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On May 12, 1868, Gordon received his first patent for his "Self Raking and Binding Harvester". This machine was vital to farms and greatly increased their productivity. Before this a reaper could be used to harvest hay but five to seven men would be needed to bind it, a long arduous task. His design was so valued that it was used by other harvesting equipment manufacturers, often without permission. In 1882, Gordon sued the large McCormack Harvester Machine Company that was based in Chicago. D. M. Osbourne, a manufacturer out of Auburn, New York, supported Gordon, bought interest in his company, and joined the suit. Gordon and the others in his suit were each awarded almost a quarter of a million dollars. In 1886, he received another patent for continued improvements on the machine that changed the lives of so many farmers.

Genesee Country Village and Museum