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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. |
