Kratom in Kingsville

Located off the western shores of the Texas Gulf Coast, Kingsville is deeply rooted in Texas history. Kingsville’s origins came from the need for an efficient railroad service connecting Brownsville to St. Louis. Captain Richard King’s wife, Henrietta, set aside a portion of the famed King Ranch to be available for development. Half of the designated land was opened for purchase and the other half was to be deeded for construction of the railroad. The Kleberg Town and Improvement Company, founded by Robert Justus Kleberg, hired a surveyor to develop a town three miles east of the King Ranch, and the community of Kingsville was officially founded in 1904.

Named after Captain King, Kingsville’s steadily flourished in the years following the construction of the railroad thanks to the railroad company basing its headquarters within the city. As the number of railroad workers grew, so did the town’s population and by 1911, the city was officially incorporated and adopted a charter to establish the commission form of city government. With the railroad giving the economy a much-needed boost, Kingsville’s population reached 1,500 by 1931.

Kingsville quickly became the forefront of the trade and ranching industry. After oil was discovered near the city and natural gas was discovered southeast of the town in 1921, Kingsville officially became a hub in its own right.

Today, Kingsville is home to nearly 30,000 people and remains a vital part of the Texas ranching industry with more than 60,000 cattle and 300 quarter horses. Kingsville is also home to a leading public research university, Texas A&M Kingsville, a Naval Air Station, and several Fortune 500 industrial companies.

From its quaint, historical buildings downtown to the longhorn and Santa Gertrudis cattle that graze in the King Ranch, Kingsville still retains much of its unique historical charm while continuing to steadily grow into its future.

Whether you’re a birding aficionado, a connoisseur of the arts, a history buff, or a university student, Kingsville has something for everyone. Come and see what Kingsville has to offer. (source)

Step back to a simpler time and immerse yourself in an important era of Kingsville’s history with a visit to the 1904 Train Depot of Kingsville. Although Kingsville is more presently associated with the world-famous King Ranch, the town’s success and growth in its early days can directly be attributed to the railroad’s development. Born from a dream and a $6,500 loan from Richard King, native New Yorker Uriah Lott and B.F. Yoakum incorporated the St. Louis, Brownsville, and Mexico Railroad (the StLB&M) in 1903. In 1904, 158.06 miles of track connected the town to Corpus Christi and Brownsville, providing a means of transportation for locals as well as shipments of produce, cotton, hogs, and cattle to northern markets. From that point forward, Kingsville and South Texas flourished.

Although previously closed at a time when rail travel no longer held the sparkle and excitement it had enjoyed for so many years, the depot was beautifully restored for Kingsville’s 100th birthday and the museum opened its doors on July 4th, 2004 – 100 years to the date that the city was Chartered. Manned by generous volunteers of Kingsville, each person brings the variety of exhibits to life through the love and excitement they feel for the museum. Exhibits feature custom pieces such as signs and emblems, dining car place settings, employee and promotional publications, and artifacts and memorabilia like lanterns, tools, and even an operational telegraph. If you are fortunate enough to visit on the day that the station’s volunteer telegraph operator is on duty, she will show and teach you how messages were sent in Morse Code. Volunteers may share the story of relatives that worked on and rode the rails, as well as stories of families that rode to Kingsville looking for a new start on life and ranched and farmed land that is still in the same family today.

The King Ranch Museum is the definitive repository of ranch lore and the items on display clearly evoke the bygone days on Captain King’s legendary spread.

The King Ranch Museum’s permanent collections include: Toni Frissell’s award-winning photographic essay of life on King Ranch in the early 1940’s; saddles from around the world, guns, and rifles including a King Ranch commemorative Colt Python .357 magnum revolver (serial number KR1), a limited edition series of full-scale replicas of historic Republic of Texas flags, and antique carriages and vintage cars, including El Kineño, a custom designed Buick Eight hunting car built for Congressman R. M. Kleberg, Sr., in 1949 by General Motors. Upon arriving at the King Ranch Museum, you are welcomed with a bronze sculpture of Mrs. Henrietta King and her son-in-law Robert J. Kleberg, Sr., as well as a sculpture of the  first artesian well that was drilled on King Ranch in the summer of 1899. Visitors can view videos about the history of King Ranch and its main residence.

Wild Horse Distillery is a family-owned and managed distillery.  Jacob & Lisa Bynum (husband and wife) along with Lisa’s brother, James Warren, began preparing for this opportunity over a decade ago while also in the midst of stellar growth of Rifles Only—a world-class long-range firearms training facility that was started as a grassroots effort at the turn of the century.  After hearing stories of combat troops distilling their own spirits while on tour, their interest was piqued.  The addition of a distillery to their business portfolio seemed as natural as sharing a drink with their friends after a hard day of training on the Rifles Only range.

While Lisa and Jacob naturally understood the consumer product industry through their other business endeavors, James, our master distiller, developed a passion for distillation and a keen sense for consumer taste preferences that are the hallmark of Wild Horse Distillery spirits.  While it is important to us to use Texas- sourced ingredients and provide an ingredient-to-glass Texas product experience to our consumers, extensive experimentation and exquisite taste profiles set Wild Horse Spirits apart.

In an effort to bolster the resources required to launch and manage a world-class brand, the crew brought on a lifelong friend to work closely with them on business management and all things Wild Horse.  Troy Cox came with a track record of successfully launching and managing some of the globe’s top consumer brands, however, most importantly, he was Jacob’s childhood friend.  Troy grew up a couple of miles from what is now Wild Horse Distillery while also forging a lifelong friendship with James  (and Lisa) during their time as high school basketball teammates.  

It is through our family’s diverse skill sets and a collective passion for the spirits business that we set out to create a new generation of Texas spirits at Wild Horse Distillery. It is an uncommon opportunity to pursue an endeavor with those closest to you.  We honor that opportunity through our diligent craftsmanship of each bottle of Wild Horse Distillery spirits—from our family to yours.