Mobeetie was the oldest town in the Texas Panhandle. It began as a trading post 2 miles south in 1874 and moved nearer to Fort Elliott in 1875. Earlier called Sweetwater, it was renamed in 1879. Its courthouse was completed by Mark Huselby, the first county tax assessor, and other citizens. Popular with hunters, cowboys, and gamblers, the town became the judicial center of the 35th District in 1881. Temple Houston, son of Sam Houston, served as district attorney and was the first state senator for this district. After the Santa Fe Railroad bypassed it in 1888 and a destructive tornado struck in 1898, Mobeetie declined.