SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 212
WHEREAS, King Ranch, whose history spans more than 160
years, has left an indelible imprint on the story of Texas, and
its renown has spread far beyond the borders of this state; and
WHEREAS, Richard King, the founder of the ranch, was a New
York native who had run away from an apprenticeship in Manhattan
as a child and later became a steamboat captain; in 1847, he
joined his friend Mifflin Kenedy on the Rio Grande, where they
ferried troops and supplies for the United States Army during the
Mexican War; both men remained on the border after the war's end
and became wealthy as steamboat entrepreneurs; and
WHEREAS, Ever on the alert for business opportunities,
King spied possibilities in the land lying between the Rio Grande
and the Nueces River, an area known variously as the Nueces Strip
and the Wild Horse Desert; in 1853 he and a partner, Gideon Lewis,
purchased in that area a 15,500-acre Mexican land grant known as
the Rincón de Santa Gertrudis; over the ensuing years, first with
Lewis, then with Kenedy, and ultimately as sole proprietor, he
continued to expand his ranch holdings, amassing one of the
largest spreads in Texas; and
WHEREAS, King quickly adapted to Spanish ranching culture;
while on a cattle-buying trip in Tamaulipas, he persuaded some
100 residents of the village of Cruillas to return with him to
Texas; they settled on the ranch and became known as los Kineños,
or "King's people"; over the years, their skills as horsemen and
as stockmen, skills that have been passed down through
generations of descendants, have contributed immeasurably to the
ranch's mystique and to its success; and
WHEREAS, In the years following the Civil War, King played
a prominent role in the emergence of the Texas cattle industry;
longhorns bearing his Running W brand were among the first to be
trailed north to the railheads in Kansas and to new ranges in the
American West; in addition, King was among the earliest ranchers
to fence his land, to undertake the large-scale raising of
livestock, and to follow a program of scientific breeding; and
WHEREAS, Richard King died in 1885, leaving his widow,
Henrietta King, to preserve and enlarge the ranch he had built;
Henrietta King had already proved capable of the task, as she had
largely overseen the ranch during the Civil War, while her
husband was engaged in transporting Confederate cotton across
the Rio Grande to Mexico; she appointed Robert Justus Kleberg,
their legal advisor, as ranch manager, and in 1886, Kleberg
became a member of the family with his marriage to the Kings'
daughter Alice; over the next three decades, Kleberg led in
eliminating a devastating cattle disease called Texas fever by
pioneering the use of cattle dipping vats; he also began the
breeding program that produced the world-famed Santa Gertrudis
beef cattle; and
WHEREAS, In the 20th century, King Ranch diversified into a
number of other areas; it began breeding and racing both quarter
horses and Thoroughbreds, and it claimed the 1946 Triple Crown
winner, Assault, and the 1950 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes
winner, Middleground; the ranch also became involved in oil and
gas production and acquired interests in such industries as
timber and real estate; in addition, the ranch developed
large-scale hunting operations, both through leasing land to
hunters and by providing guided public hunts; today, King Ranch
has become noted as a leader in environmental stewardship, game
management, and wildlife conservation; strongly supportive of
education, it has endowed a professorship in the McCombs School
of Business at The University of Texas at Austin and contributed
generously to institutes for ranch management and wildlife
research at Texas A&M University--Kingsville; and
WHEREAS, King Ranch now encompasses 825,000 acres, spread
across six counties; in 1966, it was listed on the National
Register of Historic Places; and
WHEREAS, Throughout its history, King Ranch has been a
recognized innovator in ranching and livestock practices, and as
awareness grows of the need to live in harmony with the natural
world, this legendary ranch is playing a vital role in saving the
rich natural heritage of the Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 84th
Legislature, hereby recognize February 26, 2015, as King Ranch
Day at the State Capitol and extend to the ranch's owners,
managers, and staff sincere best wishes for continued success;
and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this Resolution be
prepared for King Ranch as an expression of high regard from the
Texas Senate.
Lucio
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President of the Senate
I hereby certify that the
above Resolution was adopted by
the Senate on February 23, 2015.
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Secretary of the Senate
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Member, Texas Senate