Kingsville, TX, United States
Historic 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,
Listen to the audio guide for Black plaque № 13841 Free on WIP — starts by itself when you arrive, even with the screen off