Major Wm. F. Downs, land commissioner for the Central Branch of the Union Pacific Railroad, brought the railroad 160 miles west of Waterville in 1879.  Hence, the community which sprang up in the "Y" between branches going further west was named Downs. 

When the original wooden depot burned in 1916, a new handsome brick structure was built the next year in its place for $16,200.  The railroad was an integral part of life in Downs until the last passenger train left town in November 1960.

The Downs Historical Society has restored the depot to its original condition and today it stands for not only the railroad history of the community, but also as a facility used to showcase the arts.