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
		________________________________
		President of the Senate
		I hereby certify that the
		above Resolution was adopted by
		the Senate on February 23, 2015.
		________________________________
		Secretary of the Senate
		________________________________
		Member, Texas Senate