Muleshoe is a small 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 rail from Farwell, Texas to Lubbock, Texas through northern Bailey County. In 1926 Muleshoe was officially incorporated. The population was 4,530 at the 2000 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 to the south on State Highway 214. Founded in 1935, the Muleshoe Wildlife Refuge is the oldest in the state of Texas. It is a 5,000-acre wintering area for migratory waterfowl flying from Canada to Mexico. It contains the largest number of sandhill cranes in North America..