Downton Reservoir adopted 7 June 1951 on 92NE by the Geographic Board of Canada. Form of name changed to Downton Lake 5 July 1951 as recommended by BC Geographic Division.

Source: BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office

Name recommended to Geographic Board by F.O. Morris, Director of Surveys and Mapping, Victoria. "After Mr. Downton, BCLS (retired and now over 70) who resides at Lillooet. He has been connected with surveying in BC for a number of years, but during the period from 1910 to the present he has been mainly associated with the Lillooet District. He was instrumental in discovering the power potentialities of the Bridge River, and at the official opening which marked the completion of the project in 1949, threw the switch which sent the power through the transmission lines to Vancouver." (July 1951 notation on BC name card.) file P.1.51.

Source: BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office

After Geoffrey Murray Downton, Lillooet land surveyor, 1912-36 (advice from A.W.A. Phair). Downton was responsible for starting the Bridge River project. See also D'Arcy Marsh article, "He Stood on a Peak and Changed History," published in the Vancouver Province 28 April 1956, pp.10-11,19.

Source: Provincial Archives' Place Names File (the "Harvey File") compiled 1945-1950 by A.G. Harvey from various sources, with subsequent additions