Early in the 20th century, Bovina was one of the largest cattle shipping points in the United States. It began as the Hay Hook Line Camp of the XIT, the famed ranch that received over 3,000,000 acres of land in payment for building the Texas State Capitol from 1882 to 1888. One of the earliest structures in Parmer County, the XIT's division number eight headquarters, stood 400 yards northeast of the site, and the 640-acre shipping pasture was 1 mile east. The Pecos & Northern Texas Railroad reached this point in 1898, and cattle for eastern markets were loaded here. Railroad crews called the place Bull Town, but when a post office was established in 1899, the community chose the name Bovina. It was the first post office in Parmer County, which had been created in 1876 and named for Martin Parmer, patriot and signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence. Although explorers knew the county as early as the 18th century, it had few inhabitants before its organization in 1907, when Bovina became one of its leading towns. By 1915, Bovina had 200 people, two churches, a bank, a school, and a hotel for prospective settlers. It later became a market and supply center for a rich irrigated farming area and still produces fine cattle.