Named for the family of James and Mary Rylie, who came to Texas from Illinois about 1846, Rylie Prairie was a thriving community in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A post office opened in 1883, and in 1884 streets were platted near the route of the Texas Trunk Railroad. At its height, the community included homes, churches, a school, and businesses including a cotton gin, grist mill, and general stores. The town began to decline in the 1930s and 1940s after the railroad discontinued service and people moved closer to Dallas and the new highway system.