Cattle Dipping Vat

In 1894 this vat-- believed to be the first in the world-- was built to stop the spread of tick fever, which was destroying thousands of U.S. beef cattle. By the 1880s, the disease had become widespread, and official and "shotgun" quarantines prevented cattle from moving across the affected area, bounded by a line from the Rio Grande to the Atlantic. Although the mortality rate from tick fever (also called "Texas" and "Splenetic" fever) sometimes reached 90 percent, longhorns and other native southwestern cattle were immune. They did, however, carry the insect, which could infect other animals. Efforts to eradicate the tick (Margaropus annulatus) centered here, headed by officials from Texas A & M College and the U.S. Bureau of Animal Industry. Manager of the King Ranch, R. J. Kleberg, allowed the vat to be built, and 25,000 tick-infested cattle from the ranch were dipped. An effective formula of oil and sulphur was found here. In October, 1898, the U.S. quarantine was lifted for cattle treated in the dip. This eradication program not only introduced a new weapon for controlling cattle diseases, but also freed the industry from restrictive quarantines, thus increasing the value of cattle throughout the U.S. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1967.

Cattle Dipping Vat is a historical marker in Kingsville, Kleberg County, dedicated in 1967. It is one of 29 historical markers documented in Kleberg County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 34 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 27.5550, -97.8370 near Kingsville. The nearest cataloged historic site is Camp San Fernando (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Kingsville Cotton Mill, Englishmen in South Texas, and Kleberg County Courthouse.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5273000763. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.