 The town remained a small, obscure ranching community until the Southwestern Railway Company established a rail line connecting Henrietta and Archer City in 1910.It became a stop on the line and for almost a decade the small town flourished, reaching a population of 600 by 1920.The rail line, however, was short-lived and the reduction of passenger travel forced the line into bankruptcy by 1921, spelling the end of Halsell's growth.