Robert Grunnah, a principal at the Texas land specialty firm Novus Realty Advisors, told Bloomberg in July 2021 that if Waggoner Ranch is worth $725 million, King Ranch is worth $1.1 billion. Those experiences taught Jay the value of hard work and land stewardship, he said. he birth of the Santa Gertrudis breed When their father's health declined in the early twentieth century, two of the five children born to Robert J. and Alice King Kleberg assumed responsibility for the Ranch. This era also launched the famed King Ranch horse legacy. day! Waggoner Ranch. Robert J. Kleberg oversaw the building of cross fences that divided the vast acres into managed pastures. Scientific upbreeding programs have been hallmarks of King Ranch since its inception, and they have paid off in spades. Just to prove he was better than the elitist Kentucky horse breeders, he bought several Thoroughbreds, brought them back to the King Ranch in railroad cars, and started a breeding program that produced a horse named Assault that astounded the world of racing by winning the 1946 Triple Crown. Like many capitalists of his time, he saw a national market for his product and set about creating the infrastructure to capture the opportunity. Genealogy charts for Robert E. Lee may include up to 30 generations of ancestors with source citations. Yet the land continued to hold a fierce grip on him. Outside, it was another hot afternoon, so hot that the heat was bouncing off the scrub brush. A stand of trees are seen on property of the Seven Islands Land Co. in Township 12, Range 15, Maine, in this Sept., 1997 photo. Alexander preferred playing polo. It was on horseback that King first discovered the creek-fed oasis in the Wild Horse Desert that would anchor his legacy. These new people do not know us. A group of friends published a letter to the editor in the Kingsville newspaper that read, In its long and fabled history, King Ranch has had no greater servants or friends than Stephen (Tio) and Janell Kleberg. The article hinted at the challenges to come, but Tio and others in the family seemed full of hope that the family tradition would endure. login . It is a struggle that has changed them, divided them, and perhaps even separated them from the very ideals that once made the King Ranch so great. During some legal proceedings in Corpus Christi in 1881, Captain King was so impressed with the opposing counsel that he sought him out after matters were settled. Brad Kelley 1 million acres Robert J. Kleberg designed the first cattle dipping vats to battle the tick. Long ago the members of the King Ranch family made a heroic vow to keep their mesquite-filled kingdom together; now theyre locked in a struggle to redefine that vow and determine their future. He became a national celebrity, his exploits featured on the cover of Time. The sale of bulls and seed stock are important components of the ranchs contemporary business. John Malone: 2,200,000 acres 2.