Downey, ID

    Downey, ID

    • Settled:  Rail service probably began in 1870s; settlement established in 1894 when Union Pacific RailRoad laid standard gauge track through the area; incorporated in 1912 
    • Origin of Name: Named after an official of the Union Pacific railroad
    • Original Name:  Downey City
    • History: Railroad Station established around 1872; post office established in 1894; the area had little growth until 1910 when a large irrigation canal brought water from Portneuf River; a summary from 1910 listed over 25 establishments, including J.C. Penney, a Studebaker auto dealer, theater, hardware store, blacksmith shop, a newspaper, elementary school & also listed a Methodist church and LDS church, two milk processing plants, a grain mill; had a hospital until it closed in 1988; during World War II, from 1942-46, had a Conscientious Objector (C.O.) camp; it was said to have functioned much as Japanese Internment camps, without the wire and guards
    • Notable Features: Presently has post office, city hall, cemetery, LDS church, convenience stores, dental office, health care facility, retirement home, library, irrigation store, Chamber of Commerce, air strip, Downata Hot Springs resort; is home of Southern Bannock County Fair;
    • Location:  28.5 miles (29 minutes) northwest of Preston, ID on Hwy 91 N
    • Population 2023: 570

    Last Mortified: