Breeds of King Ranch
A south Texas ranch founded in 1853, larger than the state of Rhode Island, where the Santa Gertrudis breed was developed.
Breeds of this place
Best time: October to April, the cooler months.
Richard King, a steamboat captain, bought land on Santa Gertrudis Creek in south Texas in 1853 and built one of the largest ranches in the United States. It covers more than 3,000 square kilometres of brush, grass and coast. Generations of vaqueros, many of whose families came with their herds from Mexico, worked its cattle and are known as Kineños, the King's people.
The Santa Gertrudis
In the early twentieth century, the ranch began crossing Shorthorn cattle with Brahman bulls to cope with the heat, insects and dry spells of south Texas. A bull named Monkey, born in 1920, became the foundation sire of a new breed, the Santa Gertrudis, roughly five eighths Shorthorn and three eighths Brahman. In 1940 it was recognised as the first beef breed developed in the United States.
The ranch and its brand
The ranch's Running W brand, first registered in the 1860s, is one of the oldest in Texas. The ranch has also bred horses, and later developed a composite beef breed. Kingsville, the town that grew up beside it, has a museum telling the story of ranching on the coastal plains.
A trail idea for King Ranch
- Kingsville The town built beside the ranch, with a ranching museum.
- Ranch tours Guided tours of the pastures and herds.
- Santa Gertrudis Creek The creek where the ranch began.
Written by the EveryCow desk with AI assistance. Background: "King Ranch" on Wikipedia. Fair dates, markets and visiting rules change; check locally before travelling, and keep a respectful distance from working animals. If something is wrong, tell us.
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