Ages 9 years & over. This accessible biography introduces the woman whose acumen and tenacity enabled the King Ranch to become a legend, and whose foresight and generosity is responsible for much of the civilisation in South Texas. Rancher and philanthropist, and the only child of Maria and Hiram Chamberlain, Henrietta was born in 1832 in Boonville, Missouri. Her mother died in 1835 and her father's missionary work around Missouri and in Tennessee made for a lonely childhood. She became self-reliant and had strong, sometimes unconventional, ideas. Henrietta and her husband Richard King established their home on the Santa Gertrudis ranch, and built ranch to 1,173,000 acres by 1925. The cattle developed on the ranch were a boon to the Texas cattle industry because of their resistance to disease and heat. King was also interested in the settlement of the region between Corpus Christi and Brownsville, investing her money to improve towns, establish churches, and stabilise the companies provided jobs for citizens.