The first mutual water system in Downey started in 1925, serving 190 families. Until Arthur Darby connected four windmills and water tanks to serve a tract of homes in the middle of town about 1902, the only water available came from hand dug wells in the yard, or by the old field irrigation system the long defunct Arroyo Ditch and Water Company had dug from the San Gabriel River for local farmers. The lighting in town was by kerosene or acetylene lamps until a string of electric lights in the central business section was turned on in 1900 Southern California Edison today has 102.8 miles of transmission and distribution lines spreading from five substations in town, serving 31,000 meter connections in Downey and representing a $3.142 million investment within city limits. The only gas in Downey before World War 1 came from a coal gas plant in Bellflower: In contrast, Southern California Gas Company today serves 28,600 connections in Downey, with a district headquarters here serving 228,000 customers in 18 cities covering 132 square miles.
The following stories comes from the “1873-1973 Downey Centennial Celebration” published in the Southeast News:Īccustomed as we are to our modern conveniences, it is like looking into another world to peer back on the Downey that was with the life our modern utilities make possible - and which we take for granted.ĭowney today is served by 68,000 telephones in the General Telephone Company system, yet before 1884 there was only the telegraph, and for 13 years thereafter the entire community was served by one toll phone, first in a general store on Downey Avenue and later in a livery stable.
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