Muleshoe Chamber

Muleshoe is located at 34°13'40"N 102°43'46"W with an elevation of 3,793 ft above sea level. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.4 square miles (8.9 km2), all of it land. Muleshoe lies on the western extreme of the Central Standard Time Zone, just 17 miles east of the Mountain Standard Time Zone.

Muleshoe is situated on the Great Plains in an area where the plains reach their highest altitude at the foot of the Rocky Mountains known as the High Plains; more specifically it is located on the South Plains in a region known as the Llano Estacado. The area topology is gently rolling plains with a large number of playa lakes on top of a large plateau. Many of the playa lakes have dried out due to the water exploitation of the Ogallala Aquifer that helped supply water to the lakes during dry seasons. Soil types vary from dark brown playa lake silt to iron rich clay to sandy soil; surface soil and subsoil layers vary as well. Most of the area contains a layer of caliche; in some areas there is no surface soil or subsoil revealing the layer of caliche while other places have up to four feet of surface soil and subsoil combined.

Muleshoe lies over the largest aquifer in the United States, the Ogallala Aquifer. The aquifer provides all of the city's water and is essential for the agriculture for the surrounding area. The aquifer is being depleted at an increasing rate over the years; this has triggered many changes in agriculture in efforts to try and preserve this natural resource.

The physical characteristics of the region makes Muleshoe an ideal place for agriculture. Much of the natural habitat of grasslands and shrubs has been replaced by cash crops and livestock, but a few areas of native fauna (called CRP) are preserved. About 20 miles south of Muleshoe there is a system of sink lakes found at the Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is a wintering area for large numbers of migratory waterfowl and sandhill cranes and preserves much of the native wildlife.

The name Muleshoe in the region can be traced back to Henry Black when he registered a brand on November 12, 1860. In 1877, He purchased three houses on a 40,000 acres in Stephens County, naming it Muleshoe Ranch. Later he built a large ranch house and a log schoolhouse, established a small cemetery for family members.  Muleshoe Ranch was supposedly named after the owner found a mule shoe in the soil.

On April 23, 1906, the Gulf, Santa Fe and Northwestern Railway Company and the Pecos and Northern Texas Railway Company merged and where chartered to construct a railway between Lubbock, Texas and Farwell, Texas. From 1901 to 1915, communities along the future railway contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to construction. Muleshoe was founded in 1913 when the Pecos and Northern Texas Railway laid rails across northern Bailey county; residents borrowed the name from the nearby Muleshoe Ranch.

Soon after the railroad passed through Muleshoe, the town expanded rapidly. In 1917 Muleshoe became the county seat after the county was organized, but it was not incorporated until 1926. Muleshoe continued to grow quickly, and by 1930 there were 800 residents in the town. Three decades later Muleshoe tripled in population to 3,871. In 1970 Muleshoe reached its pinnacle at over 5,000 residents, 200 businesses, two hospitals, two banks, a library, a newspaper, and a radio station.

During the early 1960s Texas residents were eager to build a memorial to the mule for his strength and sparse eating habits, traits which endeared him to the pioneers. In war, the mule carried cannon; in peace, he hauled freight. His small hooves allowed him to scale rocky areas. The Mule Memorial was first displayed on July 4, 1965 near the intersection of US 70/84. Muleshoe is the home of the world's largest mule shoe found at the Muleshoe Heritage Center.