Mule Creek Cemetery was established by pioneers of the Mule Creek community, a small frontier settlement founded in the 19th century. The community was said to be named either for an early horse and mule ranch or for a stagecoach mule that died at a nearby creek. The Abilene-Fort Concho stage once served the area, and for years the principal building there was a combination school-church. Since the 20th century, a shift to urban living has diminished the population of Mule Creek. Inscriptions on tombstones chronicle the history of the community, and in spring the grounds are covered with bluebonnets, the state flower.