1) The King Ranch was formed in 1853 by Captain Richard King and his wife Henrietta Maria King on land in South Texas. 2) Over time, through acquisitions and breeding programs, the King Ranch grew to over 800,000 acres and became a leader in cattle ranching, farming, oil and gas, and other industries. 3) Today, the King Ranch continues to operate successful businesses in cattle, horses, farming, oil and gas, hunting and others, making it one of the largest and most diverse family-owned ranches in the United States.

2. History of King Ranch The King Ranch was formed by: Capt. Richard King and his wife, Henrietta Maria King

3. Captain Richard King He was born on July 10, 1824 in New York City. At an early age, he became a jeweler apprentice. He ran away in 1835 by hiding on a ship headed for Mobile, Alabama. The ship took him under their wing. Before the age of 20, he became a steamboat pilot. He met Mifflin Kenedy in 1842, when they served in the Second Seminole War. In 1842, Kenedy asked King to help him transport supplies to the U.S. Army’s effort in the Mexican-American War. He died on April 14, 1885 in San Antonio, Texas, at the Menger Hotel of stomach cancer. In 1885, he owned about 614,000 acres of the King Ranch.

4. Henrietta Maria Morse Chamberlain King She and Richard King were married on December 10, 1854, by her Presbyterian minister father. They had 5 children: 1) Henrietta Maria “Nettie”, born on April 17, 1856. 2) Ella Morse, born on April 13, 1858. 3) Richard Jr., born on December 15, 1860. 4) Alice Gertrudis, born on April 29, 1862. 5) Robert E. Lee, born on February 22, 1864. Henrietta King died on March 31, 1925. Richard King was re-interred with Henrietta on the King Ranch.

5. “Kinenos”

6. “Kineno” - King’s People In 1854, Richard King moved a Mexican village and their cattle to his ranch to employ them. These workers became known as “kinenos” or King’s People. The kinenos were and are taken care of by the King Ranch. Full-time employees were allowed free housing, health benefits, income, retirement, and a King Ranch truck every few years. Children of Kinenos receive college scholarships from King Ranch in exchange for part-time employment.

7. A home of a Kineno on King Ranch, known as “The Colony.”

8. This is where Kinenos can keep their cattle for 4H participation.

9. This is a new school for the Kinenos in grades K-8. This is not located on King Ranch immediate property.

10. The “Running W” Brand Richard King branded the “HK” in 1859. On February 9, 1869, he branded the Running W. The Running W became the official brand for the King Ranch.

11. This cow has a Running W branded on it. The Running W on cattle means that that cow was born on King Ranch.

12. What does Running W represent? The ups and downs of ranching; or The waves of the water; or The Western Diamondback Rattlesnakes found throughout the Ranch; or The sweeping horns of a Texas Longhorn bull. Tales of what the Running W represents Jokesters state that it represents Whataburger; or if you turn the W around, it represents McDonalds.

13. Robert Justus Kleberg Mr. Kleberg was born on December 5, 1853 to Robert Justus Kleberg and Rosalie von Roeder Kleberg. He graduated from law school in 1880. After the death of Richard King, Mrs. King asked Robert Kleberg to manage and control the King Ranch. Kleberg married King’s youngest daughter, Alice Gertrudis King. They had 5 kids. Robert Kleberg died on October 10, 1932 at King Ranch.

14. This is the Service area at King Ranch. If a building needs painting or a truck needs to be repaired, then you contact this building for Service.

15. There are 2 gas pumps for the King Ranch vehicles. This is not for personal vehicles, not even Kinenos.

16. This used to be an on-site store where groceries could be purchased.

17. Mansion The mansion is an unoccupied 33,000 square foot home. It has 17 bedrooms. It also has a swimming pool and a tennis court. There are a total of 16 maids, butlers and cooks who work in the mansion to maintain it. The mansion is used for the King-Kleberg family members when they are in town. The original house burned in 1912. It was rebuilt.

18. This is the mansion built after the original was burned in a fire in 1912.

19. This cannon was used by Richard King every July 4th and on his birthday.

20. This bell survived the 1912 fire.

22. 4 Divisions of King Ranch 1) Santa Gertrudis: Family mansion and Kinenos residences. 2) Laureles: This is where King Ranch has its state of the art cotton gins. 3) Norias: This is where hunting wildlife game occurs. 4) Encino: This location is leased for private use by businesses. About 15,000 acres is the average lease size.

23. Income & Interests Cattle Quarter Horses & Racing Horses Farming: Citrus Pecans Game hunting Newspaper Hardware Store

24. Santa Gertrudis Cattle In 1874, Brahmans bulls were bought by King. In 1880s, Herefords and shorthorns were taken to the Ranch. The shorthorns and the Brahmans were crossbred to produce the Santa Gertrudis cattle. In 1919, Kleberg mated Vinotero, a Brahman bull, with a Shorthorn cow. The outcome was a dark red male named Monkey. Monkey fathered many Santa Gertrudis breed, becoming the “father of the Santa Gertrudis”. In 1940, the Santa Gertrudis was officially recognized as a breed of cattle by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In 1951, the Santa Gertrudis Breeders Association was formed.

25. Santa Gertrudis cattle

26. For every bull, there are 50 cows.

27. Quarter horses In the 1940s, King Ranch started racing and breeding quarter horses. In 1946, the King Ranch quarter horse named Assault, won the Triple Crown. For this reason, the Ranch bought Idle Hour Stable in Kentucky in 1946. This stable was a 680-acre bluegrass farm. In 1947, there were 82 racehorses and 2,900 quarter horses at the Ranch. Three of King Ranch’s horses: Assault, High Gun, Bold Adventure, and Middlegroundbecame regular winners.

28. Quarter Horses

29. There are 7 headstones for the 7 winning horses . Those horses are buried here.

30. Oil and Gas In 1939, the first well was built on King Ranch. There were 650 producing oil and gas wells on the Ranch in 1953. In 1980, King Ranch Oil and Gas (KROG) was formed. In 1992, KROG discovered natural gas with several other companies off the Louisiana coast.

31. This is a “sendero” (clearing of land) where Exxon/Mobil can access to look for a gas leak. This is also used when cattle get lost, and cowboys need to look for the lost cattle.

32. Hunting The King Ranch has guided hunts and also leases the land for private, recreational hunting. A hunting trip can cost from $200 up to $25,000. White-tailed deer Wild turkey Quail Javelina Wild hog Quail Exotic: Nilgai antelope

33. Farming Their crops include: 30,000 acres of cotton and 30,000 acres of milo yearly in Texas. King Ranch operates sod production farms in Texas and Florida. One of the largest producers of turfgrass is the King Ranch Turfgrass in Texas and Florida. King Ranch farms grow corn, sugar cane, green bean, and specialty lettuce in Florida.

34. Citrus The largest producer of orange juice is the King Ranch through it’s presence in Florida. It has three-fourths ownership of Consolidated Citrus L.P. About 91% of the Florida harvest is dedicated to oranges. The remaining 9% of the Florida harvest consists up of grapefruit and specialty fruit.

35. Sugar Cane The King Ranch has close to 12,500 acres for sugar cane in Florida. Their sugar is marketed under Domino and C&H brands.

36. Pecans A member of the King Ranch family businesses is The Young Pecan, Inc. It is one of the largest pecan shellers.

37. Newspapers The local newspapers for Kingsville and Bishop became owned by King Ranch in 1953. The names of the newspaper changed to the Kingsville Record and Bishop News.

38. Robstown Hardware Company King Ranch has owned Robstown Hardware Company for over 25 years. Its equipment is used for the milo and cotton production operations in Texas.

41. References Art Leatherwood, "SANTA GERTRUDIS CATTLE," Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ats01), accessed June 28, 2011. Published by the Texas State Historical Association. Ashton, J. and Edgar P. Sneed, "KING RANCH," Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/apk01), accessed June 28, 2011. Published by the Texas State Historical Association. Domino Sugar. (n.d.). Retrived from http://www.dominosugar.com Find a grave. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.findagrave.com Fox, M. (1986). A queen named king. Austin, Texas: Eakin Press. King ranch. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.kingranchhunting.com/ King ranch. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://king-ranch.com/index.html Kingsville record and bishop news. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.kr-bn.com/ Richard king. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_King_(Texas) Robstown hardware company. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://robstownhardware.com/entry.htm