This is a topic that I plead total ignorance. By the early 1900s, Lassen County had small jails in outlying communities. Whether they were just temporary holding facilities, I do not know. The jails at Hayden Hill and Standish were nearly identical. They were not your typical structure. Instead of having vertical boards, they were placed horizontal, making for a very stout structure. The jail at Hayden Hill remained intact until 1991 when Lassen Gold Mining began mining operations there and what few remnants were demolished. The Standish Jail was converted into a storage shed for the Lassen County Road Department.

Enough said, since I got sidetracked from my original topic. In a letter dated from March 1, 1909, Standish resident, J.B. Leavitt, (I am not sure of his official capacity), wrote to the Lassen County Clerk, George Bassett: “Dear Sir: I am in need of some old quilts for the jail at Standish.” What is noteworthy, its the only documented reference I have for the Standish Jail.

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