Mid-Continent Airlines was an airline which operated in the central United States from the 1930s until 1952 when it was acquired by and merged with Braniff International Airways. Mid-Continent Airlines was originally founded as a flight school at Rickenbacker Airport in Sioux City, Iowa, during 1928, by Arthur Hanford Jr., a dairy operator. The Hanford Produce Company was the largest creamery in the United States with over 100 trucks in operation. The company was primarily a dairy but also sold ice cream and poultry. The Hanford's also founded and built the new Rickenbacker Airport and operated eight gas stations and several service repair garages under the name Hanford's, Inc. The airport was a division of Hanford's, Inc., but the service stations and garages were later sold to finance airline operations. Mid-Continent was based in Kansas City, Missouri at the time of its acquisition by Braniff. History Hanford's Tri-State Airlines The company was founded in 1928 at Rickenbacker Airport in Sioux City, Iowa, as a small flight school by Arthur S. Hanford Sr and his son Arthur S. Hanford Jr. Soon the company became known as Hanford's Tri-State Airlines, which offered charter service and scheduled flights from Sioux City to Omaha, Nebraska, Minneapolis, Minnesota and Bismarck, North Dakota. The fleet consisted of Stearmans, American Eagles, Ryans, Travel Airs, Eagle Rocks and one Sikorsky amphibian, which was used for operations in the Northern lake country. In 1934 it was awarded Air Mail Route 16 for runs from Chicago to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Intermediate routings included Milwaukee, Madison, Wisconsin; Rochester, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Minnesota; Fargo, Grand Forks and Pembina, North Dakota, and finally Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The company was also awarded Air Mail Route 26 from Minneapolis to Kansas City with intermediate stops at Sioux Falls, Sioux City and Omaha, and finally between Sioux Falls and Bismarck/Mandan with enroute stops at Huron and Aberdeen. Service began over Route 16 in June 1934 and over Route 26 in July 1934. At this time, the company moved its headquarters to Minneapolis. However, when the Chicago to Winnipeg route was sold in December 1934 to Northwest Airlines, general offices were moved back to Sioux City. Its fleet included four four-passenger Lockheed Vegas and three Ford Tri-Motors. Route 26 required three-engine equipment, which Hanford's did not initially have and therefore, leased the route to Rapid Air Lines for a brief period from June 1, 1934 until December