Cattle and horses still rule at a ranch larger than Rhode Island.
No Hollywood writer could invent the life of Richard King. He was born in New York in 1824 into an Irish family so poor that, at age 9, he apprenticed out to a Manhattan jeweler. At 11, he fled the city as a stowaway on a ship.
After making a fortune as a steamboat captain on the Rio Grande, he bought the Rincon de Santa Gertrudis Mexican land grant in South Texas, and in 1853 or 1854 formed a ranch that eventually grew to more than a million acres.
Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1961, the King Ranch today totals 825,000 acres, larger than the state of Rhode Island.
The town of Kingsville, named for the ranch and located near the Gulf Coast southwest of Corpus Christi, has 26,000 residents and a wealth of Western-themed activities.
At the ranch’s Santa de Gertrudis division—the massive spread consists of four divisions—visitors can take a bus tour that begins at Santa Gertrudis Creek, which Capt. King first crossed about 1852.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der December 2018-Ausgabe von True West.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der December 2018-Ausgabe von True West.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
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WESTERN ART MUSEUMS OF THE YEAR
Visionary museums from coast to coast showcase the West's best artists and artwork.
DISCOVER THE WEST
Museums from coast to coast celebrate our Western heritage for all generations.
Amber Waves of Grain and Flowers
Kansas is still the breadbasket of America.
In Search of Hugh Glass
Travel the Rocky Mountain West to discover the truth about the legendary mountain man.
SPUR TALK
The day Bill McDonald rode over the hill leading the Appaloosa, Slim and I were repairing the corrals. Slim was running Pete Coleman's little ranch about three miles south of Cow Springs, New Mexico. I was just a snotty-nosed, freckle-faced kid at the time.
THE LEGENDARY FOUR SIXES
The ranch was founded 155 years ago by men and women who are as mythical as they are real.
YELLOWSTONE COWBOYS
THE REAL STORY OF TEDDY BLUE AND HOW HE BECAME MONTANA'S GREATEST COWBOY
Under Western Skies
The annual Scottsdale Art Auction was a tour de force of classic and contemporary art of the West.
If You Thought Dude Ranching Days Were Over....
Montana's original wants to set you straight.
The Indians and the Jesuit
Father de Smet built the first permanent settlement in Montana.
