John J. Bowie (eldest brother of James Bowie) purchased land in the area in 1857.[3]
Construction of the Mississippi, Ouachita and Red River Railroad—the first chartered railway in Arkansas—began in 1852, and 7 mi (11 km) of track had been laid west from Eunice by the start of the Civil War. The line passed through Bowie's land, and a stop there was called "Bowie Station". The railroad was completed after the war, but abandoned in 1875 after flooding on the Mississippi River damaged the railbed and bridges. Highway 208 between Eunice and Halley was built on the abandoned railbed.[3][4][5][6]
Bowie Station was later renamed "Halley" after early settlers, the Halley family.[3]
Halley CDP, Arkansas – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.