Next year the city of Downey will celebrate its 150 years of being established. In 1973, the city of Downey had a centennial celebration and I am sure a celebration will be given for the 150th year.

Volunteering at the history center we have lots of documents that we review and get to see how the city was at different times in history, including newspapers from the late 1880s up to today’s date. I found a map of Downey businesses from 1953 with street indexes and pictures of the stores and businesses. One section had the great Downey Union High School on Firestone Boulevard, First Presbyterian Church on Downey Avenue, the Woman’s Club of Downey home on Paramount Boulevard, Downey Feed Store on 8111 E. 2nd St (TOpaz 2-2231). Some people will recognize the TOpaz telephone number for Downey.

There was also Erhart’s Turkeys with its “tops in table birds” – turkey, fryers, carbonettes, squab, ducks and fresh eggs. Also Elmer Polk’s Service Station on Florence Avenue and Tweedy Lane (they gave green stamps), Downey Post 270 of American Legion, Downey Fertilizer Co. (a 20-acre plant located at Imperial and Bellflower, and manufacturers of the famous Red Star Fertilizer), Archie’s Old Fashion Wood Barbecue Dinners with their spare ribs, ham, beef, pork, steaks and special merchants lunch and child’s plate.

There are many business names for people who would like to see what the city had to offer in services for the community. Come in to the Downey History Center to see the map.

These pictorial folders and maps were prepared and published by Fred Boyer of Bell Gardens.

*Here is a write-up of Downey from 1953:

Downey first became a town on Oct. 13, 1873, years after California was admitted to the Union as a state, with the first subdivision of homesites. It gained its name from Gov. John G. Downey, Civil War governor of California.

Scattered communities of various names joined in the new town under the new name and thus began the development of one of the state’s most ideal home communities more than three quarters of a century ago. Many thousands of happy families have “discovered” Downey as the ideal home community as evidenced by the fact that in 1940 the local population totaled 12,500 an today Downey has a population of 57,400.

A large and varied industrial section employs 15,700 people with a total payroll of $36.4 million annually included in the industrial activities that of North American Aviation, home of the only Atomic Research Reactor on the west coast, and location of North American’s important area-physics development department.

A high standard of public schools has always marked Downey as one of the most progressive communities in education endeavors. One Union High School serves the community along with 13 elementary schools in addition to one parochial school. Nearly 11,000 students are enrolled in the local schools under a continued staff of 377 teachers.

*A reminder that the Downey Historical Society is having its first night program at the Barbara J. Riley Center on April 28 at 6 pm.

*In preparation of the 150th anniversary, let's make an effort to let the community know how many great things were accomplished in Downey or by people from Downey. Downey has a rich heritage and the community should be ver proud of the many important stories that this community can tell.

Side note: more than 90 million TV viewers tuned in to see tennis pioneer Billie Jean King, 29, defeat Bobby Riggs, 55, in straight sets in a match hyped for weeks as the battle of the sexes. Happened in 1973. I saw this note in the paper and remembered that my mother was visiting me in Long Beach that night and we really enjoyed seeing that match – can’t believe it was 50 years ago.

Bobbi Bruce is a docent with the Downey Historical Society.

Downey at 150 years