Bovina Cemetery

Prior to the founding of the city of Bovina, the XIT Ranch located its southern headquarters in this vicinity. The Pecos and Northern Texas Railway built through the ranch in 1898, and the settlement became known as Bull Town because of cattle frequently found on the tracks. A community developed around the railhead, and in January 1899 the official post office name became Bovina. Due to a boom in cattle shipping, the town's population began to grow after the turn of the 20th century. Since then, the city has owned this cemetery, which was maintained for a time by the Bovina Cemetery Association. The XIT Ranch initially used this site for burials of cowboys. Oral tradition holds that several gravemarkers initially bore only common names of the cowboys, such as Dusty and Big Jim. It is believed there were approximately 40 such graves, but all are now unmarked. The earliest marked grave is that of J.W. McDonald (d. 1907). Bovina Cemetery is the final resting place of veterans of military conflicts dating to World War I, as well as generations of area residents. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2004

Bovina Cemetery is a historical marker in Bovina, Parmer County, dedicated in 2004. It is one of 14 historical markers documented in Parmer County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 17 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 34.5129, -102.8790 near Bovina. The nearest cataloged historic site is Bovina United Methodist Church (historical marker), about 0.4 miles away. Others within a short drive include Bovina, Site of Parmerton, and Oklahoma Lane Cemetery.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5369013303. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.