King Ranch

King Ranch is the largest <a href="/facts/Ranch/0rnYTjQK">ranch</a> in the United States. At some 825,000 acres (3,340 km2; 1,289 sq mi) it is larger than both <a href="/facts/List_of_U.S._states_and_territories_by_area/q3nFXQlt">the land area of Rhode Island</a> and the area of the European country <a href="/facts/Luxembourg/vRN04l7f">Luxembourg</a>. It is mainly a cattle ranch, but also produced the racehorse <a href="/facts/Assault_(horse)/2qY5Kr85">Assault</a>, who won the <a href="/facts/United_States_Triple_Crown_of_Thoroughbred_Racing/tAdCybzQ">Triple Crown</a> in 1946.
The headquarters of the King Ranch are in an office building in <a href="/facts/Houston,_Texas/1v8AwQUN">Houston</a>, Texas. The ranch itself is located in <a href="/facts/South_Texas/VbHyAuc6">South Texas</a> between <a href="/facts/Corpus_Christi,_Texas/t67U3xU4">Corpus Christi</a> and <a href="/facts/Brownsville,_Texas/UpAlPVCV">Brownsville</a>, adjacent to <a href="/facts/Kingsville,_Texas/QwvI5XIW">Kingsville</a>. It was founded in 1853 by Captain <a href="/facts/Richard_King_(Texas)/jf2tJWAv">Richard King</a> and Gideon K. Lewis. It includes parts of six Texas counties: most of <a href="/facts/Kleberg_County,_Texas/bRLeUwkz">Kleberg</a>, much of <a href="/facts/Kenedy_County,_Texas/vowPzEAe">Kenedy</a>, and parts of <a href="/facts/Brooks_County,_Texas/S11ckLPJ">Brooks</a>, <a href="/facts/Jim_Wells_County,_Texas/PJFwUhhH">Jim Wells</a>, <a href="/facts/Nueces_County,_Texas/5Rw3eBH0">Nueces</a>, and <a href="/facts/Willacy_County,_Texas/9WFwFgfm">Willacy</a> counties.
The ranch consists of four divisions of land: Santa Gertrudis, Laureles, Encino, and Norias. The Santa Gertrudis and Laureles divisions share a short length of border, and the Encino and Norias divisions are both entirely separate. The ranch was designated a <a href="/facts/National_Historic_Landmark/gSl4aEdv">National Historic Landmark</a> in 1961. The <a href="/facts/Texas_Cowboy_Hall_of_Fame/b05lSpB4">Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame</a> inducted the ranch in 2019. King Ranch was one of the first ranches to be added to the <a href="/facts/National_Register_of_Historic_Places/leUNvfW6">National Register of Historic Places</a> on October 15, 1966, because of the <a href="/facts/National_Historic_Preservation_Act_of_1966/JNn0wWu8">National Historic Preservation Act of 1966</a> which was signed that same day.

King Ranch open-in-new

King Ranch