Richard King: Rancher and PioneerWhen people think of Texas, one of the first images that comes to mind is cattle and the cowboys who work them. Some of these cowboys amassed fortunes and assets that helped etch their names in the annals of history, but one of the great cattle barons achieved somewhat legendary status. Richard King. Captain King, as he was known in his steamboat days, rose from an indentured jeweler's apprentice to the king of an empire. Forever immortalized by the town and ranch that bear his namesake, King lived up to his family name by establishing the King Ranch and, after his death, the town of Kingsville. The task of finding a Texan who has not heard of the King Ranch or Kingsville would be difficult, but finding individuals who know this man's story is a much greater task. Richard King was a naturalized Texan, born in New York State. York in 1824 (Cheeseman). He was not born into a rich family. His parents were poor Irish people who did their best to survive. For this reason, King's parents hired him to work for a jeweler in New York. The jeweler mistreated King to the point that King slipped onto a ship heading south to escape a life of servitude to the abusive jeweler (KING RANCH). Heading south on the steamboat, King could hardly imagine that the decision he made as an 11-year-old boy would change his life forever. King's stowaway status soon ended and he was employed as a crew member on steamships. Captains taught him how to sail boats on the rivers of Florida and Alabama, and his keen sense of learning allowed him to become a captain (KING RANCH). Captain King plied the waters of Alabama until 1842. In that year he served aboard a ship...... middle of paper ......retained as a poor apprentice Irish, but he built an empire that still thrives almost 130 years after his death. Works Cited Ashton, John. “KENEDY, MIFFLIN.” June 15, 2010. Handbook of Texas Online. Internet. May 5, 2014. Calvert, Robert A., Arnoldo De Leon and Gregg Cantrell. Texas History. 4th. Wheeling: Harlan Davidson, Inc., 2007. Print. Cheeseman, Bruce S. “KING, RICHARD.” March 2, 2011. Handbook of Texas Online. Internet. May 4, 2014. .Graham, Don. “The Secret History”. Texas Monthly, December 2002: 1-5. Internet. May 3, 2014. .KING RANCH. and Web. May 3, 2014. .McKenna, Verna J. “YTURRIA, FRANCISO.” March 8, 2011. Handbook of Texas Online. Internet. May 5 2014.