Settlers came to this area seeking abundant grass, fertile soil, and water. This site, acquired by R. L. Hooper and his wife Ada Mae Hughley Hooper in the 1890s, received its name because it stood halfway between Olton and Plainview. It became a good rest stop for ranchers, with a windmill for water and overnight camping. Early pioneers raised enough grain for their stock. The arrival of the railroad in Plainview in 1906 and the use of irrigation systems developed a vast agricultural region. In 1908, Hooper provided six acres and helped build a schoolhouse for his seven children and the neighbors' children. In 1910, Hooper donated land for Edgar Howard to build the first store, where he ran a post office and wagon yard. Methodist and Baptist congregations met in the school building until they erected sanctuaries. The post office closed in 1914, but the settlement also had a blacksmith shop and a cotton gin. In 1917, Hooper gave one acre for a burial ground. Although population decline caused the Halfway School to consolidate with Plainview in 1952, the community continued to prosper, and the High Plains Research Foundation was located here to aid farmers in the surrounding 19-county area.