Map of the Santa Gertrudis Estate in Nueces County, Texas, owned by Capt. R. King. Drawn by pioneer South Texas surveyor Felix A. Blucher and dated April 10, 1871. From the Conrad Blucher Surveying Collection, Charles F. H. von Blucher Family Papers, Special Collections & Archives, Mary and Jeff Bell Library, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.

This map represents the earliest known, extant map of the initial holdings of Richard King that became the nucleus for the legendary King Ranch. It underscores how surveying records help to document the history of land ownership in Texas. The map and its provenance are explained by Thomas H. Kreneck and Bruce S. Cheeseman in their essay “Map of Santa Gertrudis Estate, 1871: A Foundation Document of King Ranch” in the October 2004 issue of the Southwestern Historical Quarterly.