Mullen Nebraska

Mullen was laid out in 1888 when the Grand Island and Wyoming Central branch of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad extended a siding to the site, and the town took its name from Charles D. Mullen, a Lincoln man who served as chief clerk to the railroad's division superintendent. As the only settlement in the newly formed Hooker County (organized 1889), Mullen was designated the county seat almost immediately, with its first courthouse completed that same year. By 1900 the young town had grown to roughly forty buildings, including a school, bank, depot, and blacksmith shop, and it incorporated as a village in the early 1900s.

Today Mullen remains a small village of roughly 500 residents (500 at the 2020 Census, down slightly from 509 in 2010), and its ZIP code is 69152. The town anchors a Sandhills cattle-ranching economy and is home to the Hooker County Tribune, a weekly newspaper founded in 1888, and the Hooker County Historical Museum. Its best-known landmark is Sand Hills Golf Club, a highly ranked destination golf course that draws visitors well beyond Nebraska. Notable natives include Justin McBride, a two-time Professional Bull Riders world champion and country singer, and John Howell, a safety on Tampa Bay's Super Bowl XXXVII championship team.