Muleshoe, Texas
| Muleshoe, Texas | |
|---|---|
| City | |
The National Mule Memorial at the Muleshoe Chamber of Commerce office
|
|
 Location of Muleshoe in Texas |
|
| Coordinates: 34°13′35″N 102°43′25″W / 34.22639°N 102.72361°WCoordinates: 34°13′35″N 102°43′25″W / 34.22639°N 102.72361°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Bailey |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Cliff Black |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3.4 sq mi (8.9 km2) |
| • Land | 3.4 sq mi (8.9 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 3,793 ft (1,156 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 5,158 |
| • Density | 1,500/sq mi (580/km2) |
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 79347 |
| Area code | 806 |
| FIPS code | 48-49968 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1375067 |
| Website | City Website |
Muleshoe is a city in Bailey County, Texas, United States. The town of Muleshoe was founded in 1913 when the Pecos and Northern Texas Railway built an 88-mile (142 km) line from Farwell, Texas to Lubbock through northern Bailey County. In 1926, Muleshoe was incorporated. The population was 5,158 at the 2010 census. The county seat of Bailey County, it is home to the National Mule Memorial.
The Muleshoe Heritage Center located off the combined U.S. Routes 70 and 84 is a popular museum which commemorates the importance of ranching to West Texas. The complex has several unique buildings originally from Bailey County that display the living conditions of the area in the late-19th century and the early to mid-20th century.
The Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge is located some twenty miles (32 km) to the south on State Highway 214. Founded in 1935, the refuge is the oldest of its kind in the state of Texas. It is a 5,000-acre (20 km2) wintering area for migratory waterfowl flying from Canada to Mexico. It contains the largest number of sandhill cranes in North America.
The name Muleshoe can be traced in the region to Henry Black when he registered a brand on November 12, 1860. In 1877, Black purchased three houses on a 40,000 acres (160 km2) in Stephens County, naming it Muleshoe Ranch. Later he built a large ranch house and a log schoolhouse, and 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 were chartered to construct a railway between Lubbock, Texas and Farwell, Texas on the New Mexico border. 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.
...
Wikipedia