This is one of the oldest and largest working cattle ranches in America, and the birthplace of the American ranching industry. It is also home of the first American Registered Quarter Horse and founder of the Santa Gertrudis breed of cattle. I first heard of King Ranch when I was a kid and all of my heroes were cowboys. It was a thrill to see the place for myself after all these years.
King Ranch was founded in 1853, half a century before the town of Kingsville, by Captain Richard King, a steamboat operator on the Rio Grande. King became interested in the area while riding horseback from Brownsville to Corpus Christi. His original purchase was a total of 15,500 acres, which was the Rincon de Santa Gertrudis Land Grant. Today the ranch sprawls over several counties, 825,000 acres, and is larger than the entire state of Rhode Island. It is still family owned by more than 100 King heirs.
No comments:
Post a Comment