The Standish Post Office was established on April 21, 1899 with Harriet F. Torrey as the first postmaster. It is one of a handful of Lassen County post offices established prior to 1900 that are still in existence.
The town was named after Myles Standish, of the Plymouth Colony fame. In the 1890s, the Associated Colonies of New York wanted to create utopian communities in the West, and Standish would be their second development. The Standish Colony was designed using the philosophical beliefs of Myles Standish and the economic structure promoted by LDS leader, Brigham Young. For it to succeed it needed a water supply to irrigate the surrounding land. In 1898, the Honey Lake Valley Colonial Irrigation Company was incorporated and purchased Edward Purser’s Susan River Irrigation System. However, it was plagued with litigation over water rights, that led to the demise of the Standish Colony and Associated Colonies in 1901.
On a final note, the first book I intended to write was the history of the Tule and Standish districts. Well, most know that did not happen. A few years back I did survey of over 1,000 people to see if there was still an interest. Only 40 people expressed one, so that is why I never finished the history of Standish.
