Jess L. Hankins and King P-234

King's pedigree ran back to the foundation sire Traveler on both sides. His sire, Zantanon, was by Little Joe, a son of Traveler, and his dam, Jabalina, carried more of Traveler's blood through her own dam. The bay stallion passed the line on: his sons Poco Bueno and Royal King followed him into the AQHA Hall of Fame, and his daughter Taboo produced another Hall of Fame horse, Joe Cody. Among his other well-known get were Brown King H, Martha King, King's Pistol, Gay Widow, Power Command and Continental King.

What the plaque says

Jess L. Hankins and King P-234 In the realm of quarter horses there are many legends but only one king, King P-234. At the time of King's registration into the American Quarter Horse Association (AGHA), King was assigned the number 234, with a "P" in front to designate "permanent registry." Foaled on Manuel Volpe's ranch in Laredo, King entered the world on June 25, 1932. Volpe sold the foal, originally named Buttons, to Charles Alexander of Laredo who then sold him to Byrne James of Encinal. James' wife renamed the Colt King. James broke and trained King for calf roping and other ranch work before selling him to win Dubose of Uvalde. Born on April 23, 1905, Jess L. Hankins, who came from a ranching background, moved to his ranch six miles south of Rocksprings in 1925 when he married his wife, Olga Burney, whose family resided in Edwards County. Hankins heard about King from a ranch hand and decided to have a look at the stallion. Dubose showed no interest in selling King but Hankins, determined to buy the stallion, eventually purchased King on July 5, 1937, for $800. Purchasing King propelled Jess and his brothers, J.O. and Lowell, into the quarter horse business. King died of a heart attack in 1958. Although his death devastated the Hankins family, King's legacy lives on as he produced 658 foals during his twenty-six years of life, earning his induction into the AGHA hall of fame in 1989. Hankins became known as a pioneer horse breeder and an AGHA hall of fame horseman. Hankins also served as a director of the association in 1951, and as the thirteenth president of the AGHA. Hankins continued to work with horses until his death in 1994. Jess Hankins is buried in the Rocksprings Cemetery. (2017)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Devil's Sinkhole State Natural Area — 5.2 mi
  A 140-foot shaft into a cavern outside Rocksprings, seen only on guided tours from a platform at the rim as some three million bats spiral out on summer evenings.
• Kickapoo Cavern State Park — 27 mi
  A lightly developed former ranch on the Kinney-Edwards line with twenty caves, a Saturday tour into a 1,400-foot cavern and a summer bat flight from Stuart Bat Cave.

More markers nearby

• First Baptist Church of Rocksprings — 5.2 mi
• First Methodist Church of Rocksprings — 5.2 mi
• Rocksprings Telephone Company — 5.2 mi
• Edwards County — 5.2 mi