Far-Flung King Ranch Amazes Texas Scribe: Million-Acre Property Presents Series of Pictures, Says Writer; Rhodes Grass Imported From Africa to Cover Many Huge Pastures, Daily Racing Form, 1941-06-02

article


view raw text

R J KLEBERG JR FARFLUNG KING RANCH AMAZES TEAS SCRIBE Million Acre Property Presents Series of Pictures Says Writer Rhodes Grass Imported From Africa to Cover Many Huge Pastures PasturesKINGSVILLE KINGSVILLE Texas May 31 The T King Ranch must be the center of the world b because it is as flat as a floor and the sky c conies down at an equal distance all around writes Boyce House Texas newspaperman a and author In his widelyread column I Give You Texas This column is unique in t that it is writen especially for a large num ¬ b ber of smalltown dailies and weeklies in this state The ranchs vastness says House offers a series of pictures as one traverses it Over there is the Santa Gertrudis ranch t house which can be seen from the highway a grand old building with a castlelike x tower Yonder is a Mexican cowboy who barely leans over to unfasten a gate without 1 leaving the saddle Here is a pasture filled with cattle of the Santa Gertrudis breed E animals of maroon hue with a splotch of x white on the face and a hump on the shoul ¬ ders a reminder of the blood of the Brah ¬ r ma cattle from India and with broad table ¬ j like backs They look as sleek as contenders for 4 the championships in the judging at the Fort Worth Fat Stock Show ShowMany Many of the Mexicans are members of families that have lived on the ranch for four or five generations A contrast is fur ¬ nished by two of these fat George Garcia with gray mustach who moves with dig ¬ nity and with little Maurelio a lad of not more than ten who is as much at home on a horse as an Hawaiian youngster is in the water and he has been ever since he was five and used to shinny up into the saddle by the use of his toes When trainer Egan gave Maurelio his first pair of shoes the boy had to develop a new technique techniqueTHE THE CONGRESSMANS MOUNT MOUNTBut But there he is on a welltrafned pony whose presence helps to reassure the high strung young thoroughbreds that are being taught how to enter the starting gate and how to go from the post at full speed to car ¬ rying the King Ranch colors on tracks in California Florida and elsewhere but of course not in Texas because the law bars races here hereOne One would enjoy seeing the Congress ¬ mans horse He belongs to Congressman Richard M Kleberg and with a vaquero in the saddle the Congressman was in Wash ¬ ington the handsome creature made a long circle changing gait from time to time then he would check speed go on an inandout course pivot turn around and around back up seventyfive feet turn and back up to the starting point After that he sidestepped the width of the paddock and at last knelt and allowed his rider to step to the ground The ranqh was established by Captain Rich ¬ ard King who made a fortune steamboating on the Rio Grande more than threequarters of a century ago and the brand is the run ¬ ning W or little snake as the Mexicans call it itBut But perhaps everyone doesnt know that Robert J Kleberg Jr who is at the head of the ranch sent to Africa and obtained Rhodes grass a tall and hardy species which thrives in its new environment environmentCHUTE CHUTE OF IRONWOOD IRONWOODBecause Because Caesar Kleberg at Norias and others responsible for the management of the ranch are firm believers in wild life con ¬ servation there are numerous deer turkeys and quail All the way to Argentina the ranch sent for a speciallyconstructed chute It is made of ironwood The wood is almost as heavy and durable as iron There is an elaborate device of steel which clamps an animal into position so that dehorning or whatever is called for can be done readily readilyYonder Yonder is a pen but unlike the ones around railroad depots it is round That is to keep the cattle from cornering up it is explained explainedAs As impressive as the size of the King Ranch is stretching in all directions until the eye aches the attention to the smallest detail is in its way equally impressive Where bolts come through a fence they do not project but are inset so that a steer cannot hurt himself and they have even found a use for old automobile casings They are nailed to the corners of gateposts to protect the cattle cattleBack Back again on the highway the visitor turns for a last look at almost one million acres of waving grass and peaceful cattle and riders that are centaurlike in grace and wonders how Houstons battlements of trade and Dallas streets choked with hu ¬ mankind can exist in the same state as all this Wonderful Texas with its infinite va ¬ riety


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1940s/drf1941060201/drf1941060201_21_1
Local Identifier: drf1941060201_21_1
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800