the midst of a great controversy over the preservation of open ranges versus closed protection of fields. Sanborn bought 10,000 acres of ranch land in Grayson County on which he sought to prove that barbed wire could be successfully used in fencing large acreages. In 1881 he and Glidden formed a partnership and began what now is known as the Frying Pan Ranch in the Texas Panhandle. Surrounded with 120 miles of barbed wire fence, it proved to be a very successful ranching operation. Sanborn was involved in the promotion of the major Amarillo townsite, earning him the title "Father of Amarillo." His ranching and promotional ventures were major factors in making Amarillo and the Panhandle one of Texas' leading cattle and ranching centers. (1984)

Henry B. Sanborn is a historical marker in Amarillo, Potter County, dedicated in 1984. It is one of 48 historical markers documented in Potter County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 68 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 35.2092, -101.8314 near Amarillo. The nearest cataloged historic site is Amarillo (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Potter County Courthouse, Potter County, Establishing of, and Amarillo US Post Office and Courthouse.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5375002441. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.