King Ranch
King Ranch is the largest ranch in the United States. At some 825,000 acres (3,340 km2; 1,289 sq mi) it is larger than the land area of Rhode Island and the European country Luxembourg. It is mainly a cattle ranch, but also produced the Triple Crown winning racehorse Assault.
King Ranch | |
King Ranch logo - the running W brand | |
King Ranch King Ranch | |
| Nearest city | Kingsville, Texas |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 27°31′7″N 97°55′1″W |
| Area | 825,000 acres (334,000 ha) |
| Built | 1852 |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000820 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHLD | November 5, 1961 |
The ranch is located in South Texas between Corpus Christi and Brownsville adjacent to Kingsville. It was founded in 1853 by Captain Richard King and Gideon K. Lewis. It includes portions of six Texas counties; most of Kleberg and much of Kenedy, with portions extending into Brooks, Jim Wells, Nueces, and Willacy counties.
The ranch does not consist of one single contiguous plot of land, but rather four large sections called divisions. The divisions are the Santa Gertrudis, the Laureles, the Encino and the Norias. Only the first two of the four divisions border each other, and that border is relatively short. The ranch was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1961. The Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame inducted the ranch in 2019. King Ranch was one of the very first ranches to be added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966, because of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 which was signed that same day.