Edgin / Goodnight / Grey Mule Cemetery

The cemetery with many names, Elgil, Goodnight, Grey Mule, tale your pick. Gray Mule was the name used by the locals for the community, but the railroaders called it Edgin some have also called it the Goodnight Cemetery. Charles Goodnight travelled thru this area a lot and the cemetery is named after him. There are two unknown cowboys buried there. One was too slow on the draw. And the other took his saddle off to use as a head rest and after taking a cool drink of water. He layed in the shade of a bif cottonwood and died. The cemetery is right out of a western movie. It is situated on a high bank north of, and looking down on, Quitaque Creek. The cemetery is well maintained by the families, the first grave was about 1890. There is a concrete slab on one of the unknown cowboys. Edgin was once a booming town and had a grocery store and gravel pit . Now you cannot even tell there was a town there.

The location is in the extreme NE corner of the county. All but the last 1.5 mi of road is on paved road, if approaching from the north. If you are using an automobile GPS to get to the site, you may be directed to take the Caprock Canyons Trail—do not do it. Take county road 293 (there is a cemetery sign) and drive to the cemetery gate (following another sign), if the dirt road is passable. The sign off county road 293 says Grey [sic] Mule whereas the name on the graveyard gate says Edgin (see photos, Feb 2015). , some have also called it the Goodnight Cemetery. GPS: N 34° 16.865 W 101° 05.864 (34.28108 -101.09773)

Photos by Tony Mollhagen