David Rankin owned 24,000 acres in northwest Missouri around Tarkio, herded cattle from Biggsville, Illinois, 227 miles to downtown Chicago in 1847. Rankin and John Bilby were major rivals in the early 1900s, owning vast tracts in Missouri and across the United States
Here’s the story from the University of Nebraska
Rankin always embraced new technology to improve his business. In 1847, D. Rankin drove a herd of about 50 cattle to Chicago over open prairie where they could feed as they traveled. There was no refrigeration, so packing houses only operated in the cold winter months. Rankin was acquainted with both Messrs. Swift and Armour. The latter had recently arrived in Chicago from Milwaukee. There was only one bridge across the Chicago River at this point, and the prairie came to within one or two blocks of the courthouse. The Chicago mayor at the time was “Long John” Wentworth, who, as agent, sold D. Rankin 80 acres south of Biggsville, Illinois, for $200.00.During this same time period, Rankin saw the first practical reaper built by Cyrus McCormick, and in 1848, he bought one for about $125.00. It represented a vast improvement, yet it still took two men and four horses to operate one machine. David Rankin is quoted as saying this machine helped him reduce the cost of harvesting in two ways – it saved labor and eliminated the cost of whiskey provided to farm hands, which he refused to provide. Rankin paid his men monthly on Mondays instead of on Fridays, hoping to reduce wages spent on liquor and reflecting his stand on temperance.