The locality is named for William Pinkerton, an early pastoralist active in the region in the 1840s.

It is unclear when the area first became known as 'Pinkerton Plains', but references to Pinkerton Plains begin to appear in newspaper reports and South Australian Government documents from about 1866, which is about when the area was first settled.

The Church closed in 1900, but its cemetery remains in use by farmers in the area.

[8] Pinkerton Plains School was established in 1886 and remained open until 1967.

[7] Pinkerton Plains' most famous resident was probably Nicholas McCabe, a notable farmer who invented 'McCabe's Wheat Pickler', a pickling device that was used by farmers across South Australia for a period of time.