Santa Gertrudis, 1952

Scenic view of Santa Gertrudis, King Ranch’s main headquarters, in 1952. In 1854, Richard King purchased the 53,000-acre Santa Gertrudis de la Garza grant in South Texas from José Pérez Rey, who had received the grant in 1808 from the crown of Spain. These lands became the core territory of the King Ranch and the site of the main homestead.