Henrietta Chamberlain King (1832-1925)
Henrietta Chamberlain and her husband Richard King moved to their new home on Santa Gertrudis Creek in 1854. It evolved into one of the largest and best known ranches in Texas history. The King Ranch served as a receiving station for cotton during the Civil War as it was shipped through Mexican ports to England. When Mr. King died in 1885, Henrietta assumed the management of his estate including 500,000 acres and $500,000 of debt. Wht the help of her son-in-law, King was debt-free within ten years and was experimenting in cattle and horse breeding, range management, and dry and irrigated farming. The Santa Gertrudis cattle were bred to resist disease and heat; one of the horses won the triple crown in 1946. King supported the establishment of businesses, industry, churches and schools, and health care. At the time of her death, the ranch included 1,173,000 acres, stretching from Corpus Christi to Brownsville.
Additional Information Can Be Found At...
Handbook of Texas Online: King, Henrietta Chamberlain
Center for American Architecture and Design
National Historic Landmarks Database