After the Mexican–American War, King made a good living hauling merchandise on the Rio Grande, as far up river as Camargo, and Rio Grande City. Both served under General Zachary Taylor (later the 12th US president) operating steamboats from Brazos Santiago Harbor in Texas, USA, to Matamoros in Mexico, and on up river to Camargo, Tamaulipas, in support of the U.S. In 1843, King first met his future business partner in the King Ranch, Mifflin Kenedy (1818–1895), captain of the steamboat Champion. He was indentured to a jeweler at age 11, but later ran to sea, eventually attaining a pilot's rating. Richard King (1824–1885) was a river pilot, born in New York City to Irish immigrants. ( July 2016) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) Statements consisting only of original research should be removed. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations.

This section possibly contains original research. King Ranch was one of the very first ranches to be added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966, because of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 which was signed that same day. The Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame inducted the ranch in 2019. The ranch was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1961. Only the first two of the four divisions border each other, and that border is relatively short. The divisions are the Santa Gertrudis, the Laureles, the Encino and the Norias. The ranch does not consist of one single contiguous plot of land, but rather four large sections called divisions. It includes portions of six Texas counties most of Kleberg and much of Kenedy, with portions extending into Brooks, Jim Wells, Nueces, and Willacy counties.

It was founded in 1853 by Captain Richard King and Gideon K. The ranch is located in South Texas between Corpus Christi and Brownsville adjacent to Kingsville.

It is mainly a cattle ranch, but also produced the Triple Crown winning racehorse Assault. At some 825,000 acres (3,340 km 2 1,289 sq mi) it is larger than the land area of Rhode Island and the European country Luxembourg. King Ranch is the largest ranch in the United States. Chris’ areas of expertise include: cattle mating, sales & sale management, genetic improvement programs, marketing, photography, communications, record keeping, registrations/transfers, DNA submission, data collection, F-1 programs, superior knowledge of the Brahman breed, and a wealth of knowledge of the cattle industry in both the USA and internationally.27☃1′7″N 97★5′1″W / 27.51861°N 97.91694°W / 27.51861 -97.91694 He has traveled the globe to attend industry events, has made numerous industry contacts all around the world, and has been recognized for his involvement and leadership in the cattle industry. Over the past 30 years, Chris has amassed a wealth of knowledge of the cattle industry. Chris worked for the American Brahman Breeders Association for 17 years and spent 13 of those years serving as the Executive Vice President. Chris is a native of Mississippi where he was raised in junior livestock programs, served in leadership roles, and competed on nationally recognized livestock judging teams. Chris & Kasey Shivers, owners of Infinity Cattle Services, have been involved in the Brahman breed and the cattle industry for over 30 years.

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