In the early 1900s, the Wiley family operated what they claimed was the largest draft horse importing and breeding business in America near Elmdale, Kansas, specializing in top-quality Percherons, Belgians, and Shires. L. R. Wiley invested heavily, traveling to Europe to acquire superior bloodlines, believing that better-bred horses would improve farm efficiency and profits in the pre-automobile era when horsepower literally meant horses. The Wileys promoted these breeds as the premium work animals of their time, akin to Cadillacs for farmers.

Despite their efforts in breeding, marketing, and promotion, the Wileys lost their ranch to foreclosure in 1924. While it was initially assumed that the rise of tractors caused their downfall, it was later understood that the transition to mechanized farming occurred later in the region. Instead, a family descendant suggested the venture was ill-suited for the local economy, as most farmers simply could not afford the expensive imported horses, making the enterprise financially unsustainable.