In 1879, the Central Branch of the Union Pacific Railroad designated a site on the homesteads of John Beal, Harriet Delay, and Azariah and Marinda Blunt as its new division point. The town of Downs was named for railroad superintendent Major William F. Downs. Morgan Avenue, the town's main north-south thoroughfare, was named after Major Downs' mother. Beale, Blunt, and Delay Streets honor the original landowners. Downs was incorporated as a third-class city on December 17, 1879.