King Ranch

On the left is some of the heavy tools that they pulled around with D-9 Cats to try to recover the land from the mesquite trees. When the ranch was founded there were no trees, the cattle that they purchased down in Mexico brought the seeds for the trees up in their stomachs and they dropped them on the new grass. The mesquite tree roots go down as much as 50 feet! If they don't stay after it the trees will completely take over the land in 7 short years!

This is the King Ranch main house. It is 32,000 square feet, 17 Bedrooms and 19 Bathrooms! This replaces the original one that burned down in the early 1930's. It is now used mainly as a hotel for the 150 family stockholders that come to visit.







Here our driver and tour guide "Dusty" is calling for someone to come and get us as we are stranded!







Below is what they call a "Chuckwagon" that was used on the ranch for many years. Started out being pulled by mules and later converted to tractor pulling. The name for these wagons comes from Charles Goodnight who was one of the original drovers of cattle to the markets up north. He rigged it up to feed the many cowhands on the trail and they called it "Chuck's" wagon and the name stuck.



This is the commisary at the ranch headquarters. It is one of the original buildings on the ranch. The cowboys were fed here and they kept supplies in the basement. Also they sold to travelers from the Matamoras road neaby that ran from Corpus Cristi to Matamoras. This was real wild country in the early 1850's and there were lots of Mexican bandits and outlaws in the vast country along this road. You did not travel unless you were in a well armed group. At the top of the commisary you can see the lookout position that was always staffed with at least two riflemen!